A Reading Of Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe, was inspired by a folktale collected by G. H. Theal and published in 1895 in his book, Kaffir Folktales. Details of the illustrations were inspired by the ruins of an ancient city found in Zimbabwe and the flora and fauna of that region.

Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king who is choosing a wife.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to today's Read Aloud.

It's Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe.

It's an African tale.

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters,

This is the author's note in the very beginning of the book.

It was inspired by a folktale collected by G.

M.

Thiel and published in 1895 in his book Kefir Folktales.

Details of the illustrations were inspired by the ruins of an ancient city found in Zimbabwe and the flora and fauna of that region.

The names of the characters are from the Shona language.

Mufaro means happy man,

Nyasha means mercy,

Minyara means ashamed,

And Niyoka means snake.

The author wishes to thank Nyamami Mutima and Ona Juanel of the Afro-American Institute and Jill Penfold of the Zimbabwe Mission for their helpful assistance in the research for this book.

This book is dedicated to the children of South Africa.

A long time ago,

In a certain place in Africa,

A small village lay across a river in a half-day's journey from a city where a great king lived.

A man named Mufaro lived in the village with his two daughters who were called Minyara and Niyasha.

Everyone agreed that Minyara and Niyasha were very beautiful.

Minyara was almost always in a bad temper.

She teased her sister whenever their father's back was turned and she had been heard to say,

Someday,

Niyasha,

I will be queen and you will be a servant in my household.

If that should come to pass,

Niyasha responded,

I will be pleased to serve you.

But why do you say such things?

You are clever and strong and beautiful.

Why are you so unhappy?

Because everyone talks about how kind you are and they praise everything you do,

Minyara replied.

I'm certain that father loves you best,

But when I'm queen,

Everyone will know that your silly kindness is only weakness.

Niyasha was sad that Minyara felt this way,

But she ignored her sister's words and went about her chores.

Niyasha kept a small plot of land on which she grew millet,

Sunflowers,

Yams,

And vegetables.

She always sang as she worked and some said it was her singing that made her crops more beautiful than anyone else's.

One day,

Niyasha noticed a small garden snake resting beneath a yam vine.

Good day,

Little Niyoka,

She called to him.

You are welcome here.

You will keep away any creatures who might spoil my vegetables.

He bent forward,

Gave the little snake a loving pat on the head and then returned to her work.

From that day on,

Niyoka was always at Niyasha's side when she tended her garden.

It was said that she sang all the more sweetly when he was there.

Mufaro knew nothing of how Minyara treated Niyasha.

Niyasha was too considerate of her father's feelings to complain,

And Minyara was always careful to behave herself when Mufaro was around.

Early one morning,

A messenger from the city arrived.

The great king wanted a wife.

The most worthy and beautiful daughters in the land are invited to appear before the king,

And he will choose one to become queen,

The messenger proclaimed.

Mufaro called Minyara and Niyasha to him.

It would be a great honor to have one of you chosen,

He said.

Prepare yourselves to the journey to the city.

I will call together all our friends and make a wedding party.

We will leave tomorrow as the sun rises.

But my father,

Minyara said sweetly,

It would be painful for either of us to leave you,

Even to be wife to the king.

I know Niyasha would grieve to death if she were parted from you.

I am strong.

Send me to the city and let poor Niyasha be happy here with you.

Mufaro beamed with pride.

The king has asked for the most worthy and the most beautiful.

No,

Minyara,

I cannot send you alone.

Only a king can choose between two such worthy daughters.

Both of you must go.

That night,

When everyone was asleep,

Minyara stole quietly out of the village.

She had never been in the forest at night before,

And she was frightened.

But her greed to be the first to appear before the king drove her on.

In her hurry,

She almost stumbled over a small boy who suddenly appeared standing in the path.

Please,

Said the boy,

I am hungry.

Will you give me something to eat?

I have brought only enough food for myself,

Minyara replied.

But please,

Said the boy,

I am very hungry.

Out of my way.

Tomorrow I will become your queen.

How dare you stand in my path?

After traveling for what seemed to be a great distance,

Minyara came to a small clearing.

There,

Silhouetted against the moonlight,

Was an old woman seated on a large stone.

The old woman spoke.

I will give you some advice,

Minyara.

Soon after you pass the place where two paths cross,

You will see a grove of trees.

They will laugh at you.

You must not laugh in return.

Later,

You will meet a man with his head under his arm.

You must be polite to him.

How do you know my name?

How dare you advise your future queen?

Stand aside,

You ugly old woman,

Minyara scolded,

And then rushed on her way without looking back.

Just as the old woman had foretold,

Minyara came to a grove of trees,

And they did indeed seem to be laughing at her.

I must be calm,

Minyara thought.

I will not be frightened.

She looked up at the trees and laughed out loud.

Ha ha ha,

I laugh at you trees,

She shouted,

And she hurried on.

It was not yet dawn when Minyara heard the sound of rushing water.

The river must be up ahead,

She thought.

The great city is just on the other side.

But there on the rise,

She saw a man with his head tucked under his arm.

Minyara ran past him without speaking.

A queen acknowledges only those who please her,

She said to herself.

I will be queen.

I will be queen,

She chanted as she hurried on toward the city.

Nyasha woke at the first light of dawn.

As she put on her finest garments,

She thought how her life might be changed forever beyond this day.

I'd much prefer to live here,

She admitted to herself.

I'd hate to leave this village and never see my father or sing to little Nyoka again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by loud shouts and a commotion from the wedding party assembled outside.

Minyara was missing.

Everyone bustled about,

Searching and calling for her.

When they found her footprints on the path that led to the city,

They decided to go on as planned.

As the wedding party moved through the forest,

Brightly plumed birds darted about in the cool green shadows beneath the trees.

Though anxious about her sister,

Nyasha was soon filled with excitement about all there was to see.

They were deep in the forest when she saw the small boy standing by the side of the path.

You must be hungry,

She said,

And handed him a yam she had brought for her lunch.

The boy smiled and disappeared as quietly as he had come.

Later,

As they were approaching the place where two paths crossed,

The old woman appeared and silently pointed the way to the city.

Nyasha thanked her and gave her a small pouch filled with sunflower seeds.

The sun was high in the sky when the party came to the grove of towering trees.

The uppermost branches seemed to bow down to Nyasha as she passed beneath them.

At last,

Someone announced that they were near their destination.

Nyasha ran ahead and topped the rise before the others could catch up with her.

She stood transfixed at her sight of the city.

Oh,

My father,

She called.

A great spirit must stand guard here.

Just look at what lies before us.

I never in all my life dreamed there could be anything so beautiful.

Arm in arm,

Nyasha and her father descended the hill,

Crossed the river,

And approached the city gate.

Just as they entered through the great doors,

The air was rent by piercing cries,

And Minyara ran wildly out of a chamber at the center of the enclosure.

When she saw Nyasha,

She fell upon her,

Sobbing.

Do not go to the king,

My sister.

Oh,

Please,

Father,

Do not let her go,

She cried hysterically.

There's a great monster there,

A snake with five heads.

He said that he knew all my faults and that I displeased him.

He would have swallowed me alive if I had not run.

Oh,

My sister,

Please do not go inside that place.

It frightened Nyasha to see her sister so upset,

But leaving her father to comfort Minyara,

She bravely made her way to the chamber and opened the door.

On the seat of the great chief's stool lay the little garden snake.

Nyasha laughed with relief and joy.

My little friend,

She exclaimed,

It's such a pleasure to see you,

But why are you here?

I am the king,

Nyoka replied,

And there before Nyasha's eyes,

The garden snake changed shape.

I am the king.

I am also the hungry boy with whom you shared a yam in the forest,

And the old woman to whom you made a gift of sunflower seeds,

But you know me best as Nyoka because I have been all of these.

I know you to be the most worthy and most beautiful daughter in the land.

It would make me happy if you would be my wife.

And so it was that a long time ago Nyasha agreed to be married.

The king's mother and sisters took Nyasha to their house and the wedding preparations began.

The best weavers in the land laid out the finest cloth for her wedding garments.

Villagers from all around were invited to the celebration and a great feast was held.

Nyasha prepared the bread for the wedding feast from millet that had been brought from her village.

Mufara proclaimed to all who would hear him that he was the happiest father in all the land for he was blessed with two beautiful and worthy daughters,

Nyasha,

The queen,

And Menyara,

A servant in the queen's household.

Thank you for joining for today's Read Aloud.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you. It is so beautiful and interesting.💜🙏💜✨✨✨✨✨

I really enjoyed this story 🙂 I so love story telling 🩷🙏🏼