A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
The jongoo begins the explanatory story with eyes but no legs, while the snake has legs but cannot see. Eager to dance at a wedding, the millipede makes an exchange with the snake. Once the dancing is over, the snake refuses to return the eyes. The jongoo therefore keeps the borrowed legs. The ending explains the animals’ represented bodily differences through an agreement that one party will not undo, rather than through a punishment imposed by a god.
Werner places the account among coastal Swahili animal beliefs and also gives gongolo as a Giryama name. The same passage reports fear of millipedes entering houses and an attributed connection with disease. Those are historical reports of belief, not health advice or proof of a millipede’s harmful power. The profile concentrates on the actual eye-and-leg exchange; it does not prescribe the household expulsion practice also mentioned in the note.
The source calls the creature a millipede without identifying a scientific species or naming an individual narrator for the story. Its snake partner remains unnamed. The brief whole episode has a clear final state—retained legs and unrecovered eyes—but no further wedding adventures or subsequent revenge are supplied.
Origins & earliest records
Werner’s own collected observations and attributed reports in the Animals subsection. Historical source framing is retained; reported interpretations are not generalized to every present-day community member.
Records & interpretation
Animals subsection p. 73, complete eye/leg exchange and surrounding attributed beliefs. Original printed pp. 73–74 visually inspected alongside the full article.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Some Notes on East African Folklore
Animals subsection p. 73, complete eye/leg exchange and surrounding attributed beliefs. Original printed pp. 73–74 visually inspected alongside the full article.
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.
- Historical field-report article, Folklore 26(1), pp. 60–78Werner1915 — original published field notesResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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