How Frog Went to Heaven NARRATOR 1: Now, Frog lived by a well.

PREVIEW: Frog helps a young man who Every day, the girls who served the Sun
wants to marry the Sky Maiden. Chief came to this well. They climbed down
GENRE: Folktales, myths from Heaven on a web made by Spider.
READERS: 16 or more
CULTURE: African, READER AGES: 7–9 Then they filled their water jugs and went
Angolan LENGTH: 8 minutes home.
THEME: Inventiveness, NARRATOR 4: Frog put the letter in his
determination mouth and hid in the well. The girls from
ROLES: Narrators 1–5, Kimana, Rabbit, Heaven came for water, singing their song.
Antelope, Hawk, Frog, Girls (2 or GIRLS: (come singing)
more), Sun Chief, Moon Lady, Sky Good day to you, my sister.
Maiden, Doctor, (Other Sky People) Good day to you.
NOTES: This tale comes from the Mbaka NARRATOR 2: They lowered their jugs into
tribe, part of the Ambundu people of the well, and Frog jumped into one. The
northwest Angola. In most of Africa—and in girls did not see.
many other cultures worldwide—it is the NARRATOR 5: Then the girls climbed back
custom for a groom to send a wedding gift up the web of Spider. They went into the
to the bride’s family. Kimana is pronounced house of the Sun Chief and left the jugs in a
“kee-MAH-nah.” Below is the tune for room.
“Good Day to You,” a traditional song. The NARRATOR 3: Frog was alone. He jumped
syncopated rhythm of eight beats is out of the jug and spit the letter out on a
accented on the one, the four, and the bench.
seven. FROG: (spits out letter)
NARRATOR 3: Then he h id in a corner.
NARRATOR 1: There was once a young
NARRATOR 1: The Sun Chief came for a
man named Kimana. He wanted to marry
drink of water. He saw the letter and
the Sky Maiden. He wrote a letter to her
opened it. He read,
father, the Sun Chief.
SUN CHIEF: “I, Kimana, a man of earth,
KIMANA: (reads letter as he writes) “I,
wish to marry the Sky Maiden, your
Kimana, a man of earth, wish to marry the
daughter.”
Sky Maiden, your daughter.”
NARRATOR 1: The Sun Chief said,
NARRATOR 4: Kimana went to Rabbit.
SUN CHIEF: How can this be?
KIMANA: (holds out letter) Will you take
NARRATOR 4: He went to the girls who
this letter?
fetched water.
NARRATOR 4: Rabbit said,
SUN CHIEF: (holds out letter) Did you bring
RABBIT: I cannot go to Heaven. (hops
this letter?
away)
NARRATOR 4: The girls said,
NARRATOR 2: Kimana went to Antelope.
GIRLS: (stop working) We did not. (start
KIMANA: (holds out letter) Will you take
working again)
this letter?
NARRATOR 2: He went to his wife, the
NARRATOR 2: Antelope said,
Moon Lady, and read it to her.
ANTELOPE: I cannot go to Heaven. (leaps
SUN CHIEF: What should we do?
away)
NARRATOR 2: The Moon Lady said,
NARRATOR 5: Kimana went to Hawk.
MOON LADY: Don’t ask me! Ask your
KIMANA: (holds out letter) Will you take
daughter!
this letter?
NARRATOR 5: He went to his daughter. The
NARRATOR 5: Hawk said,
Sky Maiden said,
HAWK: I can go halfway. But I cannot go to
SKY MAIDEN: Let us see if he can bring a
Heaven. (flies away)
wedding gift.
NARRATOR 3: Then Frog came to Kimana.
NARRATOR 3: So the Sun Chief wrote a
FROG: (hops in) Why do you not take the
letter and set it on the bench. Then he
letter yourself?
went away.
NARRATOR 3: Kimana said,
NARRATOR 1: Frog came out and put the
KIMANA: This I cannot do.
letter in his mouth. Then he climbed into an
FROG: Then I will take it for you.
empty jug.
NARRATOR 3: Kimana laughed.
NARRATOR 4: The next day, the girls took
KIMANA: (laughs) Can a frog take a letter
the jugs and climbed down to earth, singing
to Heaven?
their song.
FROG: Whatever it is, I can do it. But only
GIRLS: (come singing)
if I try. (takes letter in mouth, hops away)
Good day to you, my sister.
Good day to you. Good day to you, my sister.
NARRATOR 2: They lowered their jugs into Good day to you.
the well, and Frog jumped out. NARRATOR 5: He jumped back into the
NARRATOR 5: Then the girls went back to well, and the girls went back to Heaven.
Heaven. NARRATOR 3: Frog brought the letter to
NARRATOR 3: Frog took the letter to Kimana, and Kimana read it.
Kimana, and Kimana read it. KIMANA: (reading) “You may marry my
KIMANA: “You may marry my daughter if daughter if you come and fetch her.”
you bring a purse of money.” NARRATOR 3: Kimana said,
NARRATOR 3: Kimana said, KIMANA: This I cannot do.
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
FROG: Then I will bring it for you. can you fetch a bride?
NARRATOR 3: Kimana laughed. FROG: Whatever it is, I can do it. But only
KIMANA: (laughs) You took a letter to if I try.
Heaven. But can you bring a purse of NARRATOR 1: Frog climbed back into the
money? well.
FROG: Whatever it is, I can do it. But only
if I try. NARRATOR 4: The girls came with their
NARRATOR 1: Kimana gave Frog a purse of jugs.
money. Frog took hold of it with his mouth GIRLS: (come singing)
and carried it to the well. He climbed in and Good day to you, my sister.
waited. Good day to you.
NARRATOR 4: The girls from Heaven came NARRATOR 2: They carried him to Heaven.
to the well. NARRATOR 5: Frog jumped out. He spit in
GIRLS: (come singing) all the jugs of water.
Good day to you, my sister. FROG: (spits in jars) Ptui. Ptui. Ptui.
Good day to you. NARRATOR 3: Then he hid in an empty jug.
NARRATOR 2: Frog got into one of the jugs. NARRATOR 1: The people of the house
NARRATOR 5: The girls returned to Heaven came and drank the water.
and left him in the room. NARRATOR 4: They all got sick.
NARRATOR 3: Frog set the money on the SUN CHIEF, MOON LADY, SKY MAIDEN,
bench. Then he hid. GIRLS, OTHER SKY PEOPLE: (come and dip
NARRATOR 1: The Sun Chief came and cup in water, drink, get sick)
found the purse. NARRATOR 2: The Sun Chief called for the
SUN CHIEF: How can this be? spirit doctor. The doctor told him,
NARRATOR 4: He went to the girls. DOCTOR: You promised your daughter to a
SUN CHIEF: (holds out purse) Did you bring man of earth, but she has not gone. He has
this money? sent an evil spirit with a sickness. The evil
GIRLS: (stop working) We did not. (start spirit is in the shape of . . . a frog!
working again) NARRATOR 5: The Sun Chief went to his
NARRATOR 2: He went to his wife. The wife. The Moon Lady said,
Moon Lady said, MOON LADY: Don’t ask me! Ask your
MOON LADY: Don’t ask me! Ask your daughter!
daughter! NARRATOR 3: He went to his daughter. The
NARRATOR 5: He went to his daughter. The Sky Maiden said,
Sky Maiden said, SKY MAIDEN: I will go.
SKY MAIDEN: Let us see if he can come NARRATOR 1: The next day, the Sky
fetch me. Maiden went with the girls down to the
NARRATOR 3: So the Sun Chief wrote a well.
letter and left it on the bench. GIRLS: (come singing)
NARRATOR 1: Frog put the letter in his Good day to you, my sister.
mouth. Good day to you.
NARRATOR 4: He climbed into an empty NARRATOR 4: The girls filled their jugs, and
jug. Frog jumped out. Then the girls left the Sky
NARRATOR 2: The next day, the girls Maiden and went home.
carried him to earth. NARRATOR 2: Frog jumped out of the well.
GIRLS: (come singing) 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.