The Baby Goat eats precisely the same leaves that the Mother Goat eats
ewule = grass, a leaf/leaves.
Yasi nanu: On his return from the bush where the goats were grazing, Mbake spoke to his father, Mola Naliongo with excitement:
"Taa-ta !
When I was in the bush with the goats, I noticed that every leaf that the Mother goat ate, the Baby Goat ate the leaf also, and that the Baby Goat did not eat the leaves that the Mother Goat did not eat.
Taa-ta ! It is an interesting experience”.
Mola Naliongo smiled and replied:
"eee ! nandi eveli !
ewule e-Nyanga Mboli e-laa,
yondi, e-Nguma Mboli yofe elaa".
(“Yes ! The Baby Goat eats precisely the same leaves that the Mother Goat eats. Every time that the Mother Goat goes out with its Baby, the Mother Goat gives the Baby practical lessons on the leaves to eat, such as ‘makoko, mangongi, gbwasa’, and the leaves not to eat, such as ‘jokwpo-kpo a mboli’. The Mother Goat also shows its Baby medicinal leaves such as evangowa and ndombo to eat in the event of illness.
"ewule e-Nyanga Mbole e-laa,
yondi, e-Nguma Mboli yofe e-laa".
Literally: A chip off the old block.
Bear in mind that children are generally influenced by the behaviour of their parents. It should cause no surprise therefore that the behavior of that particular child is like the behavior of his/her parents.
"e-Sango ema wola lambo,
e-mwaana mofe a-wola lingi lambo. (Like father like son)
wheni e-Nyongo ema wola lambo,
e-mwaana mofe a-wola lingi lambo". (Like mother like daughter).
If the mother nags, the daughter is likely to nag also.
If the father is treacherous the son is likely to be treacherous also.
Oma Nanu
Imba Thomas Mbua Ndoko
Dallas Tx, USA
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