FolkTales January 1986

Issue Date: February 2003

       Elephant and Hare

       Njovu the elephant planted his vegetable garden diligently. Soon bananas, cassava, and maize all grew there. Everything flourished. Sungura the hare grew jealous. He decided to steal the fruits of Elephant's labor. Every night, in the darkness, Sungura crept into the field and stole some food.

       One night Elephant, frustrated by his losses, decided to keep watch. He hid in his grove of young mango trees. There he saw Hare picking his bananas. The next morning Elephant went to Chief Mungambe to start proceedings against Sungura. Mungambe summoned Hare to appear before his court at the animals' meeting place.

       Sungura called on Zingawetse, a big ape who lived in the forest. Hare asked Zingawetse to sit in the tree above the meeting place. Sungura told him exactly what to say and when. Then Hare went to the ants, who lived between the roots of the tree, and asked them to say eeeee (yes) at the appropriate time.

       The day for the court case arrived. All the animals assembled under the great tree in the village square. Asked by the chief to begin the proceedings, Elephant spoke with great pomposity. "I, Njovu the elephant," he intoned, "herewith formally accuse Sungura the hare of stealing my bananas."

       Hare immediately admitted that he had taken bananas from the garden. Then he claimed that he owned the vegetable plot. He addressed the chief: "Mungambe, pray to God and to the spirits of our ancestors in the earth. They will tell you who the owner is."

       The chief rose and prayed to God in heaven: "Does that garden belong to Hare?" Then Zingawetse, hidden in the tree, spoke. Everyone on the ground below heard a mysterious voice say "eeee."

       "Doesn't the garden belong to Njovu?" the chief asked. There was silence.

       "Spirits of our forefathers, does the garden belong to Hare?" the chief prayed. The ants all yelled "eeee." The animals heard only a whisper, but all were deeply impressed by this miraculous intervention of the spiritual world on behalf of Hare.

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