While most Chokwe do not directly negotiate with them, all mature adults sense the distinct quality of extraordinary beings, in part by noticing their actions—as did this father. Indeed, the father “sees” the women. As he leaves them, he quotes a proverb, “A man of wisdom, not a man of stature,” thus reminding himself to use his wits to rescue his son and himself.

The proverb invokes the Chokwe concept of mana: a commonsense intelligence, a wisdom to live by. A person with mana handles everyday situations with finesse and relates to others with sensitivity. One develops mana through experience and by steeping oneself in ancestral lore. This father has mana. He reinforces his senses with the wisdom of a proverb.

Unlike Westerners, who strive to see through false appearances in order to understand, categorize, and conquer an oppositional other, the Chokwe aim to interact well with others. For them, interpersonal relations matter more than individual success. They wish to see and sense other people clearly so they can interact appropriately for that relationship. They “see” not so much to know but to do well. And so the father acts. He cuts a tree and smears his ax with its red sap “blood.” Through his timely participation in their trick, he finds the women out: Confirming his intuition, they transform into butterflies and flutter away. He discloses them as sorcery apparitions.

Three children gather with happy faces, ready for the evening storytelling session.

But why does the seeing father endanger himself and his son by allowing the women to repeat their trick? Why does he not tell of his day’s experience and teach his son to avoid harm? A Chokwe father carries the daily responsibility for his son’s upbringing, teaching him the skills of manhood, even though the boy’s maternal uncle will later arrange his marriage and invite him into the matrilineal village. Until that time, the son lives in his father’s village and goes with him into the bush. By imitating his father, the son will learn seeing. Or he will fail and be known as a foolish one. Knowing that relational wisdom develops through experience, the father allows his son to wander alone in the bush. Alone, he will encounter the mysterious and beautiful women, alone confront the tension between filial love and personal desire.