Week 11 Story

African Plantation
Plantation

The Trial of Kengi

The first witness called in to Manilombi’s court was Nenpetro. Nenpetro states for the jury that he had two wives, Kengi and Gunga, both of whom he loved very much. Wanting to be fair and to allow the two woman autonomy in their planting, he equally divided a plot of land giving half to Kengi and the other half to Gunga. His goal was that the two women would plant maize, beans, and cassava, and that the entire family would have plenty to eat.

He continues to testify that one day Gunga took some beans from the plot of land given to Kengi. This really upset Kengi. However, Gunga believed that her action was justified because they both were married to the same man and all ate together. The two wives came to a mutual agreement that from that point forward that what was born on one piece of land, belonged to that wife and that the other could not take anything from the other’s side for their use.

Nenpetro stated that he thought all was well and that the agreement between the two women was understood. Later, however, when Kengi was in great pain she ventured over to Gunga’s plantation and asked her for a smoke of tobacco to relieve her pain. Gunga saw Kengi’s pain and nursed the woman with tobacco and an afternoon of rest. Later that day, Kengi gave birth to a son while she was resting on Gunga’s plantation. Gunga took the child and said it was hers because it was born on her side.

Kengi was next in the witness box. With tears streaming down her face, she simply exclaimed that “I was the one who gave birth to the baby so it is mine. Gunga took my baby from me.”

Gunga takes the stand and says, “The baby is mine. When I took beans from Kengi’s plantation, she became angry. She was the one who made up the rule that what was born on or of one’s plantation belongs to that plantation owner and that we should not take anything from each other’s plantation. I reluctantly agreed to her plan. However, Kengi came to my house with an invitation and gave birth on my plantation, therefore, according to the agreement, the baby is mine and she cannot take it from me.

Manilombi and the jury deliberated. When they returned, they proclaimed the verdict that Gunga was acting within the terms of the agreement and that the baby was hers.

Writer’s note: The story, characters, and plot remains the same as the original, How Kengi Lost Her Child. However, once a palaver was called to decide how the disagree between the women was to be settled, the story fit naturally into a Trial scene retelling.

Dayrell, http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/myth-folklore-unit-nigerian-folk-stories.html