Suriname folk-lore

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B. Tales from Paramaribo

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1.

Anąnsi go na Hɔntimą', a taki², ‘Hɔntimąn, lɛni mi fei̯ftin xulder. Na ɩni dri mųn, mi sɑ gi yu na mɔni baka.’ Hɔntimąn taki, ‘A bǫ'.’ Anąnsi taki ɛ̨ŋ tąŋgi. ‘A tąn fa wi taki.’ N'ya a gowe. A kɔmopo na Hɔntimąn, a go na Tigri. A taki Tigri, ‘Tigri, wąn pina dɛ nąŋga mi. Lɛni mi wąn hɔndro bankōnotō.’ Tigri taki, ‘O tɛm yu sɑ gi mi hɛm baka?’ Anąnsi taki so srɛfi, ‘Dri mųn mi sɑ gi 'ɛm baka.’ N'ya a taki hɛm adio̯si, a gowe. A go noya a Kakaforu. ‘Lɛni mi wąn hɔndro bankōnotō. Mi habi na mɔni tumusi fanodō. Mi wei̯fi nąŋga mi p'kin 'ɛ sɩki ɔgri, ɔgri.’ Ɛn Kakaforu gi na mɔni. Kaka ɑksi, ‘O tɛm mi dɛ go kɩs' na mɔni baka?’ Anąnsi piki Kakaforu, a taki, ‘Dri mųn yu sɑ kɩs' na mɔni baka.’ A taki adi̯osi, a gowe. A go na Kakalaka, taki, ‘Odi. Mi kɔm bɛg' yu lɛn' mi wąn hɔndro bankōnotō. Mi sɑ gi hɛm baka na ɩni dri mų'.’ A taki Kakalaka adi̯osi, a gowe.

Di na tɛm kɔ̨m klosibai̯, a go na Kakalaka, a tai̯gi, ‘Kɔ̨' so wąn dei̯ na ai̯ti yuru, dą' mi sɑ pai̯ yu.’ A kɔ̨mopo na Kakalaka, a go na Kakaforu. A tai̯gi, ‘Kakaforu, pikinso pasa ai̯ti yuru yu mu' kɔ̨' na mi, kɔm teki na mɔni di mi mu' pai̯ yu.’ A go na Tigri, a taki, ‘Mati Tigri, na tɛm dɔro fō mi gi yu yu mɔni baka. Wɛ, mi kɔ̨' bɛgi yu fō kɔm teki hɛm na so wąn dei̯.’ A gi Tigri na srefi dei̯ di a pɔti gi Kakalaka nąŋga Kakaforu, ma a gi Tigri pikinso mɔro lati. Tigri taki, ‘A bǭ'. Wi sɑ miti baka.’ Nowa a go na Hɔntimąn, a taki Hɔntimąn, ‘Odi, moi̯ Hɔntimąn. Mi kɔ̨m pik' yu na so wąn dei̯ yu kɔm teki na mɔni fō yu, kɔm teki hɛm.’ A taki pikinso mɔro lati a bɛn tai̯gi Tigri.

Na dei̯ kɔm. Kakalaka kɔm. Anąnsi taki, ‘Moi̯, yu kɔ̨' dyɔ̨nso. Sidǫn pikinso.’ Ɛn a hɔri hɛm nąŋga wąn pikin tɔri. Na ɩni na tɔri, Anąnsi luku, a si Kakaforu dɛ kɔm. Anąnsi naki hanu, a taki, ‘Kakaforu de kɔm!’ Kakalaka taki, ‘Mi dɛdɛ! Fa mi dɛ go du?’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Go na baka mi dɔro.’ Kakaforu taki, ‘Masra Anąnsi, odi. Mi kɔ̨' fa wi bɛn taki.’ Anąnsi piki a Kakaforu, a taki, ‘A bǫ', mi klari gi yu, ma sidǫn pikinso.’ Ɛn den taki wąn tɔri te... Kakafo-

2 Wilkie (I), p. 22, states that a from ame forms the impersonal pronoun; in Paramaribo it also takes the usage of the 3rd personal singular pronoun (he, she, it).

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ru opo ɛŋ ai̯, a si Tigri dɛ kɔm. A naki hanu, a taki, ‘Tigri kɔm! Mi dɛdɛ! Anąnsi, kibri mi!’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Go na baka na dɔro.’ Kakaforu go na baka na dɔro, a si Kakalaka, a swari hɛm. Dąn ɛŋ kibri. Tigri kɔm na ɩni. ‘So, Anąnsi, mi kɔm tek' mi mɔni fa wi bɛn taki.’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Wakti pikinso.’ Tigri taki, ‘No, mi no habi tɛm. Pai̯ mi wantɛ̨'.’ Anąnsi taki, ‘No mek' trɔbi. Go na baka dɔro, mi kɩbri wąn sani gi yu.’ Tigri go na baka dɔro, a feni Kakaforu, a nyam ɛŋ wąntɛm. Nowa a kɔm baka na Anąnsi, a taki, ‘Gi mi na mɔni.’ Fa a dɛ ɑksi na mɔni, den luku, den si Hɔntimąn. Anąnsi taki, ‘Mi mama! Hɔntimąn dɛ kɔm!’ Tigri taki, ‘Mi dɛdɛ! Anąnsi, kibri mi!’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Luku na bom dia. Go na tapu.’ Tigri feti go na tapu. Na bom pɛ Anąnsi meki Tigri go na tapu, bifɔ' Tigri kɔm, Anąnsi bɛn pɔti wąn tɔbo watra na ɔndro na bom.

Hɔntimąn kɔ̨'. ‘So, Masra Anąnsi, na dei̯ kɩsi kaba. Lei̯ki fa wi bɛn tai̯gi, mi kɔm fō na mɔni.’ ‘Hɔntimąn, yu kąn kɔm na ɩni mi hoso, ma yu futu dɔti. Yu mu' wasi yu futu 'fɔsi. Luku, wąn tɔbo watra na ɔndro na bom.’ Hɔntimąn taki, ‘Ya.’ Fa a dɛ go, a saka fō wasi ɛ̨ŋ futu, a luku na ɩni na watra, a si Tigri. A taki, ‘Tą'! Są' mi dɛ si?’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Tigri dia.’ Wantɛ na Hɔntimąn sütu Tigri. Anąnsi taki, ‘O mąn, sąn yu du? Yu kiri Konim tigri! Na Konim bɛn pɔti Tigri diaso, fō mi lɛre hɛm taki. Nowa yu kiri hɛm. Fa mi mu' du? Mi mu' go tai̯gi Konim!’ Hɔntimąn frede. ‘No, no, Anąnsi, no meki ɔpruru, mi bɛgi yu. Mi sɑ pai̯ yu tu hɔndro bankōnotō. Na pai̯mɛ̨ŋ fō mi, yu kąn hɔri, ma grą' tąŋgi, no meki Konim yɛre. Nowąn suma mu' sabi-taki na mi kiri Tigri. Ɛf' Konim sabi, a dɛ go kiri mi baka.’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Ya, a tą' so. Ma yu mu' gowe wąntɛm. Dąn mi sɑ dɩki hɔro ɛn bɛri Tigri. Dąn mi sɑ go tai̯gi Konim, taki, na sɩki, Tigri sɩki, a dɛdɛ. Mi bɛri hɛm.’

So lei̯ki Hɔntimąn gowe, Anąnsi tek' ɛŋ nefi, a fari na buba fō Tigri. A drei̯ ɛŋ moi̯ fō a go sɛri.

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1. Outwitting Creditors: Chain of Victims.¹

Anansi went to Hunter, and he said, ‘Hunter, lend me fifty guilders. In three months I will give you back the money.’ Hunter said, ‘All right.’ Anansi thanked him. ‘It stands as we said.’ Now he went away. He left Hunter, and went to Tiger. He said to Tiger, ‘Tiger, I am having a hard time. Lend me a hundred bankonoto.’³ Tiger said, ‘When will you give it back to me?’ Anansi told the same (thing), ‘In three months I will give it back.’ Now he said good-bye to him, and he went away. He went now to Cock. ‘Lend me a hundred bankonoto. I need the money very much. My wife and children are terribly, terribly sick.’ And Cock gave the money. Cock asked, ‘When am I going to get the money back?’ Anansi answered Cock, he said, ‘In three months you will get the money back.’ He said good-bye, and he went away. He went to Cockroach, and said, ‘Howdo. I came to beg you to lend me a hundred bankonoto. I will give it back in three months.’ He said good-bye to Cockroach, and he went away.

When the time approached (to repay the debts), he went to Cockroach, and he said, ‘Come on such a day at eight o'clock, and I will pay you.’ He left Cockroach, and he went to Cock. He said, ‘Cock, a little after eight o'clock you must come to me to take the money which I must pay you.’ He went to Tiger, and he said, ‘Friend Tiger, the time has come for me to give you your money back. Well, I come to beg you to come and take it on such a day.’ He gave [told] Tiger the same day which he had set for Cockroach and Cock, but he gave Tiger a little later (time). Tiger said, ‘All right. We shall meet again.’ Now he went to Hunter, and said to Hunter, ‘Howdo, fine Hunter. I came to tell you to come on such a day to take your money.’ He said a little later (time) than he had told Tiger.

The day came. Cockroach came. Anansi said, ‘Fine, that you come just now. Sit down a little.’ And he held him with a little story [gossip]. In the midst of the story, Anansi looked, and he saw Cock coming. Anansi clapped his hands, and he said, ‘Cock is coming!’ Cockroach said, ‘I am a dead one! What shall I do?’ Anansi said, ‘Go behind my door.’ Cock said, ‘Master Anansi, howdo. I come as we had agreed.’ Anansi answered Cock, he said,

1 Told by 7. Compare, for Sierra Leone, Koelle 159-161, No. 3 (Fables); Togo (Ewe), Speiss 118-120, No. 5; Hausa, Rattray (IV), ii. 58-72. No. 26, Tremearne (I) 210-212, No. 7, (III) 372-4, No. 78; Northeastern Nigeria (Bura), Helser 115-120, No. 17; S. Nigeria (Calabar), Dayrell (I) 6-10, No. 2, Cobham 307-8; Gabun, Nassau (I) 245-7, Fang No. 11; Congo (Bakongo), Struyf 744-5, No. 2; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 55-56, No. 45; Brasil, Eells 115-119, No. 11. Another Suriname version of this tale is given by Van Cappelle 307-313, No. 9.

3 A bankonoto is half a guilder.

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‘All right, I will settle with you, but sit down a little.’ And they gossiped till... Cock opened his eyes, and he saw Tiger coming. He clapped his hands, and he said, ‘Tiger is coming! I am a dead one! Anansi, hide me!’ Anansi said, ‘Go behind the door.’ Cock went behind the door, and he saw Cockroach, and he swallowed him. Then he hid. Tiger came inside. ‘So, Anansi, I come to take my money as we had agreed.’ Anansi said, ‘Wait a little.’ Tiger said, ‘No, I have no time. Pay me at once.’ Anansi said, ‘Don't make trouble. Go behind the door, I hid something for you.’ Tiger went behind the door, and he found Cock, and he ate him at once. Now he came back to Anansi, and he said, ‘Give me the money.’ As he was asking for the money, they looked, and they saw Hunter. Anansi said, ‘Mother! Hunter is coming!’ Tiger said, ‘I am a dead one! Anansi, hide me!’ Anansi said, ‘See that tree there? Go on top.’ Tiger fought¹ to the top. Before Tiger came Anansi had put a tub of water under the tree where Anansi had Tiger go.

Hunter came. ‘So, Master Anansi, the day has come. Just as we had agreed, I come for the money.’ ‘Hunter, you can come in my house, but your feet are dirty. You must wash your feet first. Look, there is a tub of water under the tree.’ Hunter said, ‘Yes.’ As he went, and he stooped down to wash his feet, he looked at the water, (and) he saw Tiger. He said, ‘Tan! What do I see?’ Anansi said, ‘Tiger is there.’ At once Hunter shot Tiger. Anansi said, ‘Oh man, what did you do? You killed the King's tiger! The King placed Tiger here for me teach him to talk. Now you killed him. What must (shall) I do? I must go and tell the King!’ Hunter was afraid, ‘No, no, Anansi, don't make an uproar, I beg you. I will pay you two hundred bankonoto. The payment due me, you can keep, but please don't let the King hear. No one must know that I killed Tiger. If the King knows, he will kill me.’ Anansi said, ‘Yes, let it be so. But, you must go away at once. Then I will dig a hole and bury Tiger. Then I will go and tell the King that Tiger was sick,² and he died. I buried him.’

So as Hunter went away, Anansi took his knife and skinned Tiger. He dried it [the skin] well in order to sell it.

1 Idiom for ‘hurried’.

2 The idiom ‘that sickness sickened Tiger’, as used here, has the connotation of emphasis of a normal death, one not caused by sorcery, etc.