Motu, a farmer, married a Cloud-woman named Favourite after catching her stealing his bananas. Favourite introduced fire and cooking to the village, transforming their lives. However, she warned Motu never to open a mysterious basket. Succumbing to curiosity, he disobeyed, finding it empty. Feeling betrayed, Favourite and her Cloud-people returned to the sky, leaving Motu alone and diminished in stature.
Source
Among Congo Cannibals
by John H. Weeks
Seeley, Service & Co.,London, 1913
► Themes of the story
Forbidden Knowledge: Motu’s curiosity drives him to uncover what is hidden, despite explicit warnings, leading to his downfall.
Divine Intervention: Favourite, a being from the clouds, brings transformative gifts like fire and cooking to the human realm.
Loss and Renewal: Motu experiences loss when Favourite and her people depart, highlighting the transient nature of his newfound prosperity.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Bantu peoples
Motu made a large garden, and planted it with many bananas and plantain. The garden was in a good position, so the fruit ripened quickly and well. Arriving one day at his garden he found the ripe bunches of bananas and plantain had been cut off and carried away.
After that he did not go once to his garden without finding that some of the fruit had been stolen, so at last he made up his mind to watch the place carefully, and hiding himself he lay in ambush for the thief.
► Continue reading…
Motu had not been in hiding very long before he saw a number of Cloud-folk descending, who cut down his bananas, and what they could not eat they tied into bundles to carry away. Motu rushed out, and, chasing them, caught one woman whom he took to his house, and after a short time he married her, and gave her a name which meant Favourite.
Although Favourite had come from the Cloud-land she was very intelligent, and went about her housework and farming just like an ordinary woman of the earth. Up to that time neither Motu nor the people of his village had ever seen a fire. They had always eaten their food raw, and on cold, windy, rainy days had sat shivering in their houses because they did not know anything about fire and warmth.
Favourite, however, told some of the Cloud-folk to bring some fire with them next time they came to visit her, which they did. And then she taught the people how to cook food, and how to sit round a fire on cold days.
Motu was very happy with his wife, and the villagers were very glad to have her among them, and, moreover, Favourite persuaded many of the Cloud-folk to settle in her husband’s village.
One day Favourite received a covered basket, and putting it on a shelf in the house she said to her husband, “We are now living with much friendship together; but while I am away at the farm you must not open that basket, if you do we shall all leave you.”
“All right,” replied the husband, “I will never undo it.”
Motu was now very glad in his heart, for he had plenty of people, a clever wife, and the villagers treated him as a great man. But he had one trouble: Why did his wife warn him every day not to open the basket? What was in that basket? What was she hiding from him? And foolish-like he decided to open it. Waiting therefore until his wife had gone as usual to the farm he opened the basket, and — there was nothing in it, so laughingly he shut it up and put it in its place.
By and by Favourite returned, and, looking at her husband, she asked him: “Why did you open that basket?” And he was speechless at her question.
On the first opportunity, while Motu was away hunting, Favourite gathered her people, and ascended with them to Cloud-land, and never again returned to the earth.
That is how the earth-folk received their fire and a knowledge of cooking; and that is also how Motu through being too inquisitive lost his wife, his people, and his importance as a big man in the village.
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