Ngana Ngulungu, the Framed Grandson

Overview

Ngana Ngulungu, translated as Mr. Antelope, accompanies his grandfather Leopard to the latter’s parents-in-law. In version A he carries three demijohns of rum. Leopard repeatedly gives harmful directions, then mocks the younger animal for obeying: he collects biting driver ants, eats wild cane instead of the good cane, takes unripe maize and receives a false greeting to give women planting groundnuts. They beat him for the insult while explaining that Leopard was polite and well fed. At a brook he shuts his eyes to jump as instructed, falls and breaks a demijohn.

At the hosts’ house, Leopard sends him to fetch water in a fish-trap while eating the meal without him, then repeats the delay at supper. During the night Leopard changes from man to wild beast, kills twenty goats and sheep, collects blood and throws it over the sleeping Antelope. In the morning he directs attention to his blood-covered companion. The hosts mistake planted blood for proof of theft, kill and skin Antelope, and give a leg to Leopard. Leopard later sends part to Antelope’s wife as a gift from her husband. A child detects its familiar smell, but the family eats before Leopard reveals the death and falsely blames theft.

Version B has a different road sequence, including black and red ants presented as girdles and unripe eggplants and cassava. The night slaughter is one goat rather than twenty animals, and blood is thrown on Antelope’s head from a piece of gourd. Leopard tells the widow that her husband has gone to collect a debt; she silences the suspicious child. Both versions continue with Monkey’s later reversal of the same framing attempt. The later exposure vindicates Antelope but does not restore him to life.

Origins & earliest records

Chatelain prints two versions of tale XXI: Piolho’s Lower Kuanza contribution and Jelemía dia Sabatelu’s Mbaka version. Piolho supplied the first half initially, then the continuation on a later visit after Chatelain asked for it. The collector’s comparison with Romero’s Brazilian text explains that editorial inquiry; it is not a claim that the two Angolan performances were identical.

Records & interpretation

Complete tale XXI, Leopard, Antelope, and Monkey: version A pp. 160–173, version B pp. 172–181; English on odd-numbered facing pages. Contributor and collection-history note XXI pp. 292–293.

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 XXI, Leopard, Antelope, and Monkey: version A pp. 160–173, version B pp. 172–181; English on odd-numbered facing pages. Contributor and collection-history note XXI pp. 292–293.

Family, evolution & connections

Leopard’s two named grandsons — Chatelain XXI A

Version A, narrator statements on English pp. 161 and 171.

Grandparent-to-grandchild links; each displayed edge skips an unspecified intervening generation. No intervening parents are supplied, and no brotherhood between the grandsons is inferred. Version A’s continuation was elicited after the collector read a Brazilian parallel; version B has a different contributor and is not merged. This is narrative kinship, not animal evolution.

Antelope’s household — Chatelain XXI A

Version A, English pp. 167–169.

Joint stated parents connected to their unnamed child. No names, further children or ancestors are inferred. Note 482 explains the polite “our wife” expression; it does not establish a shared marriage. Monkey’s later permission to marry the host’s daughter is not represented as a completed wedding.

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 — Ngana Ngulungu, the Framed GrandsonResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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