Across generations, Senegalese storytellers have shared folktales that carry timeless lessons about life. Among the most beloved are the tales of the hare and the hyena. The hare, patient and diligent, succeeds because he respects effort and precision. The hyena, always careless and impatient, fails because she rushes through her tasks without discipline. Each of these six stories, preserved in René Guillot’s Contes d’Afrique (1933), reveals the rewards of steady work and the pitfalls of laziness.
The Hyena and the Hare with the Basket
The hare once decided to weave a basket. He sat calmly, bending each reed and weaving them tightly. Strand after strand, he worked with care until his basket was firm, smooth, and beautiful.
The hyena tried the same, but her nature got the best of her. She rushed, tying stalks loosely and leaving wide gaps. When she finished, her basket looked rough and weak.
Later, both carried grain. The hare’s basket held every seed without spilling a drop. The hyena’s basket, full of holes, let all her grain slip through onto the ground.
The villagers saw her failure and mocked her, while the hare walked proudly with his strong basket.
The Hyena and the Hare with the Fire
Another day, they both tried to make fires. The hare gathered only dry wood. He stacked it carefully, struck a spark, and soon a bright, crackling flame rose, warming the air and glowing with life.
The hyena gathered green, damp wood. When she lit it, smoke billowed thick and choking, burning her eyes and throat.
People gathered around the hare’s fire, laughing, talking, and sharing its warmth. No one came near the hyena’s smoky mess. She sat alone, coughing bitterly, as others enjoyed the hare’s flame.
The Hyena and the Hare with the Door
When it came time to build houses, both the hare and the hyena made doors. The hare carved his carefully, smoothing the wood, shaping it to fit the frame tightly, and fastening it with care. His door stood firm and strong.
The hyena slapped her door together hastily. It leaned crooked, left cracks in the frame, and barely held in place.
That night, thieves came. They tried the hare’s house first, but his strong door resisted. Then they turned to the hyena’s home. Her door broke at once, and the thieves carried off her food.
The hare slept safe, but the hyena cried over her loss.
The Hyena and the Hare with the Boat
Once, the hare and the hyena needed to cross a river. The hare, patient as always, chose strong wood, bound it tightly, and tested it until the boat was ready. His boat was strong and reliable.
The hyena rushed. She tied weak wood loosely and left gaps everywhere.
When they pushed into the river, the hare’s boat floated smoothly across the current. The hyena’s boat sank almost instantly. Shivering and wet, she swam back to shore while the hare rowed easily, laughing as his boat carried him away.
The Hyena and the Hare with the Mortar
During harvest, they both carved mortars for pounding grain. The hare carved his deep, round, and sturdy, with walls strong enough to endure the pounding.
The hyena, careless as ever, made hers shallow and cracked. When she used it, it split apart at once, scattering her grain.
The hare’s mortar worked perfectly, filling baskets with flour that he stored away. The hyena stood empty-handed, watching her effort turn to waste.
The Hyena and the Hare with the Pestle
Lastly, the hare and the hyena each carved pestles. The hare smoothed his with care, long, balanced, and strong. The hyena rushed, leaving hers crooked, thin, and weak.
When they worked, the hare’s pestle struck steadily, pounding grain with rhythm and ease. The hyena’s pestle snapped in two the moment she tried.
The hare continued filling his mortar with flour, while the hyena sat silent, ashamed, holding the broken pieces of her weak tool.
Moral of the Six Tales
Together, these Senegalese folktales teach one powerful lesson: patience, effort, and care bring lasting success, while laziness and shortcuts end in shame. The hare prospers because he honors the value of hard work. The hyena fails because she ignores it. In every field of life—whether weaving, building, carving, or creating, discipline is the path to reward.
Knowledge Check
1. Who are the central characters in these Senegalese folktales?
The hare and the hyena, representing diligence versus laziness.
2. What lesson is taught by the basket story?
That careful work creates strength, while haste leads to failure and ridicule.
3. Why does the hyena suffer in the fire story?
She uses green wood, which produces smoke instead of warmth.
4. What message does the door story give?
That good preparation and patience protect against danger, while carelessness leaves one vulnerable.
5. How do the boat and mortar stories highlight the hare’s wisdom?
By showing his success through strong construction, compared to the hyena’s careless failures.
6. What is the central moral of all six tales?
That patience, diligence, and discipline bring reward, while laziness brings only loss and shame.
Source: Senegalese folktales, collected by René Guillot in Contes d’Afrique (1933).
