Long ago, there were three young women who often visited the Ma-Kishi, mysterious spirit-people who lived far from their village. The distance between the two places was long, but the girls cherished this friendship and made the journey almost every day.
One day, the three prepared again for the trip. The eldest girl’s younger sister, a little child, pleaded, “I too will go! Every day you travel there, what secrets do you keep from me?” The elders refused. “The path is long. In the middle lies a great river. You are too small to cross it.” But the child would not be silenced. She persisted until her elder sister struck her to drive her back. The three young women set off, yet the little girl followed in haste. When she caught up, the elders scolded her for her stubbornness but they let her stay.
The girls crossed the wide river and arrived at the Ma-Kishi village. Their spirit friends welcomed them warmly, spreading mats, cooking food, and offering drink. Yet, unseen by the girls, the Ma-Kishi had plotted to kill and eat them that night.
As darkness fell, the three young women soon slept, but the little sister stayed awake, her eyes sharp. She heard whispers outside the door. The Ma-Kishi asked softly, “You, you, are you asleep now?” Fear gripped her heart, but she thought quickly. Extinguishing the fire, she sang back in a small voice:
“We are in bed, are not asleep;
The heart to the great wizard
Of the wizard of the road.
Cold outside, hunger outside,
Thirst outside, mosquitoes outside.”
The Ma-Kishi scattered, saying, “They are awake, let us bring them food and drink until they sleep.” Soon they returned with mush and beer. The child accepted the gifts at the door but hid them aside. Later they came again, asking the same question. Again, she sang her riddle-song. They brought palm wine and a cloth, hoping to lull her. But she resisted sleep, whispering to herself, “If I close my eyes, they will kill us.” When the roosters crowed at dawn, the Ma-Kishi withdrew in frustration.
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In the morning, she told her sisters what had happened. They mocked her. “We never heard such things before. You only invent tales!” That night, however, when the Ma-Kishi returned with their question, the elders heard it too. Frightened, they whispered among themselves: should they flee? But wild beasts roamed the night. They decided to wait until morning.
On the third night, the Ma-Kishi came again, bringing more food, drink, and cloth. Again, the child answered with her riddle. The elders finally believed her. They resolved to escape. After supper, while the spirits slept, the girls quietly gathered their few belongings. They placed their little sister in front and crept into the moonlight. They reached the river but found it full and raging. Nearby stood a tall tree. The sisters climbed to the top while the child clung to the lower branches.
Meanwhile, the Ma-Kishi surrounded their empty hut. Believing the girls asleep, they set it ablaze. When the gourds of beer inside burst, the Ma-Kishi laughed. “Listen! They roast within! Tomorrow we shall eat tender meat!” But when the house was consumed, they found only ashes and shattered gourds. “The meat is gone!” they cried. Tracking footprints, they pursued the girls to the river and saw them in the tree. “Meat here! Meat here!” they shouted, raising their hatchets to fell the trunk.
Terrified, the girls began to chant:
“Oh, hatchet! Oh, hatchet!
Do break!
We shall replace you
At home.”
Still, the tree bent under each blow. Overhead, a hawk circled. The girls pleaded, “Hawk, save us, and we will repay you at home!” At first, the hawk refused. But when they begged again, “If our parents do not pay, we ourselves will”, he agreed.
One by one, he lifted the sisters across the river. Only the youngest remained. The Ma-Kishi hacked harder, the tree bending. The elders cried, “Hawk, hurry!” He swooped, seizing the child just as the tree fell. The Ma-Kishi wailed in defeat: “The meat is gone!”
Safely across, the hawk demanded payment. “I have saved your lives. How will you repay me?” The girls bowed. “We thank you, great Hawk. We have nothing now. But come to our home, and you shall be paid.”
Back in their village, they confessed to their parents, praising their youngest sister’s vigilance and the hawk’s rescue. Two days later, the hawk arrived to claim his due. The family told him, “We cannot pay by hand. But here are fowls, take them yourself.” From that time on, the hawk, who once ate only locusts and small birds, began catching chickens as his rightful food.
And so, the story ends.
Moral Lesson
This tale reminds us that wisdom is not bound by age. The child, dismissed and beaten for her persistence, proved to be the very one who saved her elders. Vigilance, courage, and truth can come from unexpected voices. The hawk’s reward teaches that help is never free, promises must be honoured, for gratitude sustains balance between humans and nature.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who were the Ma-Kishi in this folktale?
A1: Spirit beings who befriended the girls but secretly planned to eat them.
Q2: What made the youngest sister different from the elders?
A2: She stayed awake, heard the Ma-Kishi, and responded cleverly with songs.
Q3: How did the girls attempt to escape from the Ma-Kishi?
A3: They fled at night, hid in a tree by the river, and prayed for rescue.
Q4: What role did the hawk play in the story?
A4: The hawk carried each girl safely across the river, saving them from death.
Q5: What lesson does the hawk’s payment symbolize?
A5: Help must be repaid; gratitude and fairness preserve harmony with nature.
Q6: What cultural origin does this folktale belong to?
A6: It is a traditional folktale of the Kimbundu people of Angola.
Source: Traditional folktale of the Kimbundu people, Angola.
