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

Overview

Lifuma is described as belonging to King Jack, formerly of Cabinda, and linked to his people’s sea fishing. The account connects retreat inland with Portuguese occupation of Cabinda. Lifuma leaves Lake Chinganga Miyengela for the beach near Kaia, hoping to recover coastal access. He gathers shells, pebbles and a mug of salt water to put on his holy ground as ownership tokens and a means of restoring fishing.

The bird Ngundu warns Chimpukela, the being of Kaia, who pursues and challenges him. Lifuma shoves his pursuer, who trips on an ant-hill and then strikes back. Lifuma falls onto a Minyundu thorn, breaks his leg, spills the salt water and loses what he had gathered.

In response he curses the bird, the tree, canoes, salt water and everything connected with the beach, and the story gives this as the reason those things are absent from his country and lake. Dennett presents the episode as recent and witnessed; that is the collector's claim rather than independent confirmation.

Anthropomorphic traveller wearing clothAssociated with Lake Chinganga MiyengelaLinked to King Jack's community and sea fishingCollects shells, pebbles and salt water as ownership tokensInjured by a Minyundu thornCurses beach-related things from his territory
01

Origins & earliest records

Earliest inspected attestation: Dennett, Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort (1898), chapter XXIV, pp.94–95. Oral origin is not established.

02

Records & interpretation

Single collector-published narrative read in the digitized OCR text; publication details confirmed through Internet Archive metadata.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort (French Congo)

    R. E. Dennett; introduction and appendices by Mary H. Kingsley · 1898

    Selected bibliography; chapter XXIV, pp.94–95, is the inspected attestation.

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. Digitized public-domain book (OCR text)Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort (French Congo) — full OCR textResearch access: 2026-10-07
  2. Bibliographic metadata recordInternet Archive metadata: cu31924006487999Research access: 2026-10-07

Image credits

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

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