Details

Abstract / Summary

Once there was a small bird called Timba. Timba made his living on a certain tree called kankande. He put a notice on the tree because he knew that the tree was beside the main path which all the animals took to drink water at the river. The notice said "Everyone who passes must Iook out because my hut is here, anyone who does not heed my notice will die." After a while the elephants passed by and knocked down Timba's nest because the kankande tree is the natural food of the elephant. At the time Timba was away looking after his cotton field. When he got back he found his house had gone. From the foot prints all around he knew it was the elephants and he said ''I'll see them on their way back. ¢ ‚¬  When the elephant came along Timba said. "Which of you broke down my house?" "He had better confess at once or one of you will die, I'm sure." Before the elephants arrived home one of them was already unhappy and his friend asked him what was the matter. "I am unhappy about what Timba said to us" he replied. "Well if you are the one who spoiled Timba's nest we had better go back and tell him." But he refused and later that day he lay down and died. Messages were sent far and wide that an elephant had died and all the animals came to attend his funeral. Timba knew that the elephant had died on account of his notice, so when he came to the funeral Timba said: ¢ ‚¬Å“I warned you, you know, about my tree, so let this be a warning to everyone that it is better to obey than to disobey because in this way a young man can make bad things right again. ¢ ‚¬ 

Field of Interest

World Music

Copyright Message

Material sourced from the International Library of African Music. Copyright International Library of African Music.

Description

Once there was a small bird called Timba. Timba made his living on a certain tree called kankande. He put a notice on the tree because he knew that the tree was beside the main path which all the animals took to drink water at the river. The notice said "Everyone who passes must Iook out because my hut is here, anyone who does not heed my notice will die." After a while the elephants passed by and knocked down Timba's nest because the kankande tree is the natural food of the elephant. At the time Timba was away looking after his cotton field. When he got back he found his house had gone. From the foot prints all around he knew it was the elephants and he said ''I'll see them on their way back.” When the elephant came along Timba said. "Which of you broke down my house?" "He had better confess at once or one of you will die, I'm sure." Before the elephants arrived home one of them was already unhappy and his friend asked him what was the matter. "I am unhappy about what Timba said to us" he replied. "Well if you are the one who spoiled Timba's nest we had better go back and tell him." But he refused and later that day he lay down and died. Messages were sent far and wide that an elephant had died and all the animals came to attend his funeral. Timba knew that the elephant had died on account of his notice, so when he came to the funeral Timba said: “I warned you, you know, about my tree, so let this be a warning to everyone that it is better to obey than to disobey because in this way a young man can make bad things right again.”

Content Type

Field notes

Anthropologist / Ethnographer

Hugh Tracey, 1903-1977

Format

Text

Sub Genre

Spoken Word

Page Count

2

Series Number

TR093

Subject

World Music, Anthropology, Music & Performing Arts, Social Sciences, Africa, Cultural anthropology, África, Antropologia Cultural, Antropología Cultural, Nsanje District, Port Herald District, Lower Shire District, Lower River, Nsanje, Southern Region (Malawi)

Keywords and Translated Subjects

África, Antropologia Cultural, Antropología Cultural, Nsanje District, Port Herald District, Lower Shire District, Lower River