--- title: The Story of Tangalimlibo. — Kaffir folk-lore · full text with trees description: The Story of Tangalimlibo., «Kaffir folk-lore» by George McCall Theal: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: This is a favourite story, and is therefore very widely known. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/29/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Kaffir folk-lore](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/) / The Story of Tangalimlibo. # The Story of Tangalimlibo. The Story of Tangalimlibo. of «Kaffir folk-lore» by George McCall Theal: the whole text, 76 sentences and 1433 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. This is a favourite story, and is therefore very widely known.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") Sometimes it happens that native girls are employed as nurses by Europeans, and that little children are taught by them to sing, or rather chant the song of the cock, so that this story may even be like “an old acquaintance with a cheerful face” to many of our own race who have grown up on the frontier.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") The original of the first song is:—[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Uyalila, uyalila, umta ka Sihamba Ngenyanga.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") Wenziwe ngabomu Sihamba Ngenyanga, Ngabantu abantloni.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") Sihamba Ngenyanga.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") Bamtuma amanzi emini.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Sihamba Ngenyanga.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Waba kuka ngetunga, laza latshona.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Sihamba Ngenyanga.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Waba kuka ngomcepe, waza watshona.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") Sihamba Ngenyanga.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") Waba kuka ngexakato, laza latshona.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") Sihamba Ngenyanga.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") That of the second is:—[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Ndiyi nkuku nje ndingebulawe.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") Kukulu ku-u-u.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") Ndize kubika u-Tangalimlibo.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Kukulu ku-u-u.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") U-Tangalimlibo ufile.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Kukulu ku-u-u.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") Ukelele umntu ntloni amanzi.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") Kukulu ku-u-u.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") Ibe kutunywa inkomo, yakonya.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") Kukulu ku-u-u.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Yaba kutunywa inja, yakonkota.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") Kukulu ku-u-u.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") Among the Kaffirs a childless woman finds little or no favour.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") In many cases she would be treated by her husband in exactly the manner described in this tale, so that by becoming a mother she might say from the bottom of her heart, with Elizabeth of old, that “her reproach was taken away from among men.”[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Sometimes she is returned by her husband to her parents, a proceeding commonly adopted when she has a marriageable sister who can be given to him in exchange.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") The husband is required, however, before repudiating his wife, to go through the customary ceremonies, which are described in the following case tried before me when acting as a border magistrate in 1881:—A, a Kaffir, sued B, another Kaffir, to recover the value of a heifer lent to him two years before under these circumstances.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") B’s wife, who was distantly related to A, had been married more than a year without bearing a child.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") B thereupon applied to him for a heifer, the hair of the tail of which was needed by the doctor of the clan to make a charm to put round the woman’s neck.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") He had lent him one for the purpose, and now wanted payment for it.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") The defence was that A, being the woman’s nearest relative who had cattle, was bound to furnish a heifer for the purpose.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") The hair of the tail was needed, the doctor had made a charm of it and hung it round the woman’s neck, and she had thereafter given birth to a son.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") The heifer could not be returned after being so used.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") In this case, if the plaintiff had been so nearly related to defendant’s wife as to have participated in the benefit of the cattle given by her husband for her, he could not have justified his claim under Kaffir law; but as he was very distantly connected, he got judgment.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") The feeling entertained by the Kaffirs about the court in this instance was that B had acted very ungratefully towards A, who had not even been present at the woman’s marriage feast, but who had cheerfully acted in conformity with the custom which requires that a charm must be made out of the hair of the tail of a heifer belonging to a relative of a childless wife, in order to cause her to bear children.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") It will be observed that the woman speaks of those whose names are unmentionable.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") According to Kaffir custom no woman may pronounce the names of any of her husband’s male relatives in the ascending line.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") She is bound to show them the greatest respect, and implicitly to obey their commands.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") She may not sit in the house where her father-in-law is seated, she may not even pronounce any word in which the principal syllable of his name occurs.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") Thus, a woman who sang the song of Tangalimlibo for me used the word angoca instead of amanzi for water, because this last contained the syllable nzi, which she would not on any account pronounce.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") She had therefore manufactured another word, the meaning of which had to be judged of by the context, as standing alone it is meaningless.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") The beer-drinking company on the mats under a tree, the escort of the bride to her husband, and the wedding feast are true to the life.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") The idea of the Kaffir with regard to drowning is also shown very distinctly in this tale.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") He believes that a spirit pulls the person under water, and that this spirit is willing sometimes to accept an ox as a ransom for the human victim.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") How this belief works practically may be illustrated by facts which have come under my own cognizance.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") Some time in 1875, a party of Kaffir girls went to bathe in a little stream not far from the place where I was then living.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") There was a deep hole in the stream, into which one of them got, and she was drowned.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") The others ran away home as fast as they could, and there told a story how their companion had been lured away from their side by the spirit calling her.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") She was with them, they said, in a shallow part, when suddenly she stood upright and said, “It is calling.”[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") She then walked straight into the deep place, and would not allow any of them to touch her.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") One of them heard her saying, “Go and tell my father and my mother that it took me.”[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") Upon this, the father collected his cattle as quickly as possible, and set off for the stream.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") The animals were driven into the water while the man stood on the bank imploring the spirit to take the choicest of them and restore his daughter.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") The failure to get the exchange effected is still attributed by the relatives of the drowned girl to the absence of one skilful to work with medicines.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") On another occasion, a Kaffir was trying to cross one of the fords of a river when it was in flood.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") He was carried away by the current, but succeeded in getting safely to land some quarter of a mile or so further down.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") Eight or ten lusty fellows saw him carried off his feet, but not one made the slightest effort to help him.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") On the contrary, they all rushed away frantically, shouting out to the herd boys on the hill sides to drive down the cattle.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") As might be supposed, the escape of the man from being drowned was then attributed to his being in possession of a powerful charm.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") Besides these spirits, according to the belief of the Kaffirs, there are people living under the water, pretty much as those do who are in the upper air.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") They have houses and furniture, and even cattle, all of their domestic animals being, however, of a dark colour.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") They are wiser than other people, and from them the most skilful witchfinders are supposed to obtain a portion of the knowledge of their art.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") This is not a fancy of children, but the implicit belief of grown-up men and women at the present day.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") A knowledge of this is of great service to those who have to do with Kaffirs.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") As an instance, a woman came to me in July, 1881, to beg assistance.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") A child had died in her village, and the witchfinder had pointed her out as the person who had caused its death.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") Her husband was absent, and the result of her being “smelt out” was that no one would enter her hut, share food with her, or so much as speak to her.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") If she was in a path every one fled out of her way, and even her own children avoided her.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") Being in the colony she could not be otherwise punished, but such treatment as this would of itself, in course of time, have made her insane.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") She denied most emphatically having been concerned in the death of the child, though she did not doubt that some one had caused it by means of witchcraft.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") The witchfinder was sent for, and, as the matter was considered an important one, a larger number of Kaffirs than usual appeared at the investigation.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") On putting the ordinary tests to the witchfinder he failed to meet them, and when he was compelled, reluctantly, to admit that he had never held converse with the people under the water, it was easy to convince the bystanders that he was only an impostor.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [The Story of Five Heads.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/28/) - next →: [Story of the Girl Who Disregarded the Custom of Ntonjane.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/30/) - ↑ back to [Kaffir folk-lore](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg71335/)