Two Protective Dolls of Fenda Maria

Overview

The two dolls are among the unusual objects Fenda Maria asks Fele Milanda to obtain in Portugal after Kamasoxi has taken credit for her rescue. They accompany a lamp, razor, truth-telling stone, chain and mirror. The request differs from ordinary demands for clothes and ornaments, prompting Milanda’s mother to question the household’s account of Fenda’s enslaved status. When Milanda returns, he eventually gives Fenda the requested objects despite first pretending he has not brought them.

At night Fenda puts the collection on a table, dresses from her magical box and tells of the hardships she endured to awaken Milanda. The lamp lights itself, the razor sharpens itself and the chain hangs on high. As the chain and razor are about to harm her, the dolls seize those implements. Their intervention is explicit in version A; they are not merely decorative witnesses. An old woman observes the repeated scene and alerts Milanda, who discovers the truth. Version B changes the object collection and interruption, so its self-cutting scissors and disappearance are not attributed to this pair.

Origins & earliest records

Version A was supplied in his own handwriting by João Borges Cezar, an educated official at the Bom-Jesus sugar-cane plantation and distillery on the Kuanza River. Chatelain says he reviewed the wording and meaning with him and identifies his dialect as Loanda, with knowledge of inland speech. The collector’s comparative argument about foreign origins is not a date or proof of a single original source.

Records & interpretation

Complete tale I, Ngana Fenda Maria, version A pp. 29–41; version B pp. 42–51 checked separately. Version A contributor note begins p. 253; comparative discussion pp. 253–254.

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 I, Ngana Fenda Maria, version A pp. 29–41; version B pp. 42–51 checked separately. Version A contributor note begins p. 253; comparative discussion pp. 253–254.

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 — Two Protective Dolls of Fenda MariaResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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