A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
!Gaunu is described as a great star who formerly called the other stars’ names. He sang as he named them, and the account attributes their possession of names to this act. Among those named are small, fine stars called ||xwhai. The brief telling presents a speaking and singing celestial agent; it does not narrate the star’s birth, animal transformation or death.
The passage continues with the porcupine watching the named stars. When they have turned back and mark dawn, it leaves the hunting ground and returns home. A separate editorial note records attempts to identify members of the ||xwhai group at Mowbray on 10 October 1873: two were associated with Altair and Gamma Aquilae, while another was too low and hidden behind a tree. Those dated identifications concern the named group, not a securely identified astronomical object for !Gaunu himself. Dia!kwain’s contributor note credits his paternal grandfather |Xugen-ddi with telling him star stories.
Origins & earliest records
Bleek and Lloyd, Specimens of Bushman Folklore (1911), III.—28, The Great Star, !Gaunu, Which, Singing, Named the Stars, pp. 78–81. Heading credits Dia!kwain in 1875; contributor note names paternal grandfather |Xugen-ddi.
Records & interpretation
Complete short passage and notes read, including porcupine/dawn conclusion at beginning of p. 81. Historical Observatory identifications are explicitly attached to the ||xwhai group and inquiry date, not silently transferred to !Gaunu. This star is distinct from the Mantis’s son !Gaunu-tsaxau.
In the literature
“Therefore, the Stars possess their names”
III.—28, The Great Star, !Gaunu, Which, Singing, Named the Stars; complete pp.78–81 and all notes; brief prose p.79 · Bleek–Lloyd original English translation; Lucy C. Lloyd, editor
A great star calls the names of other stars, accounting for their names; the narrative says he sings but no song is reproduced here. The final prose describes a porcupine recognizing dawn from the stars’ positions and returning home. Astronomers identify two small stars in an attached note; that note does not identify !Gaunu itself as a particular modern star.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Specimens of Bushman Folklore
III.—28, complete pp. 78–81: naming, paternal-grandfather contributor note, dated Observatory group identification and porcupine dawn conclusion.
- 02
Specimens of Bushman Folklore — III.—28, The Great Star, !Gaunu, Which, Singing, Named the Stars; complete pp.78–81 and all notes
London: George Allen & Company,1911; original bilingual edition. Complete selected English case and notes read; original contributor and excerpt pages independently viewed. Printed pages distinguished from inserted plates and access indices.
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.
Specimens of Bushman Folklore
London: George Allen & Company,1911; original bilingual edition. Complete selected English case and notes read; original contributor and excerpt pages independently viewed. Printed pages distinguished from inserted plates and access indices.
- A great star calls the names of other stars, accounting for their names; the narrative says he sings but no song is reproduced here. The final prose describes a porcupine recognizing dawn from the stars’ positions and returning home. Astronomers identify two small stars in an attached note; that note does not identify !Gaunu itself as a particular modern star.
III.—28, The Great Star, !Gaunu, Which, Singing, Named the Stars; complete pp.78–81 and all notes
No entire volume, original performance/manuscript or independent |Xam translation read. Adjacent prayer excluded. Historical text public domain does not imply blanket cultural/image permissions.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary collected account and historical identification noteOriginal 1911 bilingual edition: The Great Star, !GaunuResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Mirror of primary editionThe Great Star, !Gaunu: primary-edition plain-text mirrorResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.