Dream-Teaching River of the Bondman

Overview

An unnamed river speaks in dreams to a young man placed in bondship as a child for his uncle’s debt of an ox. After the uncle, father and other relatives die, no one redeems him. He works, carries wood and water, is beaten and receives no clothing. The river tells him to come early to the landing, before the village wakes, and choose among three objects. It identifies the small ngonga basket as preferable to the other two. He initially hesitates, so after three days the river repeats the instruction in another dream.

At the landing he sees floating guns with their muzzles downward, then two bales of cloth, then the small basket which stops before him. He takes the basket and later finds its medicine things complete. Further dreams show how to use plants for different ailments; subsequent instruction arrives where his knowledge fails. His first patient recovers after twenty days in the narrative, and later success earns cattle. After three years he pays for freedom; in another country he builds a household, marries and becomes wealthy. The text’s conclusion credits the river with the medicine that enabled this change. It gives no body shape, named dwelling or marriage demand for the river, and does not identify it as the Lukala of another tale.

Origins & earliest records

Jelemía dia Sabatelu contributed tale XLI, identified as Mbaka in origin and dialect. Chatelain’s note explicitly says this river has no specified name or locality, unlike Lukala in tale III. The narrator places the story among maka, while the editor disputes the supernatural portions; that classification difference is preserved.

Records & interpretation

Complete XLI, The Young Man and the River, bilingual pp. 228–233; English pp. 229, 231, 233. Contributor, river-identity and bondship notes pp. 304–306.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Folk-Tales of Angola

   Héli Chatelain, collector, editor and literal English translator; named contributor in origin · 1894

   Complete XLI, The Young Man and the River, bilingual pp. 228–233; English pp. 229, 231, 233. Contributor, river-identity and bondship notes pp. 304–306.

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.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Collected Ki-mbundu text with facing English translation and contributor notesChatelain 1894 — Dream-Teaching River of the BondmanResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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