Suriname folk-lore

49.

Gramą' bɛn gi wą' prei̯mi fō i ką' sabi Tigri wei̯fi nɛ̨m. No wąn suma bɛn kąn tai̯g' gi Gramą o fa Tigri wei̯fi bɛn nɛ̨m, bikasi a no bɛn dɛ kari hɛm wei̯fi na hɛm nɛ̨m.

Anąnsi tai̯gi Gramą, a nak' ɛ̨ŋ hanu na tapu hɛm hati, ɛn a tai̯g' gi Gramą dɑti tamara tamara a wɩnsi san dɛ p'sa ɛ̨ŋ Anąnsi, sɑ taki gi' Gramą ɔ fasi Tigri wei̯fi nɛ̨m. ‘A bǫ',’ Gramą' taki gi Anąnsi, ‘wi sɑ si trutru ɛf' yu no dɛ lei̯, bikasi mi sabi yu nąŋga yu lei̯ mɔfo.’ Anansi lafu, ‘Hu, hu, hu, hu, hu, mi Gramą, bribi mi, tamara tamara mi dɛ tai̯gi yu fa Tigri wei̯fi nɛ̨m.’

Anąnsi go na 'oso. A tai̯gi Ma Akuba dɑti ɛ̨ŋ nąŋga Gramą' 'abi wą' strei̯ fō kɔsi fō sabi fa Tigri wei̯fi nɛ̨m. ‘Wɛ, a bǫ' Kapten,’ Ma Akuba piki ɛ̨ŋ. ‘Mi sabi trutru taki yu sɑ muso fō sabi fa na uma nɛ̨m.’ ‘Wɛ, Ma Akuba, tamara mamątɛ̨m, y' i 'ɛ tai̯ mi na yu baka. Mi 'ɛ go tą' soso s'kin. Yu dɛ tya' mi go na Tigri bikasi ɛ̨ŋ na datra. Dą' yu mu' tai̯gi hɛm dɑti mi no kųnkųn ai̯ti-dei̯ kaba, ɛn mi bɛri dɛ hati mi. Mi dɛ go djɛnɛ, ɛn mi dɛ go krei̯. Ɛfu den fas' mi, mi dɛ go bari.’

Wɛ, na tra mamantɛ̨' Ma Akuba tyari Anąnsi go na datra, let' lei̯ki Anąnsi bɛn taki di Ma Akuba na dei̯ na fesi. A pɔt' Kɔ̨ŋgodifa na i baka, ɛn a tya' na boi̯ go gi datra Tigri. A taki dɑti na p'kin dɛ sɩki kaba na ai̯ti-dei̯. Ɛm a no go na bakasei̯. Tigri kari hɛm wei̯fi, ɛn a tai̯g' gi hɛm, ‘Pɔti watra na fai̯a, meki a broko koru, warąŋ, warąŋ. Dąn yu pik' mi.’ Di na watra bɩgɩn warąŋ, Tigri wei̯fi tai̯g' gi ɛm dati 'a watra warąŋ kaba. Tigri ɑksi Ma Akuba o ɔru na p'kni dɛ. A piki, ‘Tu wiki.’ Tigri tai̯gi ɛ̨ŋ wei̯fi, ‘Pɔt' na boi̯ na ɩn' na warąŋ watra, ɛn dampu ɛ̨ŋ bɛre, meki a ką' kɩs' lusu bɛri.’ Tigri wei̯fi tai̯g' gi Ma Akuba, ‘Gi' mi na boi̯.’ Ma Akuba gi' ɛ̨ŋ. Di Tigri wei̯fi teki na boi̯, a skreki, taki, ‘Hhu! Mi Adjuba!

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Wąn boi̯ fō tin-na-fō' dei̯ tyari sitǫwiwiri so!’ Anąnsi tai̯g' so, ‘Grąn tąŋgi, mɩsi Adjuba. Mi sabi yu nɛ̨m. No wan meti bɛn ką' kɩsi fa yu nɛ̨m, ma mi, Anąnsi, kɩsi fō sabi fa yu nɛ̨m.’

A kaba.

49. Guessing a Name: Anansi Disguises as a Baby.¹

The Chief offered a prize in order to learn the name of Tiger's wife. No one had been able to tell the Chief what Tiger's wife was called, because he never called his wife by her name.

Anansi said to the Chief, [as] he struck his hands against his heart, and he said to the Chief that day after tomorrow, no matter what happened he, Anansi, would tell the Chief what Tiger's wife's name was. ‘All right,’ the Chief said to Anansi, ‘we shall indeed see if you do not lie, because I know you and your boasting.’ Anansi laughed, ‘Hu, hu, hu, hu, hu, Chief, believe me, day after tomorrow I am going to tell you the name of Tiger's wife.’

Anansi went home. He said to Mother Akuba that he and the Chief had a wager to learn the name of Tiger's wife. ‘Well, all right, Captain,’ Ma Akuba answered him. ‘I know that you really must learn what the woman's name is.’ ‘Well, Mother Akuba, tomorrow morning you will tie me on your back.² I will remain naked. You will take me to Tiger, because he is a doctor. Then you must tell him that I haven't defecated for eight days, and my belly hurts me. I am going to groan, and I am going to cry. If they touch me, I am going to scream.’

Well, the next morning, Ma Akuba took Anansi to the doctor, just as Anansi had told Ma Akuba the day before. She put Kongodifa on her back, and she took the boy to doctor Tiger. She said that the child had already been sick for eight days. His bowels had not moved. Tiger called his wife, and he said to her, ‘Put some water on the fire, heat it to break the cold. Then you call me.’ When the water began to heat, Tiger's wife told him that the water was already warm. Tiger asked Ma Akuba how old this child was. She answered, ‘Two weeks.’ Tiger said to his wife, ‘Put the boy in the warm water, and steam his belly to have him get a loose belly.’ Tiger's wife said to Ma Akuba, ‘Give me the boy.’ Ma Akuba gave him. When Tiger's wife took the boy, she was frightened and said, ‘Hhu! I, Adjuba!³ A boy of fourteen days has such pubic hair!’ Anansi said. ‘Thank you very much,

1 Told by 10.

2 Children are carried on their mothers' backs.

3 I.e., ‘as my name is Adjuba!’

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Miss Adjuba. I know your name. None of the animals has been able to get to know your name, but I, Anansi, got to know what your name is.’

It is finished.