The Elephant's Head
Beni Shangul-Gumuz
A Gumuz Story
Before you read the story
- Do you believe in good luck and bad luck? Some people believe that wearing a special piece of jewellery called an "amulet" around your neck will protect you from bad things.
- Do you wear any good luck charms?
- Do you avoid some places because they are unlucky?
- Are there any animals or birds who bring bad luck?
- What do you do to keep bad luck away?
Now read the story
A long time ago, some hunters were walking along the road to Sudan. Suddenly, they met an elephant. An old hunter talked to the younger ones.
"Look," he said. "The elephant is going to the river. We must kill him before he goes into the water. After an elephant drinks water, the bullets cannot enter him."
So the hunters took their rifles, and they killed the elephant on the road. They cut up the meat and took it to their hut. Then they sliced the meat and hung it on ropes to dry.
They cut all the meat from the elephant's head. Now, only the skull was left. The hunters hung the dry skull on the wall of their hut.
The men feasted on the elephant meat. It tasted good. They began talking about the hunt.
"We are good hunters," they said. "The elephant was big, but he was foolish. He was bigger and stronger than us. Why didn't he run away from us? We were too clever for him!"
And the men began to laugh at the elephant.
One of the men heard something strange. He put up his hand.
"Did you hear that noise, my brothers?" he said.
"What noise?" said his friends.
"Someone was laughing," the man said.
"All of us were laughing!" said the others, and they began to laugh again.
The strange noise came again. Now all the men could hear it. They stopped laughing, and looked at the elephant's skull.
"The elephant is laughing," they said.
They were afraid.
Then the elephant's skull spoke.
"Are you laughing at me?" it said.
The oldest hunter looked at his friends.
"What kind of animal did we kill today?" he said. "It is dead, but it speaks to us. Take the skull outside. Don't leave the bones of this animal inside our house."
So the hunters carried the elephant's skull outside the house. But on the way, the skull began to sing:
"You laughed at me, you hunters!
I heard the words you said.
You are my killers, but who is alive?
You killed me, but who is dead?
You ate my meat, you stole my tusks,
You took my eyes, and I am blind,
But one day, I will eat you.
One day, you will be mine!"
Exercises
A. How much did you understand?
The old hunter has a belief about shooting elephants.
Read sentences 1, 2 and 3. Now put them in the right order.
- So the hunters took their rifles, and they killed the elephant on the road.
- “After an elephant drinks water, the bullets cannot enter him."
- An old hunter talked to the younger ones.
Then the hunters prepared the meat and talked about the hunt.
Now put sentences 4, 5 and 6 in the right order.
- The men feasted on the elephant meat. It tasted good.
- They cut up the meat and took it to their hut.
- "The elephant was big, but he was foolish.”
Then one of the men heard something strange.
Now put sentences 7, 8 and 9 in the right order.
- Then the elephant's skull spoke. "Are you laughing at me?" it said.
- The strange noise came again. Now all the men could hear it.
- "Did you hear that noise, my brothers?" he said.
B. But...
Complete sentences 1, 2 and 3 by choosing the best of the three endings: a, b or c.
- "The elephant was big, ......
- "You took my eyes, and I am blind, ……
- "It is dead, ......
- but one day, I will eat you."
- but it speaks to us."
- but he was foolish."
C. Missing words
The hunters prepared the elephant meat for cooking. Fill in the missing words.
- Then they …… the meat and hung it on ropes to dry.
- They …… all the meat from the elephant's head.
- The hunters …… the dry skull on the wall of their hut.
D. The elephant’s song
The elephant heard the hunters laughing at him. He sang a song for them.
Here are three sentences. One of them is not in the song. Which one?
"You killed me.“
"You took my eyes.”
“I will eat you tomorrow.”
E. What do you think?
The elephant did not run away. Was the elephant foolish to do this?
Were the men too clever for the elephant?
Why were the men laughing at the elephant?
Why did the hunters carry the elephant's skull outside the house?
What is the elephant skull telling the hunters in the song?
Teachers’ answer key
A. How much did you understand?
The right order of the sentences is 3, 2, 1.
An old hunter talked to the younger ones.
"After an elephant drinks water, the bullets cannot enter him."
So the hunters took their rifles, and the killed the elephant on the road.
The right order of the sentences is 5, 4, 6.
They cut up the meat and took it to their hut.
The men feasted on the elephant meat. It tasted good.
"The elephant was big, but he was foolish."
The right order of the sentences is 9, 8, 7.
"Did you hear that noise, my brothers?" he said.
The strange noise came again. Now all the men could hear it.
Then the elephant's skull spoke. "Are you laughing at me?" it said.
B. But…
- 1/c. "The elephant was big, but he was foolish."
- 2/a. "You took away my eyes, and I am blind, but one day I will eat you."
- 3/b. "It is dead, but it speaks to us."
C. Missing words
The hunters prepared the elephant meat for cooking. Fill in the missing words.
- Then they sliced the meat and hung it on ropes to dry.
- They cut all the meat from the elephant's head.
- The hunters hung the dry skull on the wall of their hut.
D. The elephant's song
The elephant does not sing, "I will eat you tomorrow."
He sings, "But one day I will eat you."
For teachers — answers to the exercises above.