The village children liked to chase the chimpanzee, taunting him. They would shoot toy arrows at him and pelt him with rocks until the chimpanzee ran away.
One day, however, the chimpanzee surprised the villagers. He entered the village, brandishing a spear. When the people confronted him, the chimpanzee threw his spear and killed one of the men.
“Tell me where you got that spear!” shouted the village chief.
“No! You tell me: who took my spears?” the chimpanzee replied. “Who stole my land? Wasn’t I here first? Are you not my children?”
The chimpanzee then returned to the forest.
[a Bangala story from the Congo]
Inspired by: "The Chimpanzee and the Children" in George Grenfell and the Congo, volume 2 by Harry Hamilton Johnston, 1910.
Notes: You can read the original story online. This is a Bangala story, and the chimpanzee is called "esumbu."
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