Chakijana the Weasel
Zulu folktale · izinganekwane
Kwesukasukela. Chakijana was a small, sharp-witted creature, a weasel or mongoose-like trickster much like Hlakanyana, whose name was a byword for slyness. He lived by his cunning, never by his strength, for he was small among the beasts.
In one well-loved tale Chakijana set out to deceive a band of cannibals or an ogre who hoarded fine cattle and meat. By flattery and false friendship he gained their trust, then turned their own greed and stupidity against them, leading them to quarrel, to fall into traps they had set for others, or to devour one another in their hunger. Where brute force would have failed, Chakijana's lies and nimble tongue carried the day.
In another, he hired himself out or made bargains with larger animals and men, always twisting the agreement so that he came away with the better portion, the fattest meat, the finest reward, leaving his partners puzzling over how they had been cheated. He could slip through the smallest gap, talk his way out of any corner, and vanish before anyone realised the trick.
The Zulu told Chakijana's exploits with laughter, for everyone enjoys seeing the strong and the greedy outfoxed by the small and the clever. Yet, as with Hlakanyana, his slyness was a double edge, and the stories also caution that one who lives by deceit may himself be deceived. Cosu cosu, iyaphela.
The lesson: The small and clever can overcome the large and powerful through wit; but a life built on deceit invites deceit in return.