The Jackal and the Hyena (Phokojoe le Phiri)
Sesotho folktale · ditšomo
Kwesukasukela... Jackal and Hyena were companions, but Jackal was sly and Hyena was greedy and slow-witted, so Jackal cheated him again and again. In one tale the two found, or stole, a pot of fat, butter, or honey. Jackal kept slipping away to eat it secretly, and when Hyena asked where he was going, Jackal said he had been called away to name a newborn child. Each time he returned he had eaten more; the 'children' he claimed to name were really stages of the emptying pot, with names like 'Just-begun,' 'Half-done,' and 'All-finished.' When at last the pot was empty and Hyena discovered the theft, Jackal cunningly turned the blame onto Hyena himself. In another well-known episode, Jackal escapes a trap or a fall by persuading the gullible Hyena to take his place, leaving Hyena to suffer the beating or the pit meant for the trickster. Time and again Hyena's greed and trust make him the dupe of Jackal's smooth tongue. These paired-animal fables, beloved across southern Africa, mock foolish greed and warn that a smiling friend may be eating your share behind your back. Cosu cosu iyaphela.
The lesson: Greed makes a person easy to deceive; beware the smooth-talking friend who feasts at your expense.