Told by: Gaetlogelwe Mapa Retold in Shi Yei by Oscar Lepumo

With special thanks to Marlene Sullivan Winberg and Willemien le Roux (For English translation see the great book: The STORYTELLER, Folktales from the Kalahari desert and the Okavango River in Botswana).

Katanzi mone mepiri (Zoongo) za Okabango (Okavango), kwara tire Onshuru endji Ompuru, nxane wasi sise akeopaa resukueremwe wako jennwa ko roqho, enga wa tidzwa atikea waka tandee sheshi wa dlengana kodhla, kodzwa kwao akeopaa zini kari wa yuvwana atikea omumwe no wumwe ayisa enjira ake..wako tishizana atikea yika ko shangana nee chimwe a shupure ombaake…

Nxani Onshuru ashiyenda mone njira kati tura papo Ongando, Ongando yoo, mare mufurumana ngaho enji ko nywangaasa tota kera. Nokoti hangu are kofwa ngining…! Morume ka tanga kaka yaamina tapaa shifupi nake, koshangana atikea moxhamwesini ngaho mokhoatia konywangaasa, kati ka yisa kapana ka moeqhamani, aah! Hangu are kokukuta, kati ka shera shirume…

Onshuru pwaa mare koya ako moziera akeopaa zine Ongando yoo mata kadzwa mone modumo waa maratire nawo ka watapwaa atikea a yende taa yende matishaka wa wamwe,pondlipo endjara endji dhinata enga ziti kashera, ekati mwana atikea wohuru a furumane ngaho akeopaa mayimini tofu.

Monyana mate kotikea aka shake modumo wowona ne zezi kadhla endji mazikamino. Morime Onshuru akati mwana akeo ziheraaka zezo Ongando, kosheka ngaho taka hanga kodhinyena tana kati zanisa kakira…. Ekati shupura Ompuru “Babaa..! Babaa wee..!”

kaye koni yo mwene enyama yeyinda yana yana…yineee…(matishupura) “ta para namoshi wee babaa!”

Ompuru enji-ye ati akoya yako qhutura ka shangana Ongando hanga are koitoo. “Ompuru mati woza”, wee! Kana yowe yopaa Ongando yoo oko mondhlaaya mofu?

“aah! Ekaree are kofwa, kwati hweta onshuru”. Ndatikea ndimoti ndimoti-eqha konywangaasa enjiwe pokomo mwana ona ngaho onna thee babaa! “Onshuru mati zwara Ompuru. “Jaanong koti tako moti okoti mwana yo wee!” Akare mokokotu akeopaa matishakea ko twarwa koko modumo aka nongisiwa.

Ompuru yeye ke ommutu yo ko dla mone moshoro, ekati wuza hape. Jaano eyani kako mo khambishira koko modumo yowe okoti mwana-mopwanga? Aah! Babaa..! akere ewe yo shikando yoona ne zinama popanie. Koti omokhambike.

Ompuru kati wa papo ongando kati khambika, yenaah! Tana ka wotuka ka teenda kati khukhundhlika enkha woremo wo ndlirume dledli Ongando, ka shandiriki nake ngako ta mare kaya koko modumo, ka tikea amo yike papoeqha. Onshuru karatura atikea

tananga naami ngaho. Ompuru kati mo ziiriza monaami entjiye katika meenina nake. Ongando ati a konwanga koshanganya nayo enjara, kokotuka ko shangana no Ompuru entjiye maratshe, tana ka zoroka taka kamba Ompuru kati zunquza, ka enje yo haezire ko shara hape ka tinya ashupure Onshuru ya moeqha.

Tana kati moteye atikea wotakara we, no-kondle twara koko refu rematimwana shaamesho. Ekati ka keta koko mozi yina.. mateenda kati sheka.

Zikanda zo odimwe yenie.. ko kotikea moyeyi (Ommotu) yo ye yemwe matidle meenina nake atikea ndji ombaaye koti kako zorumoshiri moni zidhapuka zoo hapomo kodzwa nazo. Kamwana Ompuru yema taaboraazwa ko mbiyaake Onshuru.