Suriname folk-lore

38. Kɛskɛsi nąŋga Tigri.

Tigri a no bɛn 'abi sani fō nyąm. Dą' a prakseri fa ɛ' gō du. Dą' a mek' wan bɩgi kapa nąŋga dɔro. Dąn a kari ala babų taki ɛ̨ŋ dɛ go pre kino. Dę' mu' kɔ̨' luku.

Dąn a go na ɩni na kapa, taki ɛ̨ŋ dɛ go pōti dem plat, ma te ɛ̨ŋ bari a warąŋ, dąn den mu puru ɛ̨ŋ, bika' a ben pɔt' fai̯a na ɔndro na kapa. Dąn di a bari ‘A warąŋ,’ dąn dę' opo na dɔro. Dą' a mek' ala den babų go na ɩn' na kapa tak' dę' go luku kino. Ma wan pikin babųn no bɛn go na ɩni. A kibri na tapu wan bom. Dąn a luku ala są' pasa. Dąn di den babų go na ɩn' na kapa, dą' Tigri pɔt fai̯a gi' na kapa. Dąn den babų bori, dą' a kɩl' alamala, so a ką' fen s'ti-mɔfo.

Wan tra dei̯ baka, di a i pina, dą' a kari ala kɛskesi nō. Taki, mek den kɔm luku, ɛ̨ŋ dɛ go prei̯ kino. Dąn di den kɛskɛsi kɔm, dąn na pikį' babų di bɛn tą na tap' na bom tra lesi, dąn a tai̯g' den taki, te Tigri go ɩn' na kapa, dąn dę' no mu opo na dɔro te a bari a warąŋ. Den mu tai̯gi, ‘Te a warąŋ man tifi mu piri a wei̯ti.’ Ɛn so, di Tigri go na ɩni, dąn den no opo na dɔro gi' ɛ̨ŋ'. Den pɔt' fai̯a na ɔndro na kapa, ɛn so Tigri dɛdɛ.

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Odo: Tɛ wan suma diki wą' ɔro fō pōt' wa' tra wą', ɛ̨ŋ sɛrefi fadǫ' go na ɩni.

Na pai̯man fō san a bɛn du nąŋga den babų'.

38. The Killing Hot Bath: Tables Turned.²

Tiger had nothing to eat. Then he studied what he was going to do. Then he made a big kettle with a lid. Then he called all the baboons,³ saying he was going to play a cinema. They must come and look.

Then he went inside the kettle, saying he was going to put in the plate (the film), but when he called it was warm, then they must take him out, because he had put fire under the kettle. So, when he cried, ‘It is warm,’ then they opened the lid. Then he made all the baboons go inside the kettle, telling them they were going to look at a cinema. But one little baboon did not go inside. He hid in a tree top. Then he watched everything that happened. Then when the baboons went inside the kettle, then Tiger lit the fire under the kettle. Then the baboons were cooked, he had killed all of them, that he might find meat.

Some time later, when there were hard times, then he called all the monkeys. He said let them go look, he was going to play a cinema. Then when the monkeys came the little baboon who had been in the tree top the other time, said to them, said, when Tiger went in the kettle, then they must not raise the lid when he cried it was warm. They must say, ‘When it is warm, man's teeth must show white.’ And so, when Tiger went inside, then they did not raise the lid for him. They lit the fire under the kettle, and so Tiger died.

2 Told by 1. For comparative notes see preceding tale, and also compare for Nigeria (Awka), Thomas (III) 94-95; Cameroons (Bulu), Schwab (I) 277-278, No. 19; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 19, No. 16.

3 Suriname Negro term for howling monkeys.

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Proverb: When someone digs a hole for another, he himself will fall into it.

This was the payment for what he had done to the baboons.