In the days when the forest was both home and test, two families welcomed new life. The wife of Hunter gave birth to a child, and far away, the wife of Deer also bore a little one. In their world, the birth of a child was never complete until it received its first food, for that food was believed to grant the strength of life itself.
The child of Hunter required liver of deer, along with mush, beans, and fish. Only by tasting these could it be “taken out,” fully recognized as a child of the world. Meanwhile, the newborn of Deer could not live until it had eaten the sacred fruit of the mudia-mbambi tree. Without it, life would not yet belong to the little fawn.
Hunter prepared to fulfill his duty. He lifted his gun and set out into the bush, for only a deer’s liver would allow his child to be brought forth. Walking carefully through the trees, he came upon a great mudia-mbambi tree, the very tree that held the fruit Deer’s child required. There he built a tree-seat, climbing up to wait in silence, the forest breathing all around him.
After a while, Deer appeared beneath the tree. Hunter raised his gun to his shoulder, ready to fire, but before he could, Deer spoke.
“Stay your hand, Hunter. Please! Let us remember: both of us are in need. Your wife has given birth, and your child cannot live until it has eaten the liver of a deer. But I too am a father now. My wife has also given birth, and my child cannot live unless it eats the mudia-mbambi fruit. If you kill me now, my child will die before it ever tastes its first food. Allow me to take the fruit to my little one. Tomorrow I will return, and then you may shoot me, so that your child may live as well.”
READ THIS: Dinianga dia Ngombe and Deer | A Kimbundu Folktale, Angola.
Hunter listened, torn between his own duty and the plea of Deer. At last, he nodded. “Go, and feed your child first. Tomorrow, I will do what must be done.”
Deer bowed his head in gratitude and carried the fruit of the mudia-mbambi tree back to his home. Hunter descended from the tree-seat and returned to his house. He slept that night with thoughts heavy upon him. Thoughts of his child waiting, and of Deer’s trust in his word.
When morning came, Hunter rose early. He took up his gun once more and walked back to the bush. Climbing into the same tree-seat, he waited in silence, the air thick with expectation. Time passed, and then Deer appeared again, keeping his promise.
Hunter lifted his gun, aimed, and fired. The shot rang through the forest. Deer fell, dead upon the ground. Hunter descended from the tree, bound the Deer, and carried it home upon his shoulders.
At the house, he skinned the animal carefully. With steady hands, he reached inside and removed the liver. It was brought at once to the newborn child, who ate of it as custom required. Thus, the child of Hunter was taken out, fully welcomed into life.
Both children, the fawn with its fruit and the hunter’s child with its liver, had received their first food. In this way, both families fulfilled their duties, though Deer gave his life so that both children might live.
Moral Lesson
This folktale teaches the delicate balance between survival and compassion. Hunter could have taken his prize at once, but he allowed Deer to fulfill his fatherly duty first. In doing so, both families saw their children live, though Deer’s life was sacrificed the following day.
The story reminds us that even when necessity demands hard choices, respect and patience can create space for fairness. True strength lies not only in power but also in honouring the needs of others, even when fate cannot be changed.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What first foods did the child of Hunter need?
A1: The child of Hunter needed deer liver, mush, beans, and fish.
Q2: What first food did the child of Deer require?
A2: The child of Deer required fruit from the mudia-mbambi tree.
Q3: Where did Hunter build his tree-seat?
A3: He built it in the mudia-mbambi tree, where Deer came.
Q4: What plea did Deer make to Hunter?
A4: Deer begged Hunter to let him take fruit to his own child before being killed.
Q5: How did Hunter respond to Deer’s request?
A5: Hunter agreed, allowing Deer to feed his child and promising to wait until the next day.
Q6: What is the central lesson of this story?
A6: The tale teaches patience, duty, and balancing one’s needs with compassion for others.
Source: Kimbundu folktale, Angola.
Original text from Folktales of Angola (Heli Chatelain, 1894), Smithsonian Digital Library.
