Suriname folk-lore

34.

Konu bɛn habi wąn prei̯si pɛ bɛn dɛ furu maskita. Nowan suma no bɛn ką' tąn dapɛ. Ma Anąnsi go strei̯ nąŋga Dagu, taki, ɛ̨ŋ sɑ si suma sɑ tą' mɔro ląŋga nąŋga maskita. Anąnsi sidǫ' nąŋga Dagu. Na maskita 'ɛ beti Dagu. Dą' 'ɛ beti Anąnsi tu. Anąnsi

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no mąŋ hɔri mɔro. A tak', ‘Mi Konu, mi de go tai̯gi yu wą' tɔri.’ A tak', ‘Mi papa bɛn habi wąn kau̯, a pens, a pens, a pens, a pens, mi Konu....’

So Anąnsi go wɩn' na fɔs' prai̯si. So a sɑ kɩsi wąn kau̯, ɛn Dagu, tu.

Ma Konu teki wą' mąŋgri kau̯ nąŋga wą' fatu wan. Na mąŋgri kau̯, den tai̯ nąŋga wan dei̯ki tɛtei̯, ɛn na fatu wąn nąŋga wan fini tɛtei̯. Di Anąnsi kɔm fō teki hɛm tɛtei̯ 'fɔsi Dagu kɔm, a grabu na fatu tɛtei̯. So Dagu bɛn 'a' fō teki na fini tɛtei̯. Ma di den hari den tɛtei̯ kɔm na dɔro, na kau̯ fō Anąnsi bɛn mąŋgri. Te p'kin mɔro, a no bɛn kan waka. Ma są' Anąnsi sɑ du? A bɛn musu teki hɛm. Hɛm nąŋga mati Dagu bɛn gowe na pasi, na kau̯ fō hem no bɛn mąŋ waka mɔro. So Anąnsi kiri hɛm kau̯. A pɔti hafu na ɩni hɛm mutete, a gi mati Dagu wą' pisi lɛfre. Ma Dagu no bɛn nyam na lɛfre. A ben hɔri hɛm na ɔndro hɛm tɔ̨ŋgo.

Di den waka so tɛ... Anąnsi taki, ‘Mat' Dagu, mat' Dagu, gi mi mi lɛfre.’ Dagu ląŋga hɛm tɔ̨ŋgo, a tak', ‘Mat' Anąnsi, yu lɛfre di̯a.’ Anąnsi tak', ‘'A spɔt' mi 'ɛ meki.’ Ma di den waka so tɛ... watra bɛn kɔm kɩsi Dagu. A bɛn go na wąn kriki fō drɩ̨ŋgi watra. So a swari da lɛfre. Pikinso na baka Anąnsi taki, ‘Mat' Dagu, mat' Dagu, gi mi mi lɛfre.’ Dagu ląŋga hɛm tɔ̨ŋgo, ma na lɛfre no bɛn dɛ, bikas' a bɛn swari hɛm di a bɛn go drɩ̨ŋgi watra. So Dagu bɛn 'a' fō kiri hɛm kau̯ fō gi Anąnsi hɛm lɛfre.

'A yurtem, di Dagu gi Anąnsi na lɛfre kaba, a teki hɛm meti, a lɔ̨' gowɛ na fesi. A diki wąn bǫ' bɩgi hɔro, a go na ɩnisei̯, a pir' ɛ̨ŋ tifi na lɔktu. Di Anąnsi dɛ kɔm pasa, a si na tifi. A tak', ‘Odi, mi Tata.’ Na mɔro Dagu dɛ piri hɛm tifi. Anąnsi taki, ‘ai̯, mi Tata, mi sabi są' yu wani. Na wąn pisi meti.’ Na mɔro Dagu dɛ piri hɛm tifi. 'A so Dagu mek' na sani tɛ... Anąnsi tro ala na meti fō hɛm na grɔ̨'.

A lɔ̨' gowɛ na Konu, a taki, ‘Konu, grɔ̨' habi tifi.’ Di Anąnsi gowɛ, Dagu opo na ɩni da hɔlo, a teki ala da meti, a tyari gowɛ. Konu sɛni suma nąŋga Anąnsi, go luku ɛf' na tru taki grǫ' habi tifi. Ma di den suma go, den no bɛn feni nɔtį'. So den hati bɛn kɔm brǫ' nąŋga Anąnsi, dɛn dę' bɩgɩn kravas' hɛm.

So yu si, Anąnsi lɔ̨' go kɩbri na pɔstu hɔro.

34. The Mosquito Test: The Greed Test: The Earth Has Teeth.¹

The King had a place where there were many mosquitoes. No one could live there. But Anansi went to contest with Dog that they should see which of them would remain longer with the mosquitoes. Anansi and Dog sat down. The mosquitoes bit Dog. They bit

1 Told by 6. For comparative references, see notes to Tales No. 33 and 35, also for Nigeria (Edo), Thomas (II) 64-68, No. 26; U.S. (Sea Islands), Parsons (II) 111, No. 113; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 36-37, No. 29.

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Anansi, too. Anansi could stand it no longer. He said, ‘My King, I am going to tell you a story.’ He said, ‘My father had a cow. It was spotted here, it was spotted here, it was spotted here, my King....’ [pantomime of slapping the parts of his body where the mosquitoes were attacking him].

So Anansi won first prize. So he was to get a cow, and Dog, too.

But the King took a lean cow, and a fat one. The lean cow they tied with a stout cord, and the fat one with a thin cord. As Anansi came to take his cow before Dog came, he grabbed the stout cord. So Dog had to take the fine cord. But when they pulled out the cords, Anansi's cow was lean. After a little while, it could not walk. But what could Anansi do? He had to take it. He and friend Dog went along the road, and his cow could not walk any more. So Anansi killed his cow. He put half inside his carrying basket, and he gave friend Dog a piece of liver.¹ But Dog did not eat the liver. He held it under his tongue.

When they had walked so till... Anansi said, ‘Friend Dog, friend Dog, give me my liver.’ Dog put out his tongue, and said, ‘Friend Anansi, here is your liver.’ Anansi said, ‘I was making fun.’ But as they walked so till... Dog became thirsty.² He went to a creek to take a drink of water. So he swallowed the liver. A little later, Anansi said, ‘Friend Dog, friend Dog, give me my liver.’ Dog put out his tongue, but the liver was not there, because he had swallowed it when he went to drink water. So Dog had to kill his cow in order to give Anansi his liver.

When Dog had given Anansi the liver, he took his meat and he ran on ahead. He dug a large hole, and he went inside, and he bared his fangs, which alone showed.³ When Anansi was coming by he saw the fangs. He said, ‘Howdo, father.’ Dog showed his fangs all the more. Anansi said, ‘Yes, father, I know what you want. A piece of meat.’ Dog showed his fangs all the more. And so Dog did the thing till... Anansi threw down all his meat.

He ran away to the King, and said, ‘King, the earth has teeth.’ When Anansi went away, Dog came out of the hole, [and] he took away all the meat. The King sent some people with Anansi, to go and see if it was true that the earth had teeth. But when the people went, they found nothing.⁴ So they got angry with Anansi, and they began to whip him.

So you see, Anansi ran away to hide in a post-hole.

1 The etiquette here, as in Africa, is that anyone who looks on while an animal is being cut up must get a piece, no matter how trifling.

2 Lit., ‘water came to catch Dog’.

3 Lit., ‘he showed his teeth to the air’.

4 Lit., ‘they no did find nothing’ - always the double negative.