Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba — Patricia C. McKissack / Pat McKissack

First Month of Mbangala:
The Season When the Grass is Burned

So here I am in the garden, writing... if these words have magic, then I will use them to plot and plan a way to drive the Portuguese from our land. And maybe one day my pages will tell others that I, Nzingha, First Daughter of Kiluanji, was a Mbundu, one of a powerful people who are free and unafraid to fight for our beloved homeland of Ndongo in the Kwanza River Valley.

Later the Same Evening

My sisters have found me. Kifunji cannot resist teasing. She gives a big laugh. "Writing is good for you, sister. To see you sitting quietly is such a rare pleasure. Isn't it better than hurling a spear, or wrestling some boy to the ground?"... I am accused of being independent. It is true, I suppose, for I would rather be kept in an open basket than a lukata -- a box.