Week Seven: Folktales

Mambo!

I hope you all enjoyed your week off! 

Like all cultures, Tanzania also has folktales and stories that are passed on from generation to generation. One day when I was teaching, I asked my students to practice writing a "Once upon a time" story using the past tense and having an animal as a main character.

One of my students, Linus, shared this folktale with me, and I thought it was so great, I just had to share it with all of you! I typed it exactly as he wrote it, so you'll see that there are a few errors in his writing. 

A couple of things to note before reading the story:

1. "the bush" is what many Tanzanians call rural areas, particularly small villages or houses far away from bigger towns and cities. It's kind of like what we'd refer to as "off the beaten path". 

2. There are a number of tribes in Tanzania who believe cows are sacred creatures. Also, many people who live in villages or in "the bush" may raise cattle or goats for a living, so cows today can only be found in captivity. Conversely, buffaloes are not domesticated and can be found in many national parks when you go on safari!

Some cows grazing outside of my house one rainy afternoon (the garbage bag on the right is a young boy with a makeshift raincoat!)

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The Story

BY: Linus B. Anatory

Once upon a time there was a buffalo and a cow. Both lived together in the bush. They cooked together and ate together, both gave birth and one day a buffalo went in the bush which was far from their home and a cow went to visit her friend goat. They left their babies themselves, they told them to play near their home. Both babies played for a long time but later on the cow’s child stepped the buffalo’s child and buffalo’s child got hurt and died. By a short time cow arrived from her friend goat she found buffalo’s child lied down without breathing. She realized that the baby has died. What could she do? She thought that when the buffalo will come back would attack them. The cow told her child to run as how she could. They ran to man’s home for their protection. When buffalo arrived home found her child died. She ran after the cow, when she reached the man’s home she asked have you seen the cow with the child passing? A man said they passed on that way. Man directed them by a front right leg while the cow and her child were inside the man’s house.  After the buffalo has gone away the cow got out the house. They thanked him. A cow asked what can I do for you? The man answered “come to live with me for better protection”. Until now the cow is living to man’s home, afraiding the buffalo.

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Last week, I also posted while you were gone all about food in Tanzania, so I'm going to keep this week's post pretty short!

I'll be visiting all of your schools in just THREE weeks! I'm getting really excited, and I hope you are too!

Baadaye,

Marisa