A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
After his companions trap him in a pit, Sudika-Mbambi discovers a road and follows it. He meets an old woman hoeing with the upper part of her body while the lower extremity remains in shade. He greets her and asks for the way. She asks him first to hoe a little for her. When he does, she thanks him and points him toward the narrow path, warning that the wider one will lead him astray.
She also tells him to carry a jug of red pepper and a jug of wisdom when he approaches Kalunga-ngombe’s home. Later Kabundungulu finds the same woman while following his missing brother and receives directions from her. Chatelain’s note describes her as having the gift of separating the upper body from the part below the waist. This differs from a permanently longitudinal half-being: the witness supplies two separated portions, not one arm, one leg and one eye. The pepper-and-wisdom wording is separately discussed as a pun in the notes, rather than evidence that she manufactures either substance.
Origins & earliest records
Jelemía dia Sabatelu, also named Jeremias Alvares da Costa, supplies tale V. Chatelain specifies the Mbaka dialect and describes the story as current among Mbamba people. Notes III and V separate the narrator’s family and collection history from the English editor’s comparative theories.
Records & interpretation
Complete tale V, Sudika-Mbambi, bilingual pp. 84–97; English narrative pp. 85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95 and concluding line p. 97; contributor notes III and V, and numbered notes 311–347. Guide English pp. 91, 93 and 95; notes 334–337 pp. 279–280.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Folk-Tales of Angola
Complete tale V, Sudika-Mbambi, bilingual pp. 84–97; English narrative pp. 85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 95 and concluding line p. 97; contributor notes III and V, and numbered notes 311–347. Guide English pp. 91, 93 and 95; notes 334–337 pp. 279–280.
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.
- Collected Ki-mbundu text with facing English translation and contributor notesChatelain 1894 — Separated-Body Guide of Sudika-MbambiResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.