Week 6 Lab: Unnatural Mother Reading Notes

The Unnatural Mother

  • Background: Swazi tale
    • Tradition among the Kafir - stay with bridegroom's mother for a year after marriage b/f they got their own home
    • Each would work the land (separate patches) - hoe, harvest
      • Calabashes, maize, sugar-cane and pumpkins

    • Wife made beautiful food for husband to eat after coming home from work
      • Mother jealous of these meals
        • Use of inanimate object to represent her
        • Put on son's clothes - deceiving others while she ate
        • Plan to catch thief
        • Confession from mother
        • Son: mother has "sinned against nature" (woman's nature?)
          • Mother not to return until she has found water in which no animals live
            • found pools: frogs, silver fishes
            • a new land - describe like it is a cityscape (foreshadowing)
              • water - "glittered like the moon"
    • Animals:
      • Warn mother about King who rules over the land and water
        • in the absence of the Lion, others were asked to help the mother:
          • Elephant
          • Giraffe
          • Tiger/Leopard
          • Rabbit
            • the one to provide aid
              • Change: the rabbit cleverly uses the other animals strengths to free the mother
        • left forest with water: forest turns into town
          • Spell broken (wicked enchanter)
          • Mother gains honour and forgiveness
Image Information: from Annals of the South African Museum; source: Flickr

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