A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Doke’s Lamba material describes little ancient beings with a long red tooth that can kill victims. Yet a tale makes one a rescuer: after a visitor performs a task, the being prepares an extraordinary drum that carries people away from a predatory lion husband. Another episode involves stolen drums, death and revival. The varied actions prevent a simple classification as either harmless fairy or invariably evil monster. The spelling here groups the singular and plural expressions.
The lion-story helper first asks the human visitor to clean its dwelling inside a tree. It then hollows wood into a drum and teaches a movement that carries the fugitives into the treetops. Assistance follows an exchange of service, while the drum’s music forces the pursuing lion to dance and delays the chase.
Origins & earliest records
The selected witness is Alice Werner’s 1933 comparative collection, section The Little People. Its stated source context is C. M. Doke’s Lamba Folklore, pp. 385–386, and the choric lion story. Publication and collection dates do not establish the beginning of the oral tradition.
Records & interpretation
The Little People explicitly supplies the features and narrative actions summarized here. The account is mediated through named collectors or reported narrators, not a current community statement or independently verified encounter. Broad colonial interpretations are not adopted as facts.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Myths and Legends of the Bantu
The Little People; cited source context: C. M. Doke’s Lamba Folklore, pp. 385–386, and the choric lion story. Selected historical witness, not exhaustive.
- 02
Myths and Legends of the Bantu — Lamba utuchekulu notices through Werner
AliceWerner, Myths and Legends of the Bantu, hosted title page explicitly[1933], https://sacred-texts.com/book/myths-and-legends-of-the-bantu/shell/title-page . Exact print impression not established. Historical comparative collection: sources quoted or summarised are distinguished from newly inspected originals. Full Ogres/LittlePeople/KambaAimu/Were-wolfHusband subsections and chapter opening read; no whole-book claim.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Myths and Legends of the Bantu
AliceWerner, Myths and Legends of the Bantu, hosted title page explicitly[1933], https://sacred-texts.com/book/myths-and-legends-of-the-bantu/shell/title-page . Exact print impression not established. Historical comparative collection: sources quoted or summarised are distinguished from newly inspected originals. Full Ogres/LittlePeople/KambaAimu/Were-wolfHusband subsections and chapter opening read; no whole-book claim.
- Werner reports Doke’s distinction between ogres, utuchekulu called gnomes, and separate pygmy terminology. The gnomes have a dangerous long red tooth but can help: she briefly cites the choric lion story’s rescue of a man and sister. Another complete short summary has a drum owner kill thieves with sprinkled medicine, recover his property, revive them by sprinkling again and resolve the dispute amicably.
ChapterXII, The Little People, complete Lamba discussion and Doke footnotes
This subsection prints utuchekulu, not a newly verified singular Akachekulu spelling. Full original Doke lion tale and preparation formula are not read or copied; only Werner’s actual brief notices and stated source pp.385–386 are covered.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical collection and comparative commentaryMyths and Legends of the Bantu — The Little PeopleResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.