A Story for Children in English & Sesotho

A Story for Children in English & Sesotho Teboho – Herd Boy of Tsatsane Valley (Sesotho Title: Teboho – Molisana ea Tsatsane)

Honorable Mention: Children’s Story Competition Family Literacy Lesotho / Malapa a Balang Lesotho / July 2007

Teboho lived in a small rondaval with his grandfather in the steep valley of Tsatsane.1 “Grandfather,” he said. “Now I am 6. May I go to school?” “We have no money,” answered Grandfather. “You must help here at home.” Teboho liked to help Grandfather. Every morning he milked the two cows. Then Grandfather gave him cold porridge to take with him to the mountains. Teboho led Grandfather’s cows high up the slopes. Leaving the village, he stole a few ears of corn from the garden of old Grandmother Nontobeko. As he hiked, quails flew up suddenly. Nearby he found their two eggs and happily put them in his pocket. “Stop! Teboho!” His heart beat fast. Under a tree stood Abouti Zondekele, the boss (mampoli) of Tsatsane Valley. “Give me all your food,” Zondekele demanded. Sadly, Teboho handed over the quail eggs and stolen corn. He sat on a stone and watched. Zondekele found an anthill and made a fire. He smoked out the ants then roasted the corn. How good they smelled. Zondekele ate everything, then belched. Teboho trudged off to find his friends, the other herd boys. They were doing mock fighting with their sticks. “Zondekele ate my food!” he wailed. They laughed, “You are too little.” To cheer him, they began to sing herd boy songs (mongai). “Though he has three sisters, I like Mabelang the best….” The boys wandered far from Zondekele. They found wild carrots and caught little mice. They played hide and seek. The sun set. The boys went to a big cave. They built a fire and roasted the mice.

1 Tsatsane Valley is a long valley of tall mountains in the country of Lesotho, in Africa, in the Quthing district.

Teboho – Herd Boy of Tsatsane (Story & Activities) DRAFT 1 Sleepily, Teboho snuggled in his blanket. “Next year,” he yawned, “I will ask Grandfather about school again.” He slept, under the star-filled heavens.

Teboho – Molisana ea Tsatsane Molaetsa (Translation in Sesotho) Teboho – Herd Boy of Tsatsane

Teboho o na a lula ntlong ea rontabole le Ntate-Moholo oa hae khohlong ea Tsatsane. Teboho a kopa, “Ntate, ke kopa ho ea sekolong. Hona joale ke na le lilemo tse supileng.” Ntate-Moholo a araba, “Ha re na chelete. O ke nthsa mona hae.” Ka ha Teboho o ne a rata ho thusa ntate oa hae, hoseng kamehla ho hama khomo. Ntate-Moholo o ne o mo fa papa e batang a e phuthe ka kobo ha a ea naheng. Teboho o ne a lisa likhomo thabeng. Ha a ea naheng o ne a utsoa poone jareteng ea Khono Nontobeko. Ha a ntse a tsamaea ha tsoha likhoale ka lerata le tšosang. Joale hang ha li qeta ho tloha a ea sheba a fumane mahe a mabeli. A a kenya pokothonga a thabile. “Ema moshemane! Tlisa lijo!” Pelo ea Teboho ea otla haholo. E ne e le Abuti Zondakele, ‘Mampoli oa naheng. Teboho tsohle tseo a li tšoereng a li fa ‘Mampoli. A nt’o lula lejoeng a mo shebella. ‘Mampoli a li fumana ‘me a besa mollo kahara seolo sa bohloa, ha mosi o fela, a besa poone. “E nkha ha monte,” ‘Mampoli a rialo a bohla. Teboho a theoha moo a phoqehile a ea batla metsoalle ea hae ea balisana. ‘Me ba kallana. Abuti Zondakele o jele lijo tsaka!” ho rialo Teboho a hlephile. Ba mo tšeha, “O monyenyane haholo.” Ba mo khothatsa ka ho bina lengae, a thola. Le binoa tjena. “Ke hopotse Lerato la pelo ea ka. Ke bua ka eena Ausi Mabeleng…” Ba bapalla hole le ‘Mampoli. Ba ea cheka lihoete le ho khoasa litoeba. Ba nt’o bapala bolesi. Ha letsatsi le reteleha ba ea lehaheng le leholo. Ba besa mollo, ‘me ba besa litoeba.

Teboho – Herd Boy of Tsatsane (Story & Activities) DRAFT 2 Teboho a ipopa ka kojoana ea hae. “Selemo se tlang,” o oa e limola, “ke tla kopa Ntate ka sekolo hape.” .

O robetse tlasa leholimo le tletseng linaleli. (316 words)

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Authors

1. Teboho Molelekoa, 19, Maseribane High School 2. Thabang Mohlabula, 20, Lesotho National University / Sekolo Se Seholo Sa Sechaba, Roma 3. Lerato Mohlabula / Madeline Uraneck (Adult / ‘M’e) 4. Mabokang Mohlabula (Adult / ‘M’e)

Address / Aterese: c/o Mohlabula Family / Mohlabula (Lelapa) PO Box 172 Mt. Moorosi 750 Quthing District Cell 266 585 99 876 (Lerato) Cell 266 589 94 354 (Mabokang)

Teboho Molelekoa is a high school student currently living with the Mohlabula family in Mt. Moorosi while he attends Maseribane High School. He was out of school for three years, as a herd boy in the Mphaki (Quthing) region. Likewise, Thabang Mohlabula herded family cattle many years. This story grew out of their memories, recorded by Lerato Mohlabula; translations by Teboho Molelekoa and Mabokang Mohlabula.

Teboho Molelekoa ke morutoana oa Ssekolo se Phahameng sa Maseribane. O qetile lilemo tse tharo a lisa a sa kene sekolo. E le molisana oa mohlape Mphaki. Thabang Mohlabula o alositse mohlape oa lelapa labo. Moqoqo ona o tsoa mehopolong ea bona, e ngotsoe ke Lerato Mohlabula. Ea fetoleloa ke Teboho Molelekoa le Mabokang Mohlabula.

Teboho – Herd Boy of Tsatsane (Story & Activities) DRAFT 3 Activities for Children’s Story: Herd Boy of Tsatsane Valley

Writing a Story

The author made this story from the following facts. Can you make a story from the same facts?

 Herd boys begin looking after goats, sheep or cows when they are very young, maybe 4 years old.  There are many mountains in Lesotho, so they must hike to the top to find grass for the animals.  The animals need care every day, so herd boys can’t go to school.  Herd boys play with other herd boys: they swim in the rivers, play hide and seek.  They take food from home, but they also pick wild fruits and catch small animals (rabbits, birds, mice) to roast over a fire.  Each mountain has an older boy, sometimes a bully, who is the “boss” of the area. Sometimes he steals the food of younger boys.  Boys sleep in caves at night, or make a fire. The animals stay at night in corrals, made by stacking stones.  Herd boys each have a blanket, to keep warm and to sleep in. They wear a ski mask over their heads, to keep warm, and to keep the wind and dust from their eyes. On their feet they wear rubber boots.

CHOOSE ONE of these three story ideas:

1. Write a story about a herd boy in Lesotho.  What will happen to the herd boy?  (ideas: weather like rain/snow; bullies; adventures with other herd boys; hunger; loneliness; envying kids who go to school; catching animals & finding food)  How does he feel at different times in the story?  Your story needs a beginning and an ending.  You need to paint a picture for the reader. Remember the five senses – sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste.  Draw one or two pictures to illustrate your story.

2. What if YOU were a herd boy, flown from your home to the remote mountains of Lesotho? Write a story about how you would feel and how you would survive.

 What causes you to have to go?  What do you see when you arrive?  How do you learn to be a herd boy? Who helps you?

Teboho – Herd Boy of Tsatsane (Story & Activities) DRAFT 4  How do you survive? What new skills would you have to learn? (ideas: weather like rain/snow; bullies; adventures with other herd boys; hunger; loneliness; envying kids who go to school; catching animals & finding food)  Have you ever slept out at night? Where would you sleep if you only had a blanket?  What would you miss about your life now?  How do you feel at different times in the story?  Your story needs a beginning and an ending.  You need to paint a picture for the reader. Remember the five senses – sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste.  Draw one or two pictures to illustrate your story.

3. Write a story about an adventure you have had – real or imagined.  What happened to you? What was the danger or excitement?  How did you feel? Your story needs a beginning and an ending.  You need to paint a picture for the reader. Remember the five senses – sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste.  Draw one or two pictures to illustrate your story.

Teboho – Herd Boy of Tsatsane (Story & Activities) DRAFT 5