How Frog Went to Heaven MOON LADY: Don’t ask me! Ask your daughter!

A Tale of Angola NARRATOR 5: He went to his daughter. The Sky

Told by Aaron Shepard Maiden said,
SKY MAIDEN: Let us see if he can bring a wedding gift.
NARRATOR 1: There was once a young man named NARRATOR 3: So the Sun Chief wrote a letter and set
Kimana. He wanted to marry the Sky Maiden. He wrote it on the bench. Then he went away.
a letter to her father, the Sun Chief. NARRATOR 1: Frog came out and put the letter in his
KIMANA: (reads letter as he writes) “I, Kimana, a man mouth. Then he climbed into an empty jug.
of earth, wish to marry the Sky Maiden, your daughter.” NARRATOR 4: The next day, the girls took the jugs and
NARRATOR 4: Kimana went to Rabbit. climbed down to earth, singing their song.
KIMANA: (holds out letter) Will you take this letter? GIRLS: (come singing)
NARRATOR 4: Rabbit said, Good day to you, my sister.
RABBIT: I cannot go to Heaven. (hops away) Good day to you.
NARRATOR 2: Kimana went to Antelope. NARRATOR 2: They lowered their jugs into the well,
KIMANA: (holds out letter) Will you take this letter? and Frog jumped out.
NARRATOR 2: Antelope said, NARRATOR 5: Then the girls went back to Heaven.
ANTELOPE: I cannot go to Heaven. (leaps away) NARRATOR 3: Frog took the letter to Kimana, and
NARRATOR 5: Kimana went to Hawk. Kimana read it.
KIMANA: (holds out letter) Will you take this letter? IMANA: “You may marry my daughter if you bring a
NARRATOR 5: Hawk said, purse of money.”
HAWK: I can go halfway. But I cannot go to Heaven. NARRATOR 3: Kimana said,
(flies away) KIMANA: This I cannot do.
NARRATOR 3: Then Frog came to Kimana. FROG: Then I will bring it for you.
FROG: (hops in) Why do you not take the letter NARRATOR 3: Kimana laughed.
yourself? IMANA: (laughs) You took a letter to Heaven. But can
NARRATOR 3: Kimana said, you bring a purse of money?
KIMANA: This I cannot do. FROG: Whatever it is, I can do it. But only if I try.
FROG: Then I will take it for you. NARRATOR 1: Kimana gave Frog a purse of money.
NARRATOR 3: Kimana laughed. Frog took hold of it with his mouth and carried it to the
KIMANA: (laughs) Can a frog take a letter to Heaven? well. He climbed in and waited.
FROG: Whatever it is, I can do it. But only if I try. (takes NARRATOR 4: The girls from Heaven came to the well.
letter in mouth, hops away) GIRLS: (come singing)
NARRATOR 1: Now, Frog lived by a well. Every day, Good day to you, my sister.
the girls who served the Sun Chief came to this well. Good day to you.
They climbed down from Heaven on a web made by NARRATOR 2: Frog got into one of the jugs.
Spider. Then they filled their water jugs and went home. NARRATOR 5: The girls returned to Heaven and left
NARRATOR 4: Frog put the letter in his mouth and hid him in the room.
in the well. The girls from Heaven came for water, NARRATOR 3: Frog set the money on the bench. Then
singing their song. he hid.
GIRLS: (come singing) NARRATOR 1: The Sun Chief came and found the
Good day to you, my sister. purse.
Good day to you. SUN CHIEF: How can this be?
NARRATOR 2: They lowered their jugs into the well, NARRATOR 4: He went to the girls.
and Frog jumped into one. The girls did not see. SUN CHIEF: (holds out purse) Did you bring this
NARRATOR 5: Then the girls climbed back up the web money?
of Spider. They went into the house of the Sun Chief and GIRLS: (stop working) We did not. (start working again)
left the jugs in a room. NARRATOR 2: He went to his wife. The Moon Lady
NARRATOR 3: Frog was alone. He jumped out of the said,
jug and spit the letter out on a bench. MOON LADY: Don’t ask me! Ask your daughter!
FROG: (spits out letter) NARRATOR 5: He went to his daughter. The Sky
NARRATOR 3: Then he hid in a corner. Maiden said,
NARRATOR 1: The Sun Chief came for a drink of SKY MAIDEN: Let us see if he can come fetch me.
water. He saw the letter and opened it. He read, NARRATOR 3: So the Sun Chief wrote a letter and left
SUN CHIEF: “I, Kimana, a man of earth, wish to marry it on the bench.
the Sky Maiden, your daughter.” NARRATOR 1: Frog put the letter in his mouth.
NARRATOR 1: The Sun Chief said, NARRATOR 4: He climbed into an empty jug.
SUN CHIEF: How can this be? NARRATOR 2: The next day, the girls carried him to
NARRATOR 4: He went to the girls who fetched water. earth.
SUN CHIEF: (holds out letter) Did you bring this letter? GIRLS: (come singing)
NARRATOR 4: The girls said, Good day to you, my sister.
GIRLS: (stop working) We did not. (start working again) Good day to you.
NARRATOR 2: He went to his wife, the Moon Lady, and NARRATOR 5: He jumped back into the well, and the
read it to her. girls went back to Heaven.
SUN CHIEF: What should we do? NARRATOR 3: Frog brought the letter to Kimana, and
NARRATOR 2: The Moon Lady said, Kimana read it.
KIMANA: (reading) “You may marry my daughter if you
come and fetch her.”
NARRATOR 3: Kimana said,
KIMANA: This I cannot do.
FROG: Then I will fetch her for you.
NARRATOR 3: Kimana laughed.
KIMANA: (laughs) You took a letter to Heaven. You
brought a purse of money. But can you fetch a bride?
FROG: Whatever it is, I can do it. But only if I try.
NARRATOR 1: Frog climbed back into the well.
NARRATOR 4: The girls came with their jugs.
GIRLS: (come singing)
Good day to you, my sister.
Good day to you.
NARRATOR 2: They carried him to Heaven.
NARRATOR 5: Frog jumped out. He spit in all the jugs
of water.
FROG: (spits in jars) Ptui. Ptui. Ptui.
NARRATOR 3: Then he hid in an empty jug.
NARRATOR 1: The people of the house came and
drank the water.
NARRATOR 4: They all got sick.
SUN CHIEF, MOON LADY, SKY MAIDEN, GIRLS,
OTHER SKY PEOPLE: (come and dip cup in water,
drink, get sick)
NARRATOR 2: The Sun Chief called for the spirit
doctor. The doctor told him,
DOCTOR: You promised your daughter to a man of
earth, but she has not gone. He has sent an evil spirit
with a sickness. The evil spirit is in the shape of . . . a
frog!
NARRATOR 5: The Sun Chief went to his wife. The
Moon Lady said,
MOON LADY: Don’t ask me! Ask your daughter!
NARRATOR 3: He went to his daughter. The Sky
Maiden said,
SKY MAIDEN: I will go.
NARRATOR 1: The next day, the Sky Maiden went with
the girls down to the well.
GIRLS: (come singing)
Good day to you, my sister.
Good day to you.
NARRATOR 4: The girls filled their jugs, and Frog
jumped out. Then the girls left the Sky Maiden and went
home.
NARRATOR 2: Frog jumped out of the well.
FROG: I will lead you to your husband.
NARRATOR 2: The Sky Maiden laughed.
SKY MAIDEN: (laughs) Can a frog lead a woman?
FROG: I took a letter to Heaven. I brought a purse of
money. I fetched a bride. Whatever it was, I could do it.
But only since I tried.
SKY MAIDEN: Then it is you I will marry!
NARRATOR 5: She took Frog back to Heaven and
married him.
NARRATOR 3: They lived on and on.
NARRATOR 1: And Kimana is still waiting for his bride.