Juǀ’hoan Folktales:
Transcriptions and English Translations
A Literacy Primer by and for
Youth and Adults of the Juǀ’hoan Community

Edited by

Megan Biesele

ǀAi!ae Fridrick ǀKunta

Tsamkxao Fanni ǀUi
Beesa Crystal Boo

ǀUi Charlie N!aici
Dabe Kaqece

ǀAsa N!a’an
Dam Botes Debe

Dahm Ti N!a’an
Diǁxao Cgun

Diǁxao Pari ǀKai
Gǂkao Martin ǀKaece

N!ani ǀ’Kun
Hacky Kgami Gcao

!Unnǀobe Morethlwa
Jafet Gcao Nqeni

ǁUkxa N!a’an
Kaqece Kallie N!ani

ǀXoan N!a’an
ǀKoce ǀUi

Catherine Collett
Polina Riem

Taesun Moon

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 2nd Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

We dedicate our work to the late ǀAi!ae Benjamin ǀAice and Ghau Gǀaq’o, translators and transcribers, who died in 2008 while we were working on this book.

Contents
Introduction
 The Concept and Format of this Book
 The History of the Transcription Project
 Related Websites and the Future
 Acknowledgments
1 The Moon Dies and Lives Again
2 The Honey and the Flies
3 A Woman First Found Fire
4 The Elephant First Found Water
5 The Ostrich and the Tortoise
6 Springhare Dances
7 Ducks and People
8 The Sun’s Child
9 The Tamsa Bird
10 Tug-of-War
11 Eyes-on-his-Ankles
12 The Two Boys and the Lions
13 The Haregirl and the Moon
14 The Beautiful Elephant Girl