The Story of the Rich Man and the Poor Man
There once was a man from a poor family who went looking for a job. A rich man employed him as a pastoralist for his cows. One day, as he was working, a bird came up to him and landed on his shoulder. The bird said, “I have come to help you with your poverty, do you want my help?” The poor man had little to lose, and so he decided to trust the bird. He asked the bird what kind of help he could give, but the bird didn’t answer. Instead, he flew into the sky, and at this moment all of the cows disappeared. The poor man, unsure what to do, went to the rich man and told him that all the cows were mysteriously gone. Upon hearing this, the rich man fired the poor man and evicted him from his land. The poor man was forced to return to the bush, where he once again encountered the bird, who landed on his shoulder and spoke. “From now on you will be a rich man,” the bird said. But the man didn’t understand, he had just lost his job after all, how could he be rich? “Where is this wealth?” he asked the bird. The bird then told the poor man to follow him and flew into the forest, leading the man to where the cows had gone. The bird, landing for the last time on the man’s shoulder told him, “Now you are rich!” The poor man, now turned rich, was shocked at his good fortune and thanked the bird for his help.
Adapted from a story told to me by a man named Bashir during a short research period in Olasiti, Tanzania, 2013. During this time, I interviewed villagers (with the assistance of a Swahili – English translator) about traditional stories as told to them by their parents, grandparents, or other relatives. To be honest, I was not able to hear many stories, as people were often confused by my questions and worried about my intentions. Every few interviews I found a few gems, though, some of which did not translate well, and a couple which I recently found documented in an old notebook. Here is the first of two that I will share with you – next weeks will probably seem a bit more familiar!
Original Swahili:
Hadithi inahusu Tajiri na Masikini
Kuliluwa na mtu mmoja kutoka kwenye familia ya kimasikini. Siku moja alikuenda kutafuta kazi. Akatokea mtu mmoja nakumwajiri kama mfugaji wa mg’ombe wake. Siku moja alipokuwa kazini akatokea ndege mmoja nakutua kwenye bega lake. Ndege huyo alipokuwa kwenya bega lake akamwambia “Nimekuja kukusaidia kutokana na umasinini wako. Je, unataka msaada wangu?” Akachukua maamuzi ya kumwamini ndege. Yule na kumuuliza kitu gani unachotaka ili kunisaidia. Ndege huyo gafla akapaa juu na mifugo yote ikaondoka. Masikini ilibidi kurudi nyumbani kumtaarifu tajiri yake na hapo tajiri yake alichukuwa uamuzu wa kumfukuza. Alipofukuza maskini yule alibidi arudi porini na gafla akakutana na ndege yule. Ndege yule alipomwona yule maskini alimwambia “Kwanzia sasa wew ni taajiri.” Miskini yule alibidi kushanga makumuliza “Je utajiri huwo uko wapi?” Ndege yule alimwambia nifwate. Nasikini yule alipomfwata aliona ile mifugo iliyokimbia gafla ndege akamwambia kwanzia sasa mifungo hii itakuwa ndo utajiri wako. Maskini yule alishangaa nakumshukuru yule ndege.
The Edited Jottings of an Amateur Anthropologist 