MYTHS OF THE SAN / HLAKANYANAA trickster figure belonging to myths of
the Xhosa and Zulu peoples of South Africa,
Hlakanyana was a “wonder-child” who could
talk even before he emerged from his mother’s
womb, and who clamoured to be let out. He
could walk as soon as he was born, and
immediately headed for the cattle enclosure,
intent on satisfying his hunger – not with his
mother’s milk, but with some roasted meat.
When Hlakanyana grew up, he had a series
of adventures, most of which involved
tricking people or animals out of food.Hlakanyana
HLAKANYANA’S POT
One night, Hlakanyana crept out, took a number of
birds caught in traps set by some other boys in the
village, and gave the birds to his mother to cook. She
left them in the pot to cook overnight. The following
morning, Hlakanyana got up very early and ate all the
meat except for the birds’ heads. Then he filled the pot
with cattle dung, put the heads on top, and went back
to bed, pretending to be asleep. When his mother
awoke, Hlakanyana got up from his bed as if he too
had just woken up. He complained
that she was late and had probably
let the food spoil. He told her that
the meat would have turned to cattle
dung because she had not taken the
birds out of the pot soon enough.
His mother scorned the idea, but
when she went to check on the
food, she found the pot full
of cattle dung, just as her
son had predicted. He then
ate the birds’ heads, saying
she did not deserve any.HLAKANYANA AND
THE LEOPARD CUBS
Hlakanyana once came across four leopard cubs without
their mother. When the leopardess returned, she made
to attack Hlakanyana. The trickster talked his way out,
ofering to guard the cubs while she went hunting, and
saying he would build a hut for the family too. After she
left, Hlakanyana built a hut with a narrow entrance, and
then ate one of the cubs. When the mother returned,
he brought out the remaining cubs to be suckled one
at a time, and tricked her into thinking all four were
safe. Over the next two days he played the
same trick, and on the fourth day, he brought
the single remaining cub out four times to
fool her. When she grew suspicious, he
escaped from the back door
while the leopardess tried
to squeeze her way in.
Cooking pot
Food is an integral part of
many myths associated with
Hlakanyana. In yet another
myth, he is himself caught
and put into a cooking pot by
an old woman, but manages
to trick his way out.Leopard cub
The leopard is one of the most efficient
hunting mammals of Africa, and Hlakanyana
needed to use his wits in order to deceive
the leopardess and eat her offspring.Antelope
Large antelope were often taken
by big cats and were also a more
likely quarry for huntsmen than
leopard cubs.133