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

Overview

Na Mbua, translated as Mr. Dog, has reached a more advanced stage of royal selection than the impatient squirrel of the preceding tale. The people assemble a cap, sceptre, rings and a mukaka skin. Headmen arrive, musicians are summoned with drum and marimba, and coarse and fine mats are spread beneath a chair. Dog sits where the new ruler is to be installed while the people begin distributing food.

On seeing the breast of a fowl, he rises abruptly, takes it and runs into the bush. The spectators announce that their prospective king has fled with the food, and the gathering breaks up. The concluding sentence says he loses the kingship through this act. The text does not replace him with a named successor or punish him with death. Cap, sceptre and musicians establish the installation’s setting; they are not autonomous magical beings.

Animal royal candidateFull installation preparedSeated on ceremonial chairTakes chicken portionRuns away and loses kingship
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Origins & earliest records

Jelemía dia Sabatelu contributed tale XXXIII in Mbaka dialect, with Mbaka origin specified. Chatelain’s broader hostile assessments of dogs are editorial opinion and are not adopted as the profile’s community description. Notes 558–561 explain the royal objects separately from Dog’s action.

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Records & interpretation

Complete tale XXXIII, Dog and the Kingship, bilingual pp. 210–211; English p. 211. Contributor note pp. 300–301 and object notes 558–561 p. 301.

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 tale XXXIII, Dog and the Kingship, bilingual pp. 210–211; English p. 211. Contributor note pp. 300–301 and object notes 558–561 p. 301.

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 — Na Mbua at the Royal InstallationResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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