The Collector of Treasures

The Collector of Treasures is an anthology of short fiction by South African-Botswanan author Bessie Head. First published by Heinemann Educational Books in 1977, it contains thirteen short stories that all center in some way on Botswanan characters who encounter significant changes—changes that shift the realities of their lives, their futures, and their fates. Much of Head's focus is on the oppression faced by women in Botswana and how their conscripted roles shape their identities, both as individuals and as Africans. Head's narrative voice is influenced by the rich oral storytelling traditions of her native land and informed by her progressive ideas about gender, equality, and the human experience.

The first tale, "The Deep River: A Story of Ancient Tribal Migration," is a chronicle of the divide that separates a Talaote tribe after the death of their revered chief, Monemapee. During his life, Monemapee made all the important decisions: when to plant, when to plow, when to harvest. With him gone, the villagers fall into complacency, not knowing who to turn for guidance in the practical matters of day to day life. Sebembele encourages the villagers to think for themselves and eventually, somewhat ironically, draws followers of his own. In the end, he leads his faction out of Deep River and into an unknown future.

In the story "Heaven Is Not Closed," a devoutly Christian Botswanan woman Galenthebege passes away, and the narrator reflects on Galenthebege's life and her marriage to her husband, Ralokae. Ralokae was not a Christian and wanted to marry Galenthebege according to the old ways. When Galenthebege sought advice from the church missionaries, they refused to let her marry Ralokae, and even though she placed God before anyone else in her life, the church kicked her out. She kept her faith, however, and never stopped praying. After her death, many leave the church because of the way the missionaries treated Galenthebege, and Ralokae never becomes a Christian, despite his late wife's unshakable faith.



"The Village Saint" follows a village holy woman, Mma-Mompati, whose noble demeanor, good works, and respected position conceal a steely, cold, and often selfish nature. After she divorces her husband, Mma-Mompati loses the power she so cherishes. Without her status in the village, she begins to realize that she only did her good works as a way to further a carefully crafted façade of virtue.

In "Looking for a Rain God," a tribal family makes a brutal sacrifice that illustrates the collision between traditional cultural practices and more evolved modern-day thinking. Mokgobja, his wife, Tiro, and their children farm the land. When a drought strikes, Mokgobja recalls an old indigenous ritual lost among subsequent centuries of Christian influence. This ritual involves the sacrificing of children as an offering to the gods, in exchange for rain. Mokgobja and his son, Ramadi, sacrifice the family's two daughters—but it does not rain. When the villagers wonder what happened to their girls, Mokgobja and Tiro at first say they died of natural causes, but when police press the issue, Tiro confesses. Mokgobja and Ramadi go to jail and are ultimately executed, their blood joining the blood of the girls and all the other long-ago human sacrifices that saturate the land.

The centerpiece of this collection is the title story. It is a scathing indictment of Botswanan men and their treatment of the women in their lives. The story revolves around the central character Dikeledi and her relationship with her husband, Garesego, which is a stark contrast to the marriage of their neighbors, Kenalepe and Paul. Garesego impregnates Dikeledi four times in the course of three years, but he does not live with his wife and children, and he offers them no support, financial or otherwise. In talking with Kenalepe, Dikeledi discovers that not all men behave like Garesego, that some men—Paul, for instance—are loving and devoted husbands, who live with and support their wives and children. Inspired by this newfound knowledge, Dikeledi asks Garesego to help her pay for their oldest son's schooling. Without explicitly saying so, Garesego expects sex from Dikeledi in return for his financial contribution. He goes to her house with the goal of having sex with her, and she fully realizes that only after she gives in will he then even consider giving her the money. No longer able to live with this untenable relationship, she gets a butcher knife and severs his "special parts." As she's hauled off to jail, Paul vows to raise her children. Dikeledi now faces a grand paradox: She will go to prison, but she will also be free for the first time in her life.



The other stories in The Collector of Treasures are: "Jacob: The Story of a Faith-Healing Priest," "Life," "Witchcraft," "Kgotla," "The Wind and a Boy," "Snapshots of a Wedding," "The Special One," and "Hunting."