My Roasted Sunbird by Joel Kruse

One early morning last week, I decided to go hunting with my Gumuz bow and arrows. I walked up to the top of the hill to hunt a rat but I saw a bird land in a fig tree. It was v

ery small and black. I pulled back the bow string with my bird shooting arrow. It has an arrow with barbs attached to the top of the shaft and eight pointy thin sharp pieces of wood surrounding the arrow tip a little lower. The arrow hit its target. The arrow went through the bird and it was stuck in the "cage" made by the eight pieces of wood.

The arrow took the bird a far distance away. I ran to get my arrow and bird and sprinted home to show my family. It was almost school time but my mom (teacher) said that I could roast the bird and eat it for breakfast. I built a small fire and started plucking the feathers. 

 A Gumuz lady passing by helped me (I didn't actually want her help). She told me to just put the bird on the fire and not take off the feathers. So that's what I did. The feathers just burnt off. Then my sisters, Micah (our 3 year old neighbour boy) and I ate the bird. We ate all the parts even the head. The feet were burnt off so we didn't eat them.

Later we looked up what kind of bird it was and it was a sunbird. It was really small maybe 14 cm and had black feathers and its chest was kind of a shimmery purple. It was a good breakfast but wasn't very filling so I went inside and ate french toast with strawberry sauce. Then we went to school.

Green Mamba Dies by Ariana Kruse

One day, last week, when we were in school, we heard a great commotion. Our teacher (mom) said we could go outside to see what was happening. There was a group of 6 Gumuz men by our mango tree. They had their bows and arrows and were all shouting. They had seen a snake in the tree and were all taking turns shooting at it. Some of their arrows got stuck in the tree and some of their arrows went flying into the forest. Then they shot the snake and it was wriggling in the tree and they dragged it onto the ground. It was a long, bright green mamba snake which is very deadly.

Then the Gumuz took rocks and hit the snake on the head until it was smashed and cut off. Then they all took turns spitting at the snake. They put the snake onto an ant hill so it would get eaten up. I am sad that snakes like our mango tree because we can't sit in it anymore.

My warrior boy

My warrior boy.  He may not think like Gumuz boys do.  He may not have a mother who allows him to spend his days in the bush instead of the classroom.  He will never fully integrate into Gumuz culture but he does like hunting.  He is quite proud of his Gumuz bow and arrows and makes sure that our guards help him fix them when they break.  He has his weapons close at hand.

It was a proud day when my warrior boy got his first kill.  It might not be large but it did take precision.  It was dusk when my boy caught sight of this rat.  He ran to get his bow, took aim and was delighted to see that he had not only hit it but killed it.  And on this day, the Gumuz were proud.
A white boy who knows how to shoot as well as their own.

Now Gumuz children love to eat their rat kills and Joel was sorely disappointed when I vetoed the idea.   It was nearly dark.  It involved building a fire, roasting the rat over a fire and worst of all consuming it.  In hindsight, I should have let him had the pleasure of enjoying his first kill.  (But I am sure there are some among you who could understand my lack of enthusiasm).  Maybe by the time, he manages to hit the next one, this momma will be ready to say yes.