Specimens of Bushman Folklore

W. H. I. Bleek, L. C. Lloyd

Specimens of Bushman Folklore is a book by the linguist Wilhelm H. I. Bleek and Lucy C. Lloyd, which was published in 1911. The book records eighty-seven legends, myths and other traditional stories of the ?Xam Bushmen in their now-extinct language.

Table of contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• The Mantis Assumes The Form Of A Hartebeest
• !Gaunu-Tsaxau (The Son Of The Mantis), The Baboons, And The Mantis
• The Story Of The Leopard Tortoise
• The Children Are Sent To Throw The Sleeping Sun Into The Sky
• The Origin Of Death; Preceded By A Prayer Addressed To The Young Moon
• The Moon Is Not To Be Looked At When Game Has Been Shot
• The Girl Of The Early Race, Who Made Stars
• The Great Star, !Gaunu, Which, Singing, Named The Stars
• What The Stars Say, And A Prayer To A Star
• !Ko-G!Nuing-Tara, Wife Of The Dawn's-Heart Star, Jupiter
• The Son Of The Wind
• The Wind
• #Kaga'ra And !Haunu, Who Fought Each Other With Lightning
• The Hyena's Revenge
• The Hyena's Revenge
• The Lion Jealous Of The Voice Of The Ostrich
• The Resurrection Of The Ostrich
• The Vultures, Their Elder Sister, And Her Husband
• Ddi-Xerreten, The Lioness, And The Children
• The Mason Wasp And His Wife
• The Young Man Of The Ancient Race, Who Was Carried Off By A Lion; When Asleep In The Field
• A Woman Of The Early Race And The Rain Bull
• The Girl's Story; The Frogs' Story
• The Man Who Ordered His Wife To Cut Off His Ears
• The #Nerru And Her Husband
• The #Nerru, As A Bird
• The Death Of The Lizard
• The Cat's Song
• The Song Of The Caama Fox
• The Songs Of The Blue Crane
• The Old Woman's Song
• A Song Sung By The Star !Gaunu, And Especially By Bushman Women
• Sirius And Canopus
• The Song Of The Bustard
• The Song Of The Springbok Mothers
• ||Kabbo's Song On The Loss Of His Tobacco Pouch
• The Broken String
• The Song Of !Nu!Numma-!Kwiten
• The Leopard And The Jackal
• Doings Of The Springbok
• Habits Of The Bat And The Porcupine
• The Saxicola Castor And The Wild Cat
• The Baboons And ||Xabbiten||Xabbiten
• A Lion's Story
• The Man Who Found A Lion In A Cave
• Certain Hunting Observances, Called !Nanna-Sse
• !Nanna-Sse Second Part
• Treatment Of Bones By The Narrator's Grandfather, Tsatsi
• How The Father-In-Law Of The Narrator Treated Bones
• Tactics In Springbok Hunting
• ||Kabbo's Capture And Journey To Cape Town. First Account
• ||Kabbo's Capture And Journey To Cape Town. Second Account
• ||Kabbo's Journey In The Railway Train
• ||Kabbo's Intended Return Home
• How |Hang#Kass'o's Pet Leveret Was Killed
• The Thunderstorm
• Cutting Off The Top Of The Little Finger, And Piercing Ears And Nose
• Cutting Off The Top Of The Little Finger
• Bushman Presentiments
• Doings And Prayers When Canopus And Sirius Come Out
• The Making Of Clay Pots
• The Bushman Soup Spoon
• The Shaped Rib Bone
• The Bushman Drum And Dancing Rattles
• How The Dancing Rattles Are Prepared
• The Use Of The !Going!Going, Followed By An Account Of A Bushman Dance
• Preparation Of The Feather Brushes Used In Springbok Hunting
• The Marking Of Arrows
• The Adhesive Substance Used By The Bushmen In Marking Arrows
• Mode Of Getting Rid Of The Evil Influence Of Bad Dreams
• Concerning Two Apparitions
• The Jackal's Heart Not To Be Eaten
• ||Hara And Tto
• How Tto Is Obtained
• Signs Made By Bushmen In Order To Show In Which Direction They Have Gone
• A Bushman, Becoming Faint From The Sun's Heat When Returning Home, Throws Earth Into The Air, That Those At Home May See The Dust And Come To Help Him
• Death
• The Relations Of Wind, Moon, And Cloud To Human Beings After Death
• 1. The Doings Of |Xue Are Many
• 2. Further Changes Of Form
• 3. |Xue As A ||Gui Tree And As A Fly
• 4. |Xue As Water And As Other Things. In His Own Form, He Rubs Fire And Dies
• Prayer To The Young Moon
• The Treatment Of Thieves
• The Four Pieces Of Wood Called |Xu, Used For Divining Purposes
• To Beat The Ground (With A Stone)
• Snakes, Lizards, And A Certain Small Antelope, When Seen Near Graves, To Be Respected
• A Certain Snake, Which, By Lying Upon Its Back, Announces A Death In The Family; And Which Must Not, Under These Circumstances, Be Killed