Kuol the Cannibal

by South Sudanese Folktales | Oct 7, 2018 | 0 comments

Kuol the Cannibal

One day Kuol stood at a distance from the village, and when he was asked “Why are you standing over there?” he said, “My parents are all dead and I have been moving from village to village, but no one could accommodate me.”

So he was welcomed and accommodated, and given a plot at the centre of the village. The villagers gave him some boys to look after his calves, and girls to milk his cattle.

My parents are all dead and I have been moving from village to village, but no one could accommodate me.

Kuol would come and knock the shoulder of one of the girls whilst they were milking. As the girl tried to turn to look and see what the matter was, Kuol would hold the neck of the girl tightly, causing pain, and with the intention of killing her. He would hold on until unfortunately the girl died. Then Kuol took the dead girl to his house where he made a hole and started eating the dead body. This became a continuous routine for him, eating almost all the girls who were given to him, and the whole community were saddened and wondered why their girls had been disappearing. So they organised a group to search for the cannibal, yet he was among the people who were searching for the cannibal!

On one particular day they found out that he was the one who had been eating girls. Some young boys went to his home and they were playing and one of them had a small spear which he speared down next to Kuol’s cooking place. When the boys were trying to leave the one who speared the spear tried to remove it from the ground. But as he removed it came with a piece of flesh and it was smelly. And so a rumour went around the village saying ‘Kuol had been eating our girls’.

Kuol has been eating our girls!

The community leaders said, “When Kuol comes, give him his milk and oil as usual.” So, when he came he was given his oil, milk, and water for bathing as usual. He took his bath, and smeared himself with the oil.

Meanwhile the whole community was gathering outside the house of Kuol to come and kill him, but while he was inside the house he peeped outside and saw the community gathered around his house and knew they were ready to kill him. He came out and told them, “Let me go and tie my cattle…” But before he finished he escaped! They all tried to run after him, but they could not find him anywhere. The villagers came back and sat down and they distributed the cows among themselves: families whose girls were eaten were given fifty cows for compensation; the other villagers were given ten cows.

Reflections:

1) What do you think of the ending of this story?

2) Can compensation help a conflict from escalating?

Storyteller: Nyadoal

Storytelling Session Details

Storyteller: Nyadoal
Language: Nuer
Commmunity: Nuer (originally from Rubkona, living in UNMISS PoC at the time of this project)
Story Researcher: Nyechuol Ruai
Place: Juba PoC
Date: 2015

The Story of the Young Man and the Skull

by Na'eesh Mabadh Team | Na'eesh Mabadh Radio Programme

A Wife Demands the Death of her Mother-in-Law

by South Sudanese Folktales | Oct 7, 2018

A Wife Demands the Death of her Mother-in-Law

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A couple had been in a courtship for years and one day the guy told his girlfriend that they should get married. She agreed, but she gave him a condition: “Unless you kill your mother, you cannot marry me.”

Unless you kill your mother, you cannot marry me!

The young man took his spear and went back home to kill his mother. But before he entered the house where his mother was with his siblings, he peeped through the window and he saw his mother was eating. Then his baby brother defecated; the mother wiped her son clean and she continued eating. After a while the same baby boy vomited and again she wiped him, then after she continued eating without washing her hands. The son was emotionally touched while he was peeping from outside. Then he entered the house and asked his mother, “So, this is how you have been nurturing us?”
His mother answered, “Yes.”
Again the son asked her, “This is how exactly you have been nurturing me?”
“Yes, my son,” the mother said.
“Mother, when I was coming home I had my spear and I wanted to kill you
because I have a girlfriend whom I want to marry. She told me that I should
first kill you so that I can marry her, but I was emotionally touched when I
saw you wiping my baby brother after he defecated and vomited, and you
didn’t wash your hands and you just continued eating.”

The young man decided to shift his mother and siblings to a different village and made for them a new home. Then he came back and he paid a full dowry and married his girlfriend telling her, “I have killed my mother as you asked me to”.

After some months, the new wife got pregnant. While in her seventh month of pregnancy, the husband told her, “We are going to construct our two houses and you will be the one carrying all the building materials like grass used for thatching the house, but also you have to do the domestic work.”

She replied, “I can’t do all this work alone because I am pregnant. Maybe I will get one of my sisters at home to help me.” But the husband insisted, reminding her, “You asked me to kill my mother who could have been of help to you, and so you should do the work.”

This became a routine even during her second, third, and fourth pregnancies, and she complained to her husband, “Whenever you know I am pregnant, that is when we demolish the houses and construct the new ones!”

I can’t do all this work alone because I am pregnant. Maybe I will get one of my sisters at home to help me

The husband asked his wife, “Do you love your mother?”
“Yes,” she said.

“Then why did you ask me to kill my mother? Because she would have helped you during all this time, but instead it seems you wanted to be alone.”

He decided to bring his mother and siblings back and when the wife saw her mother-in-law coming from a distance she ran to hug her.

The following morning the wife brewed alcohol and they called a gathering of all the in-laws, and the entire community was present. The husband stood up in front of the gathering and told them, “My people, I called you here because years back my wife asked me to kill my mother so that I could marry her. I faked my mother’s death so I married my wife, but whenever she becomes pregnant I tell her to re-construct our houses.”

My people, I called you here because years back my wife asked me to kill my mother so that I could marry her. I faked my mother’s death so I married my wife, but whenever she becomes pregnant I tell her to re-construct our houses.

Everyone was saddened by this story and afterwards they slaughtered three cows: one for the return of the mother, a second one for reunification of the family, and the third one for the faking of the mother’s death. They lived happily with their family; the wife took care of the whole family including the mother in-law, and even sometimes even bathed her.

Reflections:

1) Why does the wife ask her husband to kill his mother?
2.) Have you ever been angry or jealous enough to wish death on someone? What did you do when you felt this way?
3) When a woman is pregnant is it fair to expect her to do all the work without assisting her?
4) Should the husband have spent so long preparing his revenge? Were his actions fair?

Storytelling Session Details

Storyteller: Nyadoal
Community: Nuer (originally from Rubkona, living in UNMISS PoC at time of project)
Story Researcher: Nyechuol Ruai
Place: Juba PoC
Date: 2015

The Wife Demands the Death of her Mother-in-Law

by Na'eesh Mabadh Team | Na'eesh Mabadh Radio Programme

Enjoyed A Wife Demands the Death of her Mother-in-Law? Listen to the Na’eesh Mabadh adaptation of this folktale for radio.

Na’eesh Mabadh is a peacebuilding project inspired by South Sudanese folktales.
Learn more about this project on the Na’eesh Mabadh page.

Two Women against a Cannibal

by South Sudanese Folktales | Oct 7, 2018

Two Women against a Cannibal

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Once there were two women with disabilities who together were left enclosed in a grass thatched house. One was visually impaired and the other physically impaired. They were left with their food and their water and also could ease themselves inside.

A cannibal often came around the house searching for the door to enter, but couldn’t find the way in.

On one particular day he was tired and said to himself, “I have been moving around from village to village and I’ve never found a house which does not have a door!” The women told the cannibal, “Let us construct a door and you start from outside and continue from inside.”

You are going to carry me and I will lead us on the way.

After they were done, the cannibal came inside the house and both women were so scared, but the cannibal just laughed at them and their fear. Then the physically disabled woman told the blind one, “You are going to carry me and I will lead us on the way.”
When they were moving the physically disabled woman saw another cannibal and told her “Sister, I am scared!” The blind woman asked her, “Should I throw you down?” and she said “No!”

They continued moving in a faulty movement and the cannibal laughed at them; he laughed so hard he lost his way and he disappeared. The women went into the bush and hid there until they were found and brought back home.

Reflections:

1) What does this story teach us about cooperation?

Storyteller: Nyadoal

Storytelling Session Details

Storyteller: Nyadoal
Language: Nuer
Community: Nuer (originally from Rubkona, living in UNMISS PoC at time of project)
Story Researcher: Nyechuol Ruai
Place: Juba PoC
Date: 2015

A Story about a Cannibal Woman

by South Sudanese Folktales | Oct 7, 2018

A Story about a Cannibal Woman

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A pregnant cannibal woman and the husband were moving, when suddenly they were attacked. Her husband was killed and she ran for her life hiding herself nearby in the bush next to the village. The attackers were searching for her everywhere and a woman who had known her approached her and said, “You will not be killed my sister, I am going to protect you,” though the woman was not a cannibal herself.

The attackers were still looking for her and even came to where she was hiding, but the Samaritan woman told them, “My people, she just escaped and she is not here.”

My people, she just escaped and she is not here.

So luckily the attackers moved away and she was rescued. During night hours, she came back to the good Samaritan who rescued her and gave thanks to her, and also told her that she was pregnant with twins and promised her that when she gives birth, she would bring the twins to her.

Then she moved away. When she gave birth to the twins, she came back to her sister and brought the twins with her and she gave them to the Samaritan, and thereafter they made another promise to themselves that they would remain friends until death.

Storyteller Nyadoal

Storytelling Session Details

Storyteller: Nyadoal
Language: Nuer
Community: Nuer (originally from Rubkona, Unity State, living in UNMISS PoC at time of project)
Story Researcher: Nyechuol Ruai
Place: Juba PoC
Date: 2015

Kenyi and the Extraordinary Snake

by South Sudanese Folktales | Mar 27, 2017

Kenyi and the Extraordinary Snake

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I would like to narrate to you my story in Bari language. This is the story of Kenyi and his mother Ilanda who lived in a big village. During that time, when the inhabitants of this village wanted to drink water from the river, the chief had to sacrifice one of his daughters to the big snake called Wum who lived in the river, so that it would be safe enough to approach the river to fetch the water. Years went by, and girls continued to b sacrificed and thrown into the river for the big snake to swallow so that the villagers could fetch the water.

This is the story of Kenyi and his mother Ilanda who lived in a big village.

Many chiefs died and others came and sacrificed their daughters so that their people could have access to water from the river. If they failed to throw a girl to the snake then the people will not drink water. This situation continued for some time. After that there came a very bad and selfish chief who said “Why should I sacrifice my daughter for all these people to drink water? If they don’t drink water it is not my problem. No…no I don’t care if the snake wants to swallow them, then let them all die, but I will never sacrifice my daughter at all.” This chief had no concern about the lives of other people in his village; he only cares about himself and his family unlike those other chiefs who came before him. They were standing by their people. People were taking water from the river because these good chiefs were sacrificing their daughters by throwing them to the snake. But this selfish chief refused and said he does not care about the lives of others, whether they drink water or not but he will not throw his daughter to snake. It happened that the snake got angry because he did not have something to eat because the selfish chief did not sacrifice his daughter as it used to be done by his predecessors. The snake came to the village and decided to swallow everybody.

Why should I sacrifice my daughter for all these people to drink water?

There was a pregnant woman called Ilanda. She was not in the village at the time the snake swallowed the people. She was in the bush collecting firewood. Ilanda came back to the village and found nobody around. The village was empty. She asked herself, where did these people go? What happened to the people of this village? She did not get answers, and then she decided to go back to the bush where she was collecting the firewood.

Ilanda stayed alone in the bush for sometimes until she gave birth. When she was almost giving birth, she said to herself, now what can I do in this big bush, there is no human being and no water. Now who can help me? And she said to herself again, I think God is there and He will take care of me. She tried to call if there anybody in the bush to help her but there was no reply. She tried again and again by shouting, is there any one here in this bush? Is there any one there to help me? She continued again and again until finally she heard something saying: “I am here…I am here… if I come to you with this look wouldn’t you laugh at me?” Ilanda replied: “Oh my brother, how can I laugh at your look and I actually need your help?” And the voice replied: “I am here and my name is Domene ko dang (Catch me by Arrow). I have one leg, one hand, one ear and my nose is cut and my mouth too. Everything in my body is cut, are you sure you will not laugh at me? The woman replied: I won’t laugh at you, just come; I really need your assistance. The strange man came and looked at the Ilanda and told her “I will help you.” The strange man really came and began to help Ilanda until she gave birth. The strange man continued to help Ilanda by going to the bush hunting animals so that the woman would continue to eat. Sometimes he brought gazelle and other times he brought different types of animals. The strange man also hid himself and Ilanda in the bush so that the big snake does not come and catch them.

I am here and my name is Domene ko dang (Catch me by Arrow). I have one leg, one hand, one ear and my nose is cut and my mouth too. Everything in my body is cut, are you sure you will not laugh at me?

Ilanda was feeding her son Kenyi well who was growing very fast. Slowly and slowly Kenyi began to understand and one day he asked his mother, “why are we staying alone in this big village with many houses? Where have the other people of this village gone?” Ilanda replied, “Oh my son, what are you asking? Where do you think your father and the other people have gone? You don’t know that the big snake swallowed them all? Actually, there is a very big snake called Wum in that river and if you go there it will also swallow you my son and you will not come back again. A long time ago if the snake wanted to eat, villagers would throw a girl close to the river and while the snake would ate and swallowed her, people could fetch water from the river to drink. And at that time, the good chiefs who loved their people threw their daughters to the snake. Many chiefs came and went and this tradition continued until the coming of that bad and selfish chief who refused to sacrifice his daughter. Then, the big snake got angry and swallowed all the people of the village including your father, and then the snake laid in the river. There was no one who has dared go close to the river or fetch water since then, and if you dare to go there today, the snake will not spare you either.” Kenyi listened to his mother carefully and said to himself, Now what can I do to rescue my father and the people of my village from this big snake?

Now what can I do to rescue my father and the people of my village from this big snake?

He grew up and decided to leave his hiding and went far to another village. There he met a strange man and immediately he ran to him, knelt down and caught his leg saying: “Please I have come to you asking for help. I want you to help me rescue my father and the people of my village who were swallowed by a big snake in the river. Please tell me what can I do uncle?” The strange man replied, “My son, you are still young, and you must grow first. After that, I will show you what to do. Please don’t worry about your people, they are still alive in the womb of the snake; it did not eat them.”

Kenyi went back home to his mother. He constructed a small house for his mother. He would go out at night and come back at night so that the snake would not see him until he became big and mature.

Then, Kenyi went back to the strange man. The man gave him a knife and said, “Let’s go to the top of that mountain.” They went together and the strange man told Kenyi, “Sharpen this knife here. When you hit the tree with this knife it won’t cut it, and when you hit it on the big stone it will divide the stone into two, then the knife will kill the big snake.” Immediately, Kenyi began to sharpen the knife and tried it on the tree. It cut the tree, and when he tried the knife on the big stone, it did not divide it. Once again, he sharpened the knife for some time and tried it again and again. The next day, Kenyi tried the knife on the tree, and just as the strange man had said, it did not cut the tree. Then, he tried it on the stone, and it cut the stone into two pieces. So the strange man told Kenyi, “Now this knife is ready to kill the snake.”

Kenyi returned to his mother and stayed with her for sometime and then went back to the strange man. He asked the strange man, “Now this knife is ready, but how can I kill the snake for I have heard that it is very big.” The strange man replied, “You have asked a very important question. You must construct a staircase as a fortress from the river bank to the bush where your mother lives. Because when you hit the snake it will not reach you and this staircase will prevent it from catching you.”

So Kenyi began to cut the trees in order to build his fortress. He constructed a big staircase from the bush to the mouth of the river. He then went to his mother and told her, “Mama I am now going.” Ilanda made Kenyi sit and talked to him and gave him some advice and then allowed him to leave.

Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Let it come and swallow me… come and swallow me

Kenyi went at night up to the mouth of the river where the snake laid. He waited till early morning and then he began to scream and sing loudly:

Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Let it come and swallow me… come and swallow me

The big snake replied by singing:

Hum Kenyi I forgot you in the bush
Hum Yongo I forgot you in the bush
The snake usually climbs mountains
Kenyi where will you get me

After that, immediately the snake jumped out from the river to swallow Kenyi but instead hit his head hard and turned to the fortress jumping from stair to another till he reached the bush. The snake tried to follow Kenyi but failed because the stairs Kenyi built prevented it. So the snake retreated to the river and laid in the water. Again Kenyi came back to the river and shouted:

Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Let it come and swallow me… come and swallow me

The big snake replied by singing:

Hum Kenyi I forgot you in the bush
Hum Yongo I forgot you in the bush
The snake usually climbs mountains
Kenyi where will you get me

Again the snake jumped out from the river to swallow Kenyi, but hit his head harder and ran to the fortress, jumping from one stair to another till he reached the bush. The snake also tried to follow Kenyi but failed. So the snake once again went back to the river and laid in the water. Kenyi repeated the action for the third time and shouted loudly:

Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Wum… where is the wum that swallowed my father
Let it come and swallow me… come and swallow me

The big snake replied by singing:
Hum Kenyi I forgot you in the bush
Hum Yongo I forgot you in the bush
The snake usually climbs mountains
Kenyi where will you get me

Again the snake jumped out from the river to attack Kenyi, but hit his head harder this time, and hit it again and again till he fell down dead.

You are the father of all our daughters. How can you marry your own daughter? You are the one who rescued us from the womb of the snake

Kenyi opened the snake’s womb and brought out all the people of the village including his father. There were ululations from women and girls and jubilant shouts from men and boys. Kenyi rescued everything including cows, goats, chicken and all the other animals which were swallowed by the snake.

Everybody went to his house. Kenyi began to dig a big hole and collected the wood which he had used to construct his staircase and threw it into the big hole. He then lit a very big fire in the hole and began to collect pieces of the snake and threw the pieces into the fire. After that, he buried the remains and went to the river to construct drums. The people of the village began to play the drums with jubilation and ululations. After that everyone went home to rebuild their houses.

After this massive rescue, all the people of the village regarded Kenyi as their father. He built a house for his mother. Then, whenever Kenyi went to a house asking for their daughter in marriage, the family would tell him, “You are the father of all our daughters. How can you marry your own daughter? You are the one who rescued us from the womb of the snake.”

Kenyi was disappointed by these attitudes and decided to leave his village and go far away to find a wife. There was a beautiful girl called Kiden. She was the daughter of the chief of a village far away. Kenyi went to that far village, and before reaching there, he killed a monkey and wore its skin and entered the village as a monkey.

Kenyi stayed for some time at the chief’s house as a monkey. At times, he moved among the people, and stayed closer to them. Then, when he saw Kiden go to fetch water, Kenyi followed her and removed his monkey skin so that he could talk to her. These encounters happened repeatedly until Kenyi married Kiden and stayed with his in-laws for some time. Kenyi continued digging and cultivating the land for his in-laws until they allowed him to take his wife to his village.

Finally, Kenyi brought his wife to his village. He was received by his mother and the people of the village with joy and happiness.

Kenyi and the Extraordinary Snake

Narrated by Selina Lado Tombe

Storytelling Session Details

Storyteller: Selina Lado Tombe
Language: Bari
Story Collectors: Esther Peter Wani, Joseph John Maluk, Simon Muding Modi
Place: Gurei, Juba
Date: 2015

Note: this recording was made for the course African Literature taught by Dr. Rebecca Lorins in the Department of English Language and Literature, College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Juba

Thanks to Stans Luala for assistance with translation from Bari to English and Arabic