The Two Hunter Brothers

Two well-known hunters from the village,

They were two brothers from a renowned family,

Every hunt was a triumph in the region.

All the girls in the area wanted them as husbands.

For them, no protected species existed,

For them, no future plans were made,

Their only focus was on consuming and consuming.

But as the proverb goes,

By consuming everything excessively,

There will be nothing left.

The animals began to diminish in numbers,

Even the pregnant females,

Even the newborns,

The forest no longer served as a meat reserve.

The two hunter brothers started to experience the word:

Empty-handed! Empty-handed! Empty-handed!

One day, while walking along the Kongo River,

They came across the Nkeleles, also known as partridges, a large community on the banks of the Pool Malebo.

But alas, the greed of the powerful,

And their accomplices turned the situation into a terrible reality.

The two hunter brothers found two eggs,

"God is great," said the older one,

He immediately lit a fire and cooked his egg.

The younger of the hunter brothers,

Kept his egg,

Knowing that one egg would not satisfy his hunger.

The next day, the two men

Went for another walk by the river,

They found two more eggs,

The elder brother ate one,

While the younger brother kept the other.

Whenever there were eggs,

The younger brother would keep them and content himself with fruits,

Roots, and plants.

He soon had seven eggs in his possession,

And on the tenth day, he had the pleasant surprise

Of seeing his eggs hatch,

Now he had chicks

That were growing rapidly,

He had hens and roosters.

The hens quickly began laying eggs,

And he had to build a large chicken coop.

The younger brother then stopped accompanying his brother on hunts,

Title

The Two Hunter Brothers

Themes

creative sacrifice | human vs nature | pride vs humility

Emotions

ignorant | proud | surprised

Lesson

Sustainable practices and forethought ensure prosperity in the face of resource scarcity.

Animals

Partridge

Characters

Elder Brother: A successful but short-sighted hunter who consumes without considering the future; Younger Brother: More thoughtful and patient, he preserves eggs and eventually reaps the benefits.

Special Objects

Eggs

Back-grounds

Village, Kongo River, Pool Malebo

Source

Story narrated and recorded in 1991 by Mr. Simon Miakaluzabi N'Sondé, story also told by Steve Nzehou Essami in Mbomo adapted to the book: ‘Congo Tales’ Told by the People of Mbomo, written by S.R. Kovo N'Sondé, Wilfried N'Sondé published by Prestel Publishing