Miss Poonda, the Washerman’s Donkey

Overview

Miss Poonda is the washerman’s donkey in the story Keema tells Papa the shark in Bateman’s first Zanzibar tale. She has left an affectionate owner and grown fat while living freely in the forest. The hare Soongoora notices her condition and promises her as food to Simba, a lion weakened by illness. To bring her to him, the hare pretends that the lion wishes to marry her.

Poonda welcomes the proposed match but fights when Simba attacks. She kicks hard enough to throw him down and escapes. After both animals recover, Soongoora returns with another invitation. Poonda remembers the scratches and fears approaching the lion, but accepts the hare’s explanation that the attack was merely an affectionate manner. The second visit is fatal.

Simba asks for the heart and ears, which Soongoora hides. The hare then claims that a donkey possessing either would not have returned after the first attack. That is a self-serving explanation of her behaviour, not the story’s biological claim. In the outer narrative Keema applies the fable to himself: unlike Poonda, he refuses another journey with the shark that has already endangered him. Poonda’s two visits therefore supply the comparison that closes the broken friendship.

Origins & earliest records

George W. Bateman, Zanzibar Tales (1901), English rendering claimed from Swahili

Records & interpretation

Complete selected tale and translator preface inspected in retained publication.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   Zanzibar Tales: Told by Natives of the East Coast of Africa

   George W. Bateman, English translator and narrator; individual tellers unnamed · 1901

   I. The Monkey, the Shark, and the Washerman’s Donkey, pp.17–29, nested fable22–28; complete translator preface5–9. Chicago:A.C.McClurg&Co. title-page date visually checked.

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. Historical translated traditional narrativeBateman1901 — complete selected tale and translator framingResearch access: 2026-10-21

Image credits

AI-generated interpretation; coat colour imagined.