Pensa neli muzumi yomunde yana cilaukile mwalihalaupa la Kalahali. Nanza kutanga kwahae ni lifolofolo zenunile zeo na fepisa lubasi lwahae kazona. Ne kuna ni nyunywani, yebizwa Mutakela, yeo Pensa nanyolela kuswasa. Boya bwamuhata wa nyunywani yeo nebuswanela kwamasho ahae. Butata bone buliteni neli kuli, nasakoni kuiswasa kapa kukunupa nyunywani yeo ya Mutakela. Masho ahae Pensa ne akakona kuya mwambyumbyulu sina nyunywani yeo-hana kaiswala kunga boya kwamuhata wa yona.
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 a ya ku muuna yabutali, ñaka wa bona. Ayo kupa tuso. Munife sikuka kamonika swaseza nyunywani yalibizo laMutakela. Nitokwa boya bwateni kuli ni kone kulukisa buta ni masho aka. Nilukela kuezañi kuli ni iswase? Ñaka ali kuyena, Zamaya yo eza mulilo. Likokwani kaufela halimata kuzwa kwamulilo, uswale nyunywani kuzona. Eza katwa ni kubeya kokwani ye nyinyani mwahala katwa. Kokwani ita hapa Nyunywani ya Mutakela kuli itahe fateni.
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 nasazibi kuli yena ñaka yo ni nyunywani ya Mutakela neli balikani. Hañata Nyunywani ya Mutakela neipotelanga ñaka. Neba ikambotanga kuikabela makande. “Nikufa mamela,” kubulela ñaka nako yeo napotezwi ki Mutakela. “Nibulelezi muzumi mwalukela kukuswaseza. Ha ubona mulilo mwabucwañi kapa mushitu, ulukela kufufela kwahule luli. Nibata kubona muwini mwahala mina.”
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.”
Mwanako yeswana, Pensa akala musebezi wahae wa zumo ya Mutakela. Aina mwamushitu kapa macwañi kueza mulilo kakusebelisa tukota, kufitela mulilonyana wa bonahala ni kuhula kuba omutuna. Likokwani zene liinzi bukaufi ni bucwañi bone butuka za fufela kwahule, kono Pensa a swasa mpasu yenyinyani. Aibeya mwakatwa kahae.
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.
Nyunywani ya mutakela neisakoni kuhana mulo wampasu yene inzi mwakatwa ka Pensa. Nyunywani ya iketela kutaha fafasi ni kunopa kamulomo wateñi oshengile. Pensa autwa nyunywani ya Mutakela hailila, “pam-pam, pam-pam, pam-pam.” Pensa amatela kwakatwa kahae. Nyunywani ne iswasehile!
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!
Nyunywani ya Mutakela ya kupa Pensa kuli ailukulule. “Batili, Pensa a laba. Ne ninyolelwa kukuswasa kuzwa nako yetelele. Kacenu u waka! Ndataho uta eza masho aka kuli akone kuzamaya hahulu mwambyumbyulu, sina wena.”
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.”
Nyunywani ya Mutakela ya utwahaza mulumo, “Haiba unibulaya hauna kufumana boya bwamasho ahao hase afelile osweli, Kakuli seikaba kuli nani mufu. Unilukulule ni sepisa kukufa boya bobunca kakweli ni kweli.”
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 alisela nyunywani ya mutakela kuli izamaye. Nyunywani hase izamaile ya ikupulela, “Kana Ki kuli kiniti na ni lukuluhile?”
Pensa let Pam-Pam go. As Pam-Pam walked away, he thought, “Am I really free?”
Pensa aya kwahae ni kuyo eza masho amanca. Batu hase baboni masho ahae amanca, bakomoka: “Oo! mubone muzumi yo! Ushimbile boya bwanyunywani ya Mutakela mwabuta bwahae. Kuzwacwale uta zuma hande ni kulutiseza lico zende. Luta eza mukiti!”
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!”
Kabona busihu bo, ñaka aetelela batu kuya kwasibaka sa mulilo kuyo bapala kakunyakalala bakeñisa kufumana sanatokwa muzumi ni kutibela tukuluho ya nyunywani ya Mutakela. Kuzwa zazi leo, bazumi babande kaufela bahupula likande la Mutakela, kakuba kupuzo ya zeezahezi mwamulaho.
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.
