This story by Bessie Head is a reimagining of a Botswanan oral folktale in which young lovers who defy tribal customs of premarital chastity and arranged marriage are cast out of their village and mysteriously vanish. This leads to a myth that as punishment for putting the tribal community at risk, a nearby hill opened and swallowed them. The folktale’s message is that a tribe’s well-being relies on members putting personal desires aside and strictly following its traditions and rules. Themes include romantic love vs. arranged marriage, individual choice vs. compliance with cultural traditions, defiance, isolation, punishment.
