The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

Read this storyListen to Na'eesh Mabadh

Once upon a time, a fox and a monkey were living together; they were very close friends.

As we know, the monkey has a curious nature and wants to know and explore everything.

Sometimes the recklessness of the monkey’s nature put him in danger; especially when he tries to play, and build a friendship with the dangerous animals, despite the warning of the fox. The monkey always laughed at the fox’s caution and the way he kept his distance from dangerous places. But the fox kept warning the monkey about his friendships with dangerous animals who do not know loyalty to a friend. The fox especially warned the monkey about his friendship with the lion.

One day, the lion got hungry and couldn’t find anything to eat. So the lion decided to eat the monkey.

In the morning, when the monkey came to greet the lion, the lion didn’t answer the monkey. The monkey blamed the lion for not returning his greeting. The lion got angry and told the monkey that he was misbehaving, “How can you greet me, the King of the jungle, with that impolite language? You must be punished!”

“How can you greet me, the King of the jungle, with that impolite language? You must be punished!”

The monkey got scared and tried to apologise, but the lion didn’t accept his apology and told him that he had made a major mistake, for which the only punishment was to be killed and eaten. Shaken, the monkey ran away and the lion started chasing him. They ran and ran until the fox appeared and stopped them, and asked them, “What’s the problem? You are friends. Tell me what happened?”

When they told the fox the story, the fox understood that the lion had fabricated the problem because he wanted to eat the monkey. The fox told the monkey that he was wrong and asked him, “Why didn’t you greet the king from a distance?”

To which the monkey replied, “I did greet him from a distance.”

The fox asked the lion to stand still, and asked the monkey to go with him to measure the distance that he had greeted the lion from.

When they got far from the lion, the fox ran into his hole and said to the monkey, “This is how my grandfathers escaped from the danger. What did your grandfathers do?”

Then the monkey finally understood the fox’s point and jumped up to the nearest tree and left the lion standing there astonished.

  Reflections:
  1) Why does the lion start being aggressive to the monkey? Do you think he is looking for an excuse to justify his urge to eat him?
  2) When people treat us well one day and badly the next, how does it make us feel?
 

Folktales Collected in Renk

Folktales Collected in Pibor

Folktales Collected in Bentiu

Folktales Collected in UNMISS PoC site, Juba

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

by Na'eesh Mabadh Team | Na'eesh Mabadh Radio Programme

Enjoyed The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox? Listen to the Na’eesh Mabadh adaptation of this folktale for radio.

Na’eesh Mabadh is a peacebuilding project inspired by South Sudanese folktales.
Learn more about this project on the Na’eesh Mabadh page.


Court Case between a Man and a Lion over a Missing Cow

Court Case between a Man and a Lion over a Missing Cow

Court Case between a Man and a Lion over a Missing Cow

Read this storyListen to Na'eesh Mabadh

Once upon a time a cow belonging to a human being was eaten by a lion and that was the first time for the lion to eat the meat of a cow. The lion did this in a place where he thought there was no one who could see what he was doing. But he didn’t realise that the monkey was in a tree nearby while he was eating the cow. After he had finished eating, the lion realized he had been seen.“Please don’t tell the man that I have eaten his cow. And if I hear that it is known that the cow was eaten, I will know that you have revealed it to the man, and I will deal with you!” he told the monkey menacingly.

Please don’t tell the man that I have eaten his cow. And if I hear that it is known that the cow was eaten, I will know that you have revealed it to the man, and I will deal with you!

 

The man searched and searched for his missing cow for a long time and even after a number of years he heard nothing of the whereabouts of his cow. He could not even find the location where his cow might have been eaten. He kept on searching for his cow until one day he decided to use any other peaceful means to find out where his cow had gone. He thought about which animal stays in the bush but does not eat cows.

He decided to invite the monkey to his home. He prepared the best food that the monkey liked – the food that is said to be given to a very respectable visitor – alcohol. He knew that the monkey liked alcohol very much.  He bought a concentrated alcohol which he knew the monkey would really like. They sat together in his house for the whole day. The monkey drank and drank very well. They discussed all their secrets until the end of the day.

Now, the man did not want to ask directly about his cow, so he skirted around it and asked about many other issues instead.

I have something that I want to tell you, but my problem is that I don’t trust you.

 

The monkey knew that one of his friend’s cows was eaten by the lion and also knew that the man was still searching for his cow. At last, the monkey said to the man, “My friend, I am going, but I have something that I want to tell you, but my problem is that I don’t trust you, that is why I haven’t told you this.”

The man replied, “My dear friend, if you have not fully decided to share with me what you want to tell me, then leave. But if you think you should tell it to me, then tell it to me! I trust you very much that is why I invited you to my place and I believe I shared with you all my secrets today. ”The monkey then said to him, “What I want to tell you is… Did you have a cow which got lost some time back?”

“Yes! My cow got lost and I even forgot about it,” replied the man, casually.

“Your cow was eaten by the lion,” the monkey told him. “I saw the lion eating your cow. I can even tell you how the cow fell down when the lion attacked it. I was up in the tree near that place.”

I saw the lion eating your cow. I can even tell you how the cow fell down when the lion attacked it

 

When the man saw that the story was true, based on the information from the monkey, he went to the court which was headed by the fox.

When he opened the case in the court, the fox, as head of the court, also came to know that the information had been revealed by the monkey. The lion was called to the court to hear the narration of the man against him. The lion arrived and the man was asked to say again what he said in the absence of the lion about his lost cow. The man talked and talked and talked. The lion noted that all that the man said was true and then he said, “I don’t want this case to be handled until you call the monkey here. Let the monkey come here!”

The monkey was called and he turned up to attend the court hearing. Upon arrival, the head of the court, Mr. Fox, asked the monkey to narrate his story. The fox instructed the monkey to tell the truth and jump up into the tree if the lion wanted to eat him. The monkey was very much fearing to be killed by the lion and took courage to narrate the real story as it was said by the man. The monkey said, “The cow was eaten by you Mr. Lion!”

The lion asked the court, “It was me? If am the one who ate the cow, then how did it fall down?”

“You tackled it from the left side!” replied the fearful monkey.

The lion kept quiet and became ashamed and realized that what he had done had really been seen. But everyone in the court was really afraid of the lion.

The fox had to decide and finish the case. He said, “You lion were in the right because you ate the cow when you were hungry; and you, the owner of the cow, are in the right because the cow belonged to you and not the lion; and the monkey too is right. But what I would say to you Monkey, is- What can I tell you when the tree of your father is just near you?”

You lion were in the right because you ate the cow when you were hungry; and you, the owner of the cow, are in the right because the cow belonged to you and not the lion; and the monkey too is right. But what I would say to you Monkey, is- What can I tell you when the tree of your father is just near you?

Upon hearing that statement, the monkey immediately jumped into the tree and the Fox ran away, the man disappeared and the lion had no choice but to go.

Reflections

1) The “court” is often defined as a space of justice. Does it function as a space of justice in this story? Why or why not?
2) What do you think happened after the characters left the court? What do people do when the court does not satisfy them? What can they do?
3) The monkey decides to tell what he has seen. Why do you think the monkey acts in such a way? Do you admire the monkey? Why or why not?

Folktales Collected in Renk

Folktales Collected in Pibor

Folktales Collected in Bentiu

Folktales Collected in UNMISS PoC site, Juba

Court Case between a Man and a Lion over a Missing Cow

by Na'eesh Mabadh Team | Na'eesh Mabadh Radio Programme

Enjoyed Court Case between a Man and a Lion over a Missing Cow? Listen to the Na’eesh Mabadh adaptation of this folktale for radio.

Na’eesh Mabadh is a peacebuilding project inspired by South Sudanese folktales.
Learn more about this project on the Na’eesh Mabadh page.


Explore other folktales collected in Bentiu