Kumonngoe

Overview

Kumonngoe is a fabulous tree supplying food to Thakane’s parents, Rahlabakoane and ’Mahlabakoane. Chopping it with an axe releases milk, but their children are forbidden to eat from it. While the parents hoe their gardens, Thakane remains at home and her brother Hlabakoane is expected to herd cattle. He refuses to leave the enclosure unless she supplies Kumonngoe, even though she repeats the restriction. She takes a pot and axe, cuts a small piece and offers it to him. He rejects the portion as insufficient, causing her to cut more.

Thick milk then pours out uncontrollably, filling the hut like a river. Thakane calls for her brother’s help, but their efforts to stop it fail. The flood moves outdoors and follows the path toward the gardens. Their father recognises it as Kumonngoe and concludes that the children have damaged the household property. Both parents abandon their hoes, meet the flow and scoop it into their hands to eat. The translation next says Kumonngoe is gathered and returns home with them following; it does not explain a separate bodily mechanism for this movement. At home Thakane attributes the breach to her brother’s refusal to herd.

Her father nevertheless prepares to cast her off, dressing her finely and taking her toward a cannibal who is supposed to eat her. Questioning animals hear her explanation and wish that her father, rather than the girl, will be eaten; that reversal occurs at the destination. Thakane survives, marries Masilo and later protects her daughter Lilahloane through an underwater guardian. Returning toward her original home, the family encounters Rahlabakoane as a swallowing rock and escapes its belly after a captive boy cuts it open. The milk tree does not reappear in that ending. Jacottet’s note suggests the long narrative combines several tales; this is his compositional interpretation, while the printed sequence begins with the forbidden tree and its escaping abundance.

Origins & earliest records

Jacottet prints parallel Se-Suto and English texts and adds comparative commentary. No individual contributor is identified in this inspected tale; proposed relationships to other stories remain editorial comparisons.

Records & interpretation

XVII, Kumonngoe, complete bilingual pp. 112–125; English pp. 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124. Milk tree pp. 112–114; pool upbringing pp. 118–122; father-rock and release pp. 122–124.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, vol. I

   Édouard Jacottet, collector and translator; J. C. Smith, English text assistance · 1908

   XVII, Kumonngoe, complete bilingual pp. 112–125; English pp. 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124. Milk tree pp. 112–114; pool upbringing pp. 118–122; father-rock and release pp. 122–124.

2. 02

   The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I

   Unnamed Sesotho narrative contributor; Édouard Jacottet, editor and translator; J. C. Smith, English text correction · 1908

   The Treasury of Ba-suto Lore, volume I, Morija: Sesuto Book Depot; London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1908, actual title-page OCR. Full preface and introduction xxii collection statement read; complete XVI–XVII, bilingual pp.108–125, English narratives and all explanatory notes independently read. Facing Sesotho placement inspected without independent translation.

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.

References

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

1. Collected Se-Suto text with English translation and notesJacottet — KumonngoeResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.