Unanana and the  Elephant ~ adapted from an African Folktale

Unanana lived in Africa with her two children.  She lived in a hut between the village and the bush.  The bush is where the wild things lived.

Every day, people from the village would pass the hut as they went to the bush.  Every day they would stop at the hut and say, “Unanana, you have beautiful children.  They have such beautiful eyes.  They have such beautiful hair.  They have such beautiful smiles.”  And Unanana would say, “Thank you.”

One day, Unanana needed to go into the bush to gather firewood.  She left the children with little cousin.  The children loved little cousin.  She always played games with them.

First, they took sticks and pressed them into the ground in a circle.  They wove grass through the sticks to make walls.  They put leaves on top for roofs.  They had little huts, like Unanana’s hut.  They made one here, one there, and there.  Soon they had a whole village.  They took other sticks, shorter and fatter sticks, and used those stick for people.  They were having a wonderful time when they heard noises from the bush.  They thought it was Unanana.

But it was not.  Into the yard came a baboon.  It looked at the children.  It looked at little cousin.  Then it said in its deep baboon voice, “Who’s children are these?”

Little cousin smiled and said, “They are Unanana’s.”

The baboon said, “They are very beautiful.”  Then it turned back into the bush and was gone.

The children laughed.  They thought it was funny, a baboon coming to visit them.

Then they played a different game.  Little cousin scooped out six holes in the ground.  Six more beside those.  They put stones into some of the holes and played an African game moving the stones from hole to hole to hole…

They were having a wonderful time when they heard noises from the bush. They thought it was Unanana.

But it was not.  Into the yard came a gazelle.  It looked at the children.  It looked at little cousin.  Then it said in its soft gazelle voice, “Who’s children are these?”

Little cousin smiled and said, “They are Unanana’s.”

The gazelle said, “They are very beautiful.”  Then it turned and leaped into the bush and was gone.

The children laughed.  They thought it was funny, a gazelle coming to visit them.  They didn’t go back to their game.  It is very hot in Africa.  The children were thirsty.  The little boy said, “Little cousin, can I have a drink?”

She said, “Of course.”  She took out three gourds.  Those are like pumpkins, only smaller.  When they are dried, you can shake them like rattles.  If you cut a hole in them, dump out the seeds, they make good drinking cups.

She filled them from the barrel near the door.  They drank until they weren’t thirsty anymore.  But the boy was still hot. So he poured the water from his gourd onto his head.  Whooooooo!  The little girl did it too.  Whooooooo!  Then the two children filled their gourds, snuck up behind little cousin, and poured the water on her head.  Whooooooo!

Little cousin splashed water at the children.  The children splashed water at little cousin.  Back and forth, Back and forth.  They were having a wonderful time when they heard noises from the bush. They thought it was Unanana.

But it was not.  Into the yard came a leopard.  It looked at the children.  It looked at little cousin.  Then it said in its growling leopard voice, “Who’s children are these?”

Little cousin was scared.  She tried to move the children toward the door of the hut.  She said, “They… These… A …They’re Unanana’s.”

The leopard said, “They are very beautiful.”  Then it turned, disappeared into the bush, and was gone.

The children didn’t laugh.  They didn’t think that was funny, a leopard coming to visit them.  They didn’t want any more animals to visit them while their mother was gone.  They wanted their mother to come home.  They called, “Unanana!  Unanana!  Please come home right now!”

They heard noises from the bush.  Do you think it was Unanana?  It was not.  Into the yard came an elephant.  The biggest elephant little cousin had ever seen.  And it had only one tusk.  It looked at the children.  It looked at little cousin.  Then it said in its loud elephant voice, “Who’s children are these?”

Little cousin was scared.  She tried to move the children toward the door of the hut.  She said, “They… These… A …They’re Unanana’s.”

The elephant said, “They are very beautiful.  I think I’ll take them with me.”

He reached out, grabbed the children with his truck, popped them into his mouth, turned, and disappeared into the bush.  Little cousin screamed.  She ran into the hut, slammed the door, fell to the floor, and cried, “I lost the children!”

A long time later, Unanana came home with a large pile of firewood.  She set the wood down and looked around.  “Children?  Little cousin?”

Little cousin came running out of the hut.  “OhUnananaUnananaAnElephantWithOneTuskTookTheChildrenICouldn’tStopHim
UnananaUnananaICouldn’tStopHimCouldNotStopHimUnananaUnanana!"

It took a while for Unanana to understand what little cousin was trying to say, but when she did she went into the hut took out a long sharp knife and slipped it into her belt.  She took out a small pot, filled it with water from the barrel by the door, and put the pot on the fire.  She put in two handfuls of beans.  When the beans were soft and ready to eat, she took the pot balanced it on her head, and went into the bush to find her children.  Do you know where to look?

She did not.  She walked down the track.  On and on until she came to a baboon.

“Baboon.  Baboon.  Can you help me?  An elephant with one tusk has taken my children and I must find them.”

The baboon said in its deep baboon voice, “I know you.  You are Unanana.  Your children are so beautiful.  I will help you.  Follow the track to where the trees are tall, the stones are white.  There you will find the elephant you are looking for.”

Unanana thanked the baboon and followed the track.  On and on she went.  She was getting tired when she came to a gazelle.

“Gazelle. Gazelle.  Can you help me?  An elephant with one tusk has taken my children and I must find them.”

The gazelle said in its soft gazelle voice, “I know you.  You are Unanana.  Your children are so beautiful.  I will help you.  Follow the track to where the trees are tall, the stones are white.  There you will find the elephant you are looking for.”

Unanana thanked the gazelle and followed the track.  On and on she went.  Now she was not only tired, but she was getting hungry.  But she didn’t eat the beans in the pot on top of her head.  No! Those were for her children.  On and on she went until she came to a leopard.

“Leopard. Leopard.  Can you help me?  An elephant with one tusk has taken my children and I must find them.”

The leopard said in its growling leopard voice, “I know you.  You are Unanana.  Your children are so beautiful.  I will help you.  Follow the track to where the trees are tall, the stones are white.  There you will find the elephant you are looking for.”

Unanana thanked the leopard and followed the track.  On and on she went.  Until she was so tired she didn’t think she could take another step…

When she came to  a place where the trees were tall, the stones were white.  There you will found the biggest elephant she had ever seen.  And it had only one tusk.

Unanana stood staring at the Elephant.  “Are you the elephant that stole my children?”

The elephant said, “Not me!  It was a different elephant.  You just follow the track…”

Unanana didn’t believe him.  Do you?  She started running at the elephant.

“Not me!  It was a different…”

Then he opened his mouth and swallowed her too!

That was just what Unanana wanted.  She slipped down his long throat and landed…

The elephant’s stomach was like long red rolling hills.  The roof was like a wide red sunset sky.  And on the hills she saw…

…men, women, children.  Cows, goats, dogs chasing chickens.  Down in a valley, she found her children.  They were scared, hungry, and they had missed their mother.  Unanana gave them each a hug and then the pot of beans to eat.

The people came to Unanana and said, “Unanana.  We are hungry too.  Can we have some of those beans?”

Unanana said, “Those are for my children.  But how can you be hungry?  Drink the milk from the cows and goats.  Cook the eggs from the chickens.  But make the fire very hot.”

The people made a hot fire.  They started cooking the eggs.  The elephant started to roar.

He made so much noise, all the animals in the bush came to see what was the matter.

The elephant said, “Ever since I ate that Unanana, my stomach’s been killing me.”

But the animals didn’t care.  They were mad at the elephant for eating Unanana and her children.  Are you?  Pretty soon that elephant rolled over dead.  Unanana took out her long sharp knife and made a doorway between the elephant’s ribs.

Out stepped Unanana and her children.  Out came the cows.  The cows ran up to Unanana.  “Moooo.  Moooo.  Thank yoooooo.  Thank yoooooo.”

After the cows, out came the goats.  The goats an up to Unanana.  “Thaaanks.  Thaaanks.  Thaaanks a lot.”

After the goats, out came the dogs.  Now these dogs of Africa didn’t say ‘Bark! Bark!’  They didn’t say ‘Bow wow!’  They said, “Yip!  Yip!  Thanks!  Thanks a lot!  Yip! Yip!”

After the dogs, out came the chickens.  The chickens waited for the dogs to leave ‘cause they were tried of getting chased.  “Bluck bluck bluck.  Thaaanks.  Bluck bluck.  Thaaanks, Unanana.”

After the animals came the people.  Do you think they went right up to Unanana and thanked her?  No, they did not.  First they gathered up things:  Nice things, precious things, delicious things.  And brought those things to Unanana.

“Here Unanana.  Take these and thank you for saving us from the elephant’s stomach.”

“Here Unanana.  Please take this.  Thank you.”

“Here Unanana.”  “Take this Unanana.”  “Thanks, here, Unanana.”

By the time she got home, Unanana had lots of things.  Little cousin was glad to see them.  And do you know what they had for supper that night?

Elephant Stew.

That’s the story of Unanana and the Elephant.  I hope you enjoyed it.

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