Indaba, My ChildrenA definitive compendium of African myth and folktale, retold in rich, vibrant prose, Indaba, My Children is a stunning literary and ethnographic achievement. As a young man, Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, a Zulu from the South African province of Natal, was determined to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and become a tribal historian in order to keep the rich oral tradition of his culture alive. In this book, begun in response to the injustices against Africans and their culture, he sets these legends down in writing. He begins with the creation myth, when Ninavanhu-Ma, the Great Mother, created the human race. From there, an epic unfolds, an intricate and vivid cultural tapestry populated by gods and mortals, cattle herders and supreme kings, witch doctors, lovers, grave diggers, warriors, and handmaidens. The story continues all the way up to the colonial era, when a Portuguese Kapitanoh and his crew arrive on the African shore. Indaba, My Children is a classic and indispensable resource for anyone interested in the cultural life of Africa and the human experience as it is filtered into myth. |
Contents
THE SACRED STORY OF THE TREE OF LIFE | 5 |
Behold the First is Born | 18 |
The Last Sin of ZaHaRrellel | 34 |
Between Gorogo and Odu | 52 |
THE SPAWN OF THE DRAGON | 69 |
BOOK TWO | 127 |
THE STORY OF LUMUKANDA | 159 |
Behold the Deceiver | 176 |
BEHOLD THE COMET | 374 |
THE TENDER DEADLY SPEAR | 399 |
HAIL TO THEE OH MAIEGAWANA | 414 |
BEHOLD THE PLAGUE | 438 |
BEHOLD THE GREAT DEATH | 455 |
THE GREAT JOURNEY BEGINS | 471 |
GANDAYA THE ELEPHANT | 485 |
JOURNEY TO THE SOUTH | 501 |
Lumukanda Turns Traitor | 189 |
THE BLOT OF ZIMAMBJE | 204 |
IN MY WEB A DEAD FLY | 227 |
SO DIE THE INNOCENT | 246 |
LO THE VIPER STRIKES | 270 |
FROM THE CLAWS OF DEATH | 293 |
HURL BACK THE WAR SPEAR | 311 |
LET PEACE REIGN SUPREME | 336 |
HIS ADOPTED SONS | 360 |
THE MEALIE TRIANGLE | 516 |
Postscript | 529 |
THE RELIGION AND BELIEFS OF THE BANTU PART I | 552 |
THE CURSE OF KARIBA | 583 |
THE LAWS OF THE BANTU | 621 |
Tribal Scars | 636 |
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BANTU | 654 |
The Spirit of Numbers | 676 |
Awake My Africa | 690 |