Tulala-Madindi

Overview

The Tulala-Madindi are very small narrative people who sleep in holes. They kill many animals but consume the meat’s broth rather than its solid flesh; the tale also says they do not produce excrement. A hunter pursuing an eland for two days reaches their settlement at evening. His hosts cook rich meat for him and feed him until he is satisfied. They specifically forbid fouling their village, and he agrees. Their hospitality precedes the dispute; they do not attempt to eat their visitor.

After the hosts retire into their holes, the hunter bundles their stored meat, deposits excrement at the entrances and leaves carrying the stolen food. At daybreak they discover what he has done, take their spears and dogs, and follow him. They cross a river after him and their dogs attack. He kills the approaching dogs with his axe. After all the dogs are dead, the small people abandon the pursuit and return home; the hunter reaches his own village. Jacottet’s contributors treated this as a recent reported encounter but did not know the hunter’s name. The collector’s speculations about historical peoples and racial ancestry are separate from this tale of extraordinary hosts.

Origins & earliest records

Jacottet’s 1899 Textes Soubiya publishes the Subiya text and French translation. His introduction credits the volume’s Subiya material to Kasala and Samata collectively, without assigning an individual teller to these selected tales. Kaboukou’s separately supplied Kololo and Totela texts do not establish him as their narrator.

Records & interpretation

The complete selected French episodes and surrounding notes were read. Narrative actions are separated from Jacottet’s speculative comparisons and general explanations. The 1899 original title page supplies the publication date despite conflicting Archive metadata.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   Études sur les langues du Haut-Zambèze, II: Textes Soubiya

   Édouard Jacottet; Subiya contributors Kasala and Samata · 1899

   XLVIII, Les Toulala-Madindi, pp. 141–143, complete tale and surrounding notes.

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. Digitized primary collected textJacottet — Textes SoubiyaResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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