Baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu

Metadata

Title

Collection

Lucy Lloyd |xam notebooks

Contributor

Dia!kwain (David Hoesar) (V)

Summary

The Bushmen are said to have learnt the ǂgebbi-ggu from the Baboons, by whom it is still believed to be played. It was formerly, it is said, played also by the Ostrich and the Lion; but they fought and lost the power of playing it, becoming merely wild animals. (On page 12 of Dr. Bleek's 'Second Report concerning Bushman Researches' (Cape Town, 1875), mention is made of a fable entitled, 'The Lion jealous of the voice of the Ostrich'.) In this piece, the above-mentioned quarrel between Lion and the Ostrich and the game of ǂgebbi-ggu is related. The Baboon, on the contrary, still understands like a man, and speaks, sounding like one. In the Katkop dialect, by Díä!kwãin (L V.-23. 5884-5890.) The ǂgebbi-ggu, as performed among the Grass Bushmen, was described by |hanǂkass'o (L VIII.-22. 7978 and 7979). The Baboon taught the ǂgebbi-ggu in the earlier times when Lions and Ostriches sang the ǂgebbi-ggu along with the Baboon. Only the baboon still speaks and understands and sings the ǂgebbi-ggu, sounding like a man.

Comments

1) Date on p.5886: 27 January, 2) See also The story of the lions and the ostriches (when they were people) and Baboons dance the ǂgebbi-ggu and The |goo or ǂgebbi-gu, 3) This story is found in Book V-23

Type

story

Date

January 1876

Category

History (Early Race)

Custom and daily life

Keyword

ǂgebbi-ggu (baboons and), ǂgebbi-ggu (the teaching of), ǂgebbi-ggu (the Baboons taught it to the people), ǂgebbi-ggu (dancing and singing of), ǂgebbi-ggu (the songs of), ǂgebbi-ggu (baboons sing and understand), ǂgebbi-ggu (and the Lion), ǂgebbi-ggu (and the Ostrich), ǂgebbi-ggu (and the time when animals were people), ǂgebbi-ggu (and why the Ostrich and the Lion became animals), ǂgebbi-ggu (the Lion and the Ostrich's fight over), ǂgebbi-ggu (and the Early Race), ǂgebbi-ggu (why baboons sound like people), ǂgebbi-ggu (people call it like the baboon does), ǂgebbi-ggu (calls and noises made during), Early Race (the time when animals were formerly people), Early Race (the Baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu), Early Race (why Baboons, Lions and Ostriches became animals), songs (or tunes of ǂgebbi-ggu), songs (and baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu), dancing (and singing of ǂgebbi-ggu), dancing (and baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu), animals (baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu), animals (when people became), animals (the Lion and the Ostrich's fight over the ǂgebbi-ggu), animals (why the baboon sounds like a man), animals (why Lions and Ostriches became animals), Lion (why the ǂgebbi-ggu left it), Lion (was formerly a person), Lion (why it became an animal), Lion (its fight with the Ostrich over the ǂgebbi-ggu), baboon (and the ǂgebbi-ggu), baboon (Baboon taught people the ǂgebbi-ggu), baboon (was formerly a person), baboon (understands like a man), baboon (understands the speech of people), baboon (calls the ǂgebbi-ggu), baboon (sounds like a person), baboon (why it understands), Ostrich (why the ǂgebbi-ggu left it), Ostrich (was formerly a person), Ostrich (why it became an animal), Ostrich (its fight with the Lion over the ǂgebbi-ggu), fight (the ǂgebbi-ggu's), fight (between the Lion and the Ostrich's over the ǂgebbi-ggu), fight (baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu), teaching (Baboon taught people the ǂgebbi-ggu), speech (baboon understands human), speech (baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu), game (called ǂgebbi-ggu), game (baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu), name (of a game, the ǂgebbi-ggu), name (baboons and the ǂgebbi-ggu)