Goaq nǀui, ǀaria koara ǂ’ang he ǁ’oba koh ge. Ha koh ǃxoana ǀxoa ha ba nǃa’an gǂaah ko Kalahari gǀuia.
Long ago, there was a foolish lazy jackal. He lived with his old father in the Kalahari bush.
Nǃoma nǀui ǀAri nǃa’an gǂaahsi koh ǂxai te ho ha ǃ’han he cua ǀam he tza. ‘Msi koh ǀoa toan te pari cinniha gǁa ǃ’hu nǃang. “ǃAri kxao, ǁ’ohba! U ho ǀ’an a ǀ’ae ko dshau. Mi nǃobe gǂaah ǀ’an a ǃ’ui,” ǀari ba koe nǁae, te ǀari khu tsau te nǀhui pari te u ǀxoa tzi ǁ’a hi gǀae ‘m.
One morning Old Jackal woke up to find his son sleeping in the sun. The food was not ready and the goats were still in the kraal!
“Young man, you are so lazy! Go and find a wife. I am too old to look after you,” said Jackal’s father. So Jackal jumped up and took the goats out to graze.
Te gǀui khoea, ha ho tci nǀuia ku ǁ’haǁ’habea nǃom ǃ’o. Ha u to’om to’oma ha ǀ’ae ko ǁ’a nǃoma. Tca ha sin ku oo to’oma, ǁ’a tca ǁa ǁ’haǁ’habea ku oo ǀ’hom ua. Khoe nǀui tca ke koh o ha dshau?!
In the bush, he saw something shining on a rock. He went closer and closer to the rock. The closer he got, the more beautiful the shine was. Perhaps this was the wife for him?!
“A ǀ’hom,” ǀAri koe ǃoa kxui ǁ’haǁ’habe. “Te are o hajoe? Hatce khoe a re a o nǀe’e?” “Mi o ǀam,” ǁ’haǁ’habe koe ǁoaq kxui. Mi juasi nǁah mi ko khuin ke ko ǁ’ae si koh ǃau u. Si ǀoa kare mi maq. Mi nǃobe khui.”
“You are beautiful,” said Jackal to the shine. “But who are you? Why are you alone?”
“I am the sun,” the shine answered. “My family left me here when they moved on. They did not want to carry me. I am too hot.”
Te ǀAri ko, “A tia nǃobe ǀ’hom! Mi ku maq a. Mi ku tani ua a ko tjuǀho ka a u se mba.” “Ka jan, a ku maq mi. Nǀang a tia nǁau nǁa ko ka mi nǃobe khui ǀ’an a,” ǀam koe nǁae.
The jackal said, “But you are so beautiful! I will carry you. I will take you home to meet my father.”
“All right, you can carry me. But do not complain when I get too hot for you,” said the sun.
Te ǀAri kua ǁua ǀam ko ha ǃ’o te coa te ua tjuǀho. ǁ’Aea ka gǂxa’a, ǀam ku’u ǀAri ǃ’o ǃkuiasi. “A re koma ku ǀxom ka kaurua mi ǃ’o? Mi kare can, ǀari koe nǁae. Ha ǃ’o koh djxo te ha nǂhao tama. “Sin toa nǀang u!” ǀam koe nǁae. “Mi koh ǃoa a te ko a nǁau nǁa tci nǀui!”
So Jackal put the sun on his back and started the journey home. Before long, the sun was burning Jackal’s fur.
“Will you please come down from my back? I need to rest,” said Jackal. His back was so sore that he could hardly walk.
“Just carry on!” said the sun. “I told you not to complain!”
Te ǀAri se cu ǃaihn gǃani cu gǃxai nǃama. Ha nǃohm nǃhuri gǃani ǁ’a ka gǃa’in nǂhao ǀam.
Then Jackal saw a log across the path. He crawled under the log so that the sun would fall off.
Xabe ǃahin gǃani ka cete nǃaq ǁaq’in ha ǃ’o te du gǂxom ǃkui te nǁahn ǀ’an ǀam.
But the log also scraped the skin and fur from his back and they were left behind with the sun.
Te ǃkui zesin sa to’a ka ǀoa khoe kasa ǁxoasi gea ha ama. Te ǂ’u ǃ’haoǃ’haosi sa toa nǂai ǂ’anga nǀa’ng ha nǁau ce du nǁun.
The new fur was a different colour to the fur on the rest of his body. The different colours always reminded Jackal not to be so foolish again.
Written by: Traditional San story
Illustrated by: Manyeka Arts Trust
Translated by: Kaqece Kallie N!ani
Read by: Cwi Debe, Gǂkao J. B. Kxao, Kaqece Khallie N!ani, Kileni A. Fernando, Sylvia Fernandu, Tsemkxao Cwi
Traditional San story
Manyeka Arts Trust
Kaqece Kallie N!ani
Cwi Debe, Gǂkao J. B. Kxao, Kaqece Khallie N!ani, Kileni A. Fernando, Sylvia Fernandu, Tsemkxao Cwi
Ju|’hoansi
Level 3
