Acholi riddles, recorded in Anaka, Uganda, October 2012.

I sent my daughter naked to seduce some men, she came back with clothes
Answer: peanuts/groundnuts (the seeds are planted naked, and when harvested have shells).

I placed my daughter by the roadside, everybody comes to greet her.
Answer: borehole pump.

Thick bushes silenced the ayuweri (bird).
Answer: pregnant woman (the foetus makes no noise in the womb).

I threw my wooden spoon, and it landed on the other side of the Nile.
Answer: eyes (the eyes can see a long way).

“Pit pit” under the uryang bush.
Answer: needles (“pit” is the sound of a needle poking the skin. Uryang is a type of acacia with tiny needle-like thorns).

•