Suriname folk-lore

29. Anąnsi nąŋga Kai̯mąn.

Anąnsi go na wąn fɩsi hɔro, go kɩsi fɩsi. Ma di a go na ɩni na hɔro fō firi dem fɩsi, wąn sani hɔri hɛm. Na sani no wani fō lus' hɛm. Anąnsi taki, ‘Suma hɔr' mi so?’ Na sani taki, ‘Na mi a frɩ̨ŋgi.’ Anąnsi taki, ‘Wɛ, frɩ̨ŋgi mi.’ Dą' na sani frɩ̨ŋgi hɛm. Di a frɩ̨ŋgi hɛm, a fadǫ' farawɛ. Ma di Anąnsi fadon, dąn a marki na prei̯si pɛ a fadon. Di a ɔpo, a si na prei̯si, dą' a go a meki so mɛni pɛ̨ŋki. Dąn a bɛri dɛm na grǫ' so dati ɛf' wąn meti sɑ fadǫ' dapɛ, dąn den pɛnki den go borō hɛm. Dąn Anąnsi gōwe.

A kari Kɔnikɔni fɔsi, taki, ‘Mek' wi go fɩsi.’ Di dem go, dąn Anąnsi sabi kaba taki wąn sani dapɛ dɩsi dɛ hɔri suma. So a no go dapɛ dɛ go firi, ma a sɛni Kɔnkɔni. Fa-i-si Kɔnkɔni go dapɛ, nō mō na sani hɔri hɛm. Kɔnkɔni bari gi Anąnsi taki, ‘Mati, wąn sani hɔri mi.’ Nō mō Anąnsi tai̯gi hɛm taki, ‘Aksi taki, “Sąn hɔri mi so?”’ Di Kɔnkɔni aksi, nō mō na sani piki taki, ‘Na mi a frɩ̨ŋgi.’ Anąnsi tai̯gi Kɔnkɔni, ‘Wɛ, taki, “Frɩ̨ŋ mi, dą.”’ Fa-i-si Kɔnkɔni taki, nō mō na sani frɩ̨ŋg' hɛm. A fadǫ leti 'a tap' dem pɛ̨ŋki. A dɛdɛ. Anąnsi go, a teki hɛm. So Anąnsi bɛn kiri furu meti di no bɛn sabi taki 'a so Anąnsi bɛn du.

Ma Kai̯man bɛn sabi taki na so Anąnsi bɛn kiri den tra meti. Wąn dei̯ Anąnsi go kari Kai̯mą' taki, meki a kɔm go fɩsi. Kai̯mą' taki, ‘A bǫ'.’ Di den go na ɩni na hɔro, Anąnsi tai̯gi Kai̯mą' taki, ‘Firi go dɑti sei̯.’ Kai̯mą' taki, ‘Fa yu dɛ sɛn' mi go dapɛ dąn? Yu sab' na hɔro mɔro mi, so na yu mu go.’ Ma di Anąnsi sab' kaba, dą' a no wani go. Kai̯mą' kari Anąnsi taki, ‘Kɔm luku wąn bɩgi fɩsi di̯a.’ Fa Anąnsi kɔm, nō mō Kai̯mąn pusu Anąnsi. Anąnsi go leti pɛ na sani dɛ. So na sani hɔri Anąnsi nō. Nō mō Anąnsi bɛgi Kai̯mąn taki, ‘Kai̯mą', go luku na tapsei̯, yu sɑ si so mɛni pɛ̨ŋki bɛri dapɛ.

[p. 198]

Pur' den gi mi.’ Kai̯man taki, ‘ai̯.’ A ɑksi Kai̯mą baka taki, ‘Yu pur' den kaba?’ Kai̯mąn taki, ‘Ya.’ A tak', ‘Tru, tru? Yu n'ɛ lei̯?’ Kai̯mąn taki, ‘No’. Wɛ nō, Anąnsi no sab' fa fō du. A bɛn musu fō tai̯gi na sani taki, ‘Frɩ̨ŋgi mi.’ Fa Anąnsi aksi taki, ‘Są' hor' mi dapɛ?’ 'a sani taki, ‘Na mi a frɩ̨ŋgi.’ Anąnsi tak', ‘Wɛ, frɩ̨ŋgi mi.’ Fa na sani frɩ̨ŋgi Anąnsi, no mo Anąnsi fadǫ' let' na tap' den pɛ̨ŋki. A dɛdɛ.

Kai̯mąn go, a tek' ala den meti di Anąnsi bɛn habi dapɛ. A tyar' gowe. So Kai̯mąn kɔni mɔro Anąnsi.

29. Fling Me!¹

Anansi went to a fishing hole to catch fish. But when he went inside the hole to feel about for fish, something held him. The Thing did not want to let go of him. Anansi said, ‘Who holds me so?’ The Thing said, ‘It is I who fling.’ Anansi said, ‘Well, fling me.’ Then the Thing flung him. When it flung him, he fell down far away. But when Anansi fell down he marked the place where he fell down. When he got up, and he saw the place, then he went and made many pointed stakes. Then he buried them in the ground, so that if an animal should fall down there, then the stakes should pierce it. Then Anansi went away.

He called Rabbit first, and said, ‘Let us go fishing.’ When they went, then Anansi knew already that something was there which held people. So he did not go there to feel about, but he sent Rabbit. No sooner did Rabbit go there, than the Thing held him. Rabbit called out to Anansi, ‘Friend, something holds me.’ At once Anansi said to him, said, ‘Ask, and say “What holds me so?”’ When Rabbit asked, the Thing at once answered him, said, ‘It is I who fling.’ Anansi said to Rabbit, ‘Well, say “Fling me, then.”’ No sooner did Rabbit speak than the Thing flung him. He fell just on top of the stakes. He died. Anansi went and he took him. So Anansi had killed many animals who did not know that this was what Anansi had been doing.

But Alligator knew that it was so that Anansi had killed the other animals. One day Anansi went to call Alligator to say let him come fishing. Alligator said, ‘All right.’ When they went inside the hole, Anansi said to Alligator, said, ‘Feel about on that side.’ Alligator said, ‘Why do you send me there? You know the hole better than I, so it is you who must go.’ But since Anansi knew already, then he did not want to go. Alligator called Anansi, and said, ‘Come look, here is a big fish.’ No sooner did Anansi come, than Alligator pushed Anansi. Anansi went right where the Thing

1 Told by 1. Compare, Nigeria (Yoruba), Frobenius 310-312, No. 53; Lamba, Doke 9-11, No. 7; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 43-44, No. 33. This tale, however, corresponds closely in plot and point to the ‘Bearded Rock’ tale that is widely spread throughout West Africa, examples of which may be seen in Schlenker 66-73, No. 5, or Tauxier (III) 231-232, No. 4.

[p. 199]

was. So the Thing held Anansi now. Anansi begged Alligator, and said, ‘Alligator, go look on the upper path, and you will see many stakes buried there. Pull them up for me.’ Alligator said, ‘Yes.’ He asked Alligator again, he said, ‘You have pulled them up already?’ Alligator said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘True-true? You are not lying?’ Alligator said, ‘No.’ Well now, Anansi did not know what to do. He had to tell the Thing, say, ‘Fling me.’ As Anansi asked, said, ‘What holds me there?’ the Thing said, ‘It is I who fling.’ Anansi said, ‘Well, fling me.’ No sooner did the Thing fling Anansi, than he fell down right on top of the stakes. He died.

Alligator went, and took all the animals that Anansi had there. He took them away. So Alligator's cunning surpasses Anansi's.