The children of the First Bushmen (who preceded the Flat Bushmen in their country) throw up the sleeping Sun into the sky, or, The children of the !khwe |na ssho !ke, ordered by their mothers, throw the sleeping Sun into the sky (a second version of the story)
Metadata
Title
The children of the First Bushmen (who preceded the Flat Bushmen in their country) throw up the sleeping Sun into the sky, or, The children of the !khwe |na ssho !ke, ordered by their mothers, throw the sleeping Sun into the sky (a second version of the story)
Collection
Lucy Lloyd |xam notebooks
Contributor
||kabbo (Jantje) (II)
Summary
The Sun, a man from whose armpit brightness proceeded, lived formerly on earth; but only gave light for a space around his house. Some children belonging to the First Bushmen (who preceded the Flat Bushmen in their country) were therefore sent to throw up the sleeping Sun into the sky; since then, he shines all over the earth. We have two complete versions of this myth,a short one (L II.-4. 487 and 488, 488a-k, 494-499,), and a longer one (LII.-35. 3150-3159, 3165-3236 rev.)
Comments
1) An explanatory note on the contents page of Book II-35 reads: 'He (the sun) (J.T [||kabbo] tells me) was a man, who only gave forth brightness for a space around his own house. His shining did not reach other places. He, before this action of the children's, had not been in the sky, but had lived at his own house, on earth. He was not a !khwe |na ssho !kui.', 2) Date on p.3226: 6 October, 3) p.3183v: the name for sleep<i> (|o !ko a) </i>and what is said when another man is sleeping, 4) p.3186v: another name for the sun (||kui-|katten ttu), 5) p.3193v: the sun's light used to be white in the day and red at night, like fire, 6) p.3197v: a term Lloyd cannot understand. ||kabbo says the First Bushmen used it to order a thing to do as they wanted (when they worked a thing), 7) p.3207v: when the sun became round it never again became a man, 8) p.3219v: the manner of drying 'Bushman rice' on a mat, 9) p.3223v: the kaross is carried over the left shoulder so that the right can be exposed to the sun, 10) pp.3224v & 3225v: see <i>About 'Bushman rice'</i>, 11) See also <i>The children are sent to throw the sleeping Sun into the sky</i> and <i>A note on the First Bushmen</i>, 12) This story is found in Book II-35
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