Suriname folk-lore

46.

Anąnsi bɛn 'abi wą' krabita. Ma nō, a bɛn wani fō nyąm na krabita, ma a no wani meki suma nyam ɛ̨ŋ nąŋga 'ɛm. 'Ɛm wąwąn bɛn wan' fō nyąm ɛ̨'. A go na lukumą', go luku fa hɛm sɑ du. Dąn lukumą' tai̯gi ɛ̨' taki, ‘Yu mu' pɔti wąn koko na ɩni yu mɔfo, dąn yu mu' tai̯ki yu wei̯fi dɑti yu tifi dɛ hat' yu. Dą' mek' a sɛn' kari mi, fō mi kɔ̨' luku gi' yu, sąn dɛ du yu. Dąn mi dɛ go taki so ląŋga yu no nyąm na krabita na tifi no dɛ go saka.’ Di lukumą' kɔm, a luku. A tai̯gi, a mu' nyąm wą' krabita, no so, ɛ̨' go dɛdɛ. 'Ɛm wei̯fi taki, ‘Wɛ, pɛ fō yu dɛdɛ, dą' nyą' na krabita.’ Anąnsi bɛn presiri, bika' na dati a bɛn wani ląŋga tį' kaba.

Ma di a teki na krabita fō go nyąm, a go tɛ... na mindri busi fō go nyąm ɛ̨ŋ, fō nową' suma kɩsi wą' pisi. Dą' a si wą' pampųn na ɩni na busi. Dąn a taki, ‘Moi̯, mi sɑ nyam na krabita nąŋga na pampųn.’ Ma na pampųn bɛn dɛ na sani dɩsi dem kali madųŋgu, ɛn di Anąnsi broko na pampųn nyąm, wantrɔ̨n a kɩsi madųŋgu. Dą' a kali Aka taki, meki a teki ɛ̨ŋ na ɛ̨ŋ mɔfo. Dąn a mu' flei̯ nąŋga hɛm. Dąn di Aka du so, dąn a dɛ bari taki, ‘Suma no 'abi madųŋga mek' a kɔ̨m teki.’ Dąn Aka lusu ɛ̨ŋ. A fadǫ' na grɔ̨', ɛn di a fadǫ', a pąnya.

Dɑti meki ala suma di kɩsi madųŋgu. A bɛn dɛ te na mɩndri busi, ma Anąnsi teki ɛ̨ŋ tya kɔ̨' na foto.

46. Collusion with Diviner: How the Madungu Disease Spread.¹

Anansi had a goat. But now he wanted to eat the goat, [but] he did not want to let anybody eat it with him. He wanted to eat it alone. He went to the diviner to divine what he should do. The diviner said to him, ‘You must put a nut in your mouth, then you must say to your wife that your teeth hurt you. Then let her send to call me that I may come to divine for you what is troubling you. Then I am going to say that as long as you do not eat goat the toothache will not stop.’ When the diviner came, he divined. He said he [Anansi] must eat goat, otherwise he is going to die. His wife said, ‘Well, if it is a matter of your death, then eat the goat.’ Anansi was happy, because that is what he had wanted for a long time.

But when he took the goat to eat, he went into the deep bush to eat it, so that no one would get a piece. Then he saw a pumpkin in the bush. Then he said, ‘Fine, I will eat the goat with the pumpkin.’ But the pumpkin was a thing which they call madungu,² and when Anansi broke open the pumpkin, then at once he caught madungu. Then he called to Hawk and said, let him take him in his mouth. Then he must fly with him. Then, when Hawk did this, then he cried out and said, ‘He who has no madungu let him come and take.’ Then Hawk freed him. He fell to the ground, and when he fell, it [the disease] scattered.

That is why all the people catch madungu. It had been in the deep bush, but Anansi took it and brought it to the city.

1 Told by 1. Compare Hausa, Rattray (IV), ii, 106-110, No. 29, and Tremearne (III) 255-7, No. 52. Another Suriname version is given by the Penards, (II) 245-6, No. 2.

2 The name for enlarged testicles.