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Tata Ndu
A witch-doctor and Kilanga resident who resents Nathan Price and his family for bringing Christianity—in Kuvudundu’s eyes, a dangerous, even poisonous force—to the Congo. Kuvudundu tries to attack the Price family by placing a poisonous green mamba snake near the area where Ruth May plays. Ultimately, this snake bites and kills Ruth May, setting in motion the events of the second half of the novel. Kuvudundu is ostracized from his community when news of his plot comes to light.
Tata Kuvudundu Quotes in The Poisonwood Bible
The The Poisonwood Bible quotes below are all either spoken by Tata Kuvudundu or refer to Tata Kuvudundu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 4, Chapter 55
Quotes
And so it came to pass that the normal, happy event of dividing food after a hunt became a war of insults and rage and starving bellies. There should have been more than enough for every family. But as we circled to receive our share of providence, the fat flanks of the magnificent beasts we’d stalked on the hill shrank to parched sinew, the gristle of drought-starved carcasses. Abundance disappeared before our eyes. Where there was plenty, we suddenly saw not enough. Even little children slapped their friends and stole caterpillars from each other’s baskets. Sons shouted at their fathers. Women declared elections and voted against their husbands. The elderly men whose voices hardly rose above a whisper, because they were so used to being listened to, were silenced completely in the ruckus. Tata Kuvudundu looked bedraggled and angry. His white robe was utterly blackened with ash. He raised his hands and once again swore his prophecy that the animals and all of nature were rising up against us.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Poisonwood Bible LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tata Kuvudundu Quotes in The Poisonwood Bible
The The Poisonwood Bible quotes below are all either spoken by Tata Kuvudundu or refer to Tata Kuvudundu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 4, Chapter 55
Quotes
And so it came to pass that the normal, happy event of dividing food after a hunt became a war of insults and rage and starving bellies. There should have been more than enough for every family. But as we circled to receive our share of providence, the fat flanks of the magnificent beasts we’d stalked on the hill shrank to parched sinew, the gristle of drought-starved carcasses. Abundance disappeared before our eyes. Where there was plenty, we suddenly saw not enough. Even little children slapped their friends and stole caterpillars from each other’s baskets. Sons shouted at their fathers. Women declared elections and voted against their husbands. The elderly men whose voices hardly rose above a whisper, because they were so used to being listened to, were silenced completely in the ruckus. Tata Kuvudundu looked bedraggled and angry. His white robe was utterly blackened with ash. He raised his hands and once again swore his prophecy that the animals and all of nature were rising up against us.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
