Pensa koh o ǃaqekxao nǃa’an ko Kalahari khoea. Ha koh tani tsia tjuǀho ko ǃha sa tcin ka nǂai ‘m ha juasi. Te tzama nǀui koh ge, he o ha Pam-Pam te Pensa koh kare ha gu. ǁ’A tzama gǃohm ǀkuiasi ko kaice jan ǀ’an ko tchisi du. Te tih koh o ha sin ǀoa xoana Pam-Pam ǁxau ka ǁ’ang. Pensa ǁ’a ha tchisi ku nǃom gǃa’ama ǂoan nǀa’an ko tzama – te ha koh sin kare ka ha koh ǁ’ang Pam-Pam he ǂhoe ha gǃohm ǃkuiasi!
Pensa was the best hunter in the whole Kalahari Desert. He brought home fat animals and fed his family well.
There was this bird, the Pam-Pam bird, which Pensa wanted to catch. The bird’s tail feathers were perfect for his arrows. The problem was, he could never manage to trap or shoot Pam-Pam.
Pensa’s arrows would fly through the air just like a bird - if only he could catch Pam-Pam and pull out his tail feathers!
Pensa ua ǃ’hoan kxae, ǂ’ang he o siǃa nǀomkxao. Ha gǂara hui. “A ǀxom nǀang totoa mi ko tca ju oo ǁ’anga tzama he o Pam-Pam ko ka ju ǁxau ha. Mi kare ha ǃkuisi ǁkoa ǀxoa ko mi nǃaoh kosin mi tchisi. Mi re noun dua ka ǁ’ang ha?” Te nǀomkxao mania ha te ko. “U nǀang gǀae du da’a.” Te ǁ’aea tci ǀkain ǀkain wece ǃaah gǃa’ia da’a tzi, a ǂ’aun nǀhui ka mhi tsea. ǁXau ǀxoa ǁ’a tci ǀkain ǀkainhmsa. Kahin mani Pam-Pam ǂ’angsi.
Pensa went to the wise man, their healer. He asked for help. “Please guide me to catch the Pam-Pam bird. I need his feathers for my bow and arrows. What must do to catch him?”
The healer replied, “Go and make a fire. When all the insects run away from your fire, you must catch the smallest of them. Make a trap and place this little insect inside your trap. It will tempt the Pam-Pam bird.”
Pensa koh ǀoa ǃ’han tca Pam-Pam sa nǀomkxao te o ǂarasi. Pam-Pam ǁ’ae gesin ha ǀ’ho nǀhomkxao. Sa ge ka ǀ’an khoe ko nǂoahnsi. “Mi nǂai ǂxai a,” nǀohmkxao koe nǁae ko ǁ’aea Pam-Pam ǀ’ho ha. “Mi koh ǃoa ǃaqekxao ko tca ha oo ǁ’anga a ko ǁxau. Ka a hoa da’a ko tzi, a ǂ’aun nǃom nǂau koa ǂxan. Mi se ka ko itsa nǀuia nere tahn.”
Pensa did not know that the healer and the Pam-Pam bird were friends. Pam-Pam often visited the healer. They exchanged stories. “I warn you,” said the healer when Pam-Pam bird visited him, “I have told the hunter how to catch you. When you see a fire in the veld, you must fly far away. I want to see which one of you will win.”
Te ǁ’aemanǃangsi, Pensa cocoa te ǃaqe Pam-Pam tzama. Ha nǀanga tzi te nǁanǁari da’a ǃaihansi. Te ǁ’aea gǃoh ma ku gǀai, ha dchun ǃhara da’a ko ǁa’isi sa soahn te da’a dhari ma kua du da’a. Te tci ǀkain ǀkainsa ge nǁomi da’a dharisi ko nǃom du, te Pensa nǁuri te gua nǂhoma ko ǁ’akoa. Ha ǀua ha ko ǁxau nǃang.
In the meantime, Pensa started his hunt for the Pam-Pam bird. He sat in the veld and rubbed and rubbed his fire sticks. When the smoke appeared, he blew into the fine grass around his fire sticks, until the little flame appeared and became a fire.
The insects around the flaming grass flew away, but Pensa managed to catch a young grasshopper. He put it into his trap.
Te Pam-Pam tzama ǀu gǀae kaqm nǂohm ma gea Pensa ǁxau nǃang. Te ha kua ǁ’ae ha te sin nǃom tca di’i ka gǂae tsxatsxabi ǀxoa ha zuhn. Pensa ku tsa’a Pam-Pam oo tjian. “Pam-Pam, Pam-Pam, Pam-Pam, Pam-Pam, Pam.” Pensa ǃaah ua ha ǁxau khoea. Te tzama koh ǁ’ang!
The Pam-Pam bird could not resist the juicy young grasshopper in Pensa’s trap. He decided to fly down and grab it quickly with his sharp beak.
Pensa heard Pam-Pam bird’s cry, “Pam-pam, pam-pam, pam-pam.”
Pensa ran to his trap. The bird was trapped!
Pam-Pam tzama ǀxom Pensa nǀang kxoe ha khoara ha. “Ooh ‘an’an,” Pensa koe nǁae, “Mi kxoa a ko ǁ’aea nǃobe gǂa’in. A ǁaike o mi ma! A ǃkuisi ku oo ka mi tchisi ku nǃom gǃa’ma nǀa’an, ǂoa a.”
Pam-Pam bird begged Pensa to set him free. “Oh no,” said Pensa, “I have wanted to catch you for a very long time. Today you are mine! Your feathers will make my arrow fly through the air, just like you.”
Pam-Pam tsama ku ǃ’au, “ka a ǃhun mi o kaa a ǁa’ike ǀoa ceka ho ǃkui gesin sa a gǁaoa a tchisi. Ko ǁ’aea ka sa ge kxuia, khama mi nǀa ǃai. Sin nǁah mi nǀang kahin mi sin ǃxoana nǀang ǀ’an a ko ǃkui ko nǃui gǃainsi wece.”
Pam-Pam bird screeched, “If you kill me you will have no more feathers for your arrow when these are worn out, because I will be dead. Set me free and I promise to give you new feathers with each full moon.”
Pensa nǁah Pam-Pam. Te ka Pam-Pam tsin he ku nǂoah u, ha ǂ’ang, “Mi re koma sin ǀ’ae koqe te u?”
Pensa let Pam-Pam go. As Pam-Pam walked away, he thought, “Am I really free?”
Pensa ua tjuǀ’ho te cete gǀae du tchi zesin. Te ǁ’aea ju ce ku se tchisi, siǃa are: “Ooh se ǃaqekxao ha tjin ǃai kxui, Pam-Pam tzama ǁ’a ha ǃkuisa gea ha tchisi ǁama ǀama he ha ǁa’ike ku ǁau ǃaqe ka tani ‘m jansin: E gǀae kxae ‘m ǁkae.”
Pensa went home and made new arrows. When the people saw his new arrows, they exclaimed: “O-o, look at this hunter! He carries the Pam-Pam bird’s feathers in his arrows. Now he will hunt well and bring us good food. We shall have a feast!”
Gǀua to’a nǀomkxao ǁkaeǁkae ju te tcxai nǀang ǀ’an khoara sia o ǃaqekxao sa Pam-Pam tzama ga. ǁAma ǁ’a ǁ’aea ǃaqekxao woaqnsi ǁa’ike ku sin ǂ’ang nǂoahn o Pam-Pam tzama, te nǂoahn ka ko si da’abi si ko nǂai ǂ’anga ǀamsa koh ǂaun.
That night, the healer led the people in a fire dance to celebrate the hunter’s success and Pam-Pam bird’s freedom.
And since that day, all the good hunters remember the story of the Pam-Pam bird, to tell their children as a memory of days gone by.
Written by: Traditional San story
Illustrated by: Manyeka Arts Trust
Translated by: Gǂkao J. B. Kxao, Tsemkxao Cwi
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
Gǂkao J. B. Kxao, Tsemkxao Cwi
Cwi Debe, Gǂkao J. B. Kxao, Kaqece Khallie N!ani, Kileni A. Fernando, Sylvia Fernandu, Tsemkxao Cwi
Ju|’hoansi
Level 4
