This is a story from the Tabwa (an African cgroup) oral stories. I thought it was a good story with a good moral... HOpefully I translated it right...


Finger millet: seeds for this...crop

Diket (spelling wrong): an animal, which is at least two feet tall…and apparently very good to eat. I think it's a furry little creature...I never asked the orator...


Once upon a time, there was a young woman, who had no children. The only family she had was her husband. One day, the gods were kind and allowed the young woman to become pregnant. The husband and wife rejoiced of such a gift.

After the young woman gave birth to a son, the harvest season began and there was finger millet to be sow. As the young woman began to work, she realized how difficult working was with a baby, who cried as she worked.

The young woman sat down under a tree and grieved "What did I do to receive such a fate where I cannot care for a child or sow finger millet to raise money for my family. I have no parents or siblings to help me care for this child as I work."

Right then, a diket runs out and says "I will take care of your baby while you work."

The young woman laughed. "You are only an animal, how can you watch a baby? You would probably eat it."

The diket shook his head. "No, I will not eat your baby. I will watch your baby, you need not to worry."

"Fine," the woman said and went to work on the finger millets. As she worked, the diket sang to the baby: "Will you laugh at me? Will I laugh at you? Will you laugh at me? Don't cry baby, hush."

After the young woman tired, she went back to the diket and her baby. The diket gave the baby back, and went home.

The next day, the same thing happened. The young woman was mourning her lack of help and the diket appeared.

"I will watch your baby", the diket said. "You need not to worry."

After the young woman went to work, the diket sang again to the baby: "Will you laugh at me? Will you laugh at you? Will I laugh at me? Don't cry baby, hush."

During the night, the woman told her husband about the diket.

"Tomorrow, you will give the baby to the diket, and I will shoot it so we can get some fresh meat," the husband said, licking his lips. The wife agreed.

The next day, while the diket was singing: "Will you laugh at me? Will I laugh at you? Will you laugh at me? Don't cry baby, hush," the husband snuck up behind the singing diket and drew his bow and poisoned arrow. FWAM! The arrow struck the baby, and the diket ran to the wife and angrily said:

"Will you laugh at me? Will I laugh at you? Will you laugh at me? I laugh at you. I have showed you kindness by watching your baby so you could work. However, you do not see me as your helper, you see me as meat for your dinner. It is your own fault for the fate of your baby."


END