Suriname folk-lore

67.

Kɔni foru bɛn dɛ di a i bɛri obia. Dąn ala yari te na foru bari, dąn hoso den broko fadǫ' na ɩni na kɔndre. Ala den bom den kɔmopo na grɔ̨', fa na foru tɔ̨ŋgo bɛn trąŋga. Dąn 'a Konu fō na kɔndre a bɛgi, taki, suma sɑ kiri na foru ɛ̨ŋ sɑ kis' let' mɩndri fō hɛm kɔndre nąŋga na fɩs' fō ɛ̨ŋ umą pikin fō ɛ̨ŋ tro.

Dąn wan mama bɛn habi bɛre. A kɩ̨s' wąn mąn pikin, na wan mąmąntɛ̨m. Na pikin a kɔm bɔro nąŋga wą' gɔ̨' saka nąŋga wąn mamiyo yapǫŋ a weri. Di a gibɔr', dąn na boi̯ bɩgin fō taki wantɛ.

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A taki, ‘Mi mama, gi mi pikin watra meki mi drɩ̨ŋgi. Mi mama, mi dɛ go lerɛ ɔndrofeni. Mi kɔm fō na Obia-foru di dɛ bari. Mi dɛ wąn Obia-mą'.’

Dą' na pikin gowɛ. A waka l...ąŋga yari, te a i gro, a i bɩgi. Dąn, di a waka fa na foru bɛn dɛ bari, a dɛ yɛre fa na foru dɛ bari. Ma dɑti bɛn dɛ wą' sɩ̨ŋgi, di na foru sɩ̨ŋgi:

Mąn Kwakwa,
Mąn Kwakwa,
Ba Toto, mi na Kwɛmąndo;
Mąn Kwakwa.

Dą' na boi̯ sɩ̨ŋgi piki na foru baka:

Na mi, na mi, na Fiąntoni,
Ba Toto, mi na Kwɛmąndo;
Mąn Kwakwa.

Dąn na foru hati kɔm brɔ̨n, dą' mɔro ląŋga ɛ̨ŋ nɛki. Dą' i bari, a i sɩ̨ŋgi nąŋgą hatibrɔ̨n. Dą' mɔro na kɔndre kɔm seki. Dąn są' bɛn dɛ na ɩni na gɔ̨' saka fō na boi̯, wąn sɛbi-nefi. Dąn a puru na sebi-nefi na ɛ̨ŋ saka, dąn kɔti na foru nɛki. Dąn a lolo na nɛki, na nɛki bɛn l...ąŋga. Dąn waka dɔro na kɔndre pɛ na foru dɛ libi. Dąn a si dri bɩgi obia patu. Den no habi fai̯ya, ma dɛn dɛ kuku. Wąn habi rɛdi, wąn habi braka, wąn habi grün. Dɑti dɛ na obia di na foru bɛn bori. Dąn na boi̯ teki ala. A luku są' na foru bɛn skrifi, dąn a teki ala. So dati meki na boi̯ hɛm bɛn trɔ̨n Obia-mąn fō na kɔndrɛ. Dąn tyari na foru nɛki kɔ̨' gi Konum. Dąn Konum gi hɛm leti-mɩndri fō hɛm kɔndre, nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ umą-pikin.

So dɑti boi̯ pąnya obia hɛri kɔndre. Pikin fō na boi̯ tą' Obia-mą'.

67. Enfant Terrible: Killing Magic Bird: How Obia Spread.⁴

There was a wise bird that cooked obia. Then every year when the bird screeched, then houses in the kingdom were shattered. All the trees were uprooted by the force [of the sound] of the bird's tongue. Then the King of the kingdom begged, and said, he who would kill the bird would get half of his kingdom and the eldest of his daughters to marry.

Then there was a mother who was with child. She bore a son one morning. The child was born with a powder sack, and he wore a striped⁵ dress. Immediately after he was born, then the boy

4 Told by 3. Compare Gold Coast (Ashanti), Herskovits, M. and F. (III) MS. No. A 13; Togo, Cardinall 27; Nigeria (Yoruba), Frobenius 216, No. 12, (Edo), Thomas (II) 19-21, No. 4.

5 In the Suriname bush, strips measuring from 2 to 2 1/2 inches in width are cut from trade cloth, and are sewed together into African strip-weaving patterns. Only men wear these, and usually on ceremonial occasions.

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began to talk. He said, ‘Mother, give me a little water and let me drink. Mother, I am going to learn experience. I come for the Obia-bird which screeches. I am an Obia-man.’

Then the child went away. He traveled many years till he grew up, and was a man. Then, since he traveled while the bird was screeching, he heard what the bird was calling. But that was a song which the bird was singing:

Man Kwakwa,
Man Kwakwa,
Ba Toto, I am the Kwemando;
Man Kwakwa.

Then the boy sang in answer to the bird:

It is I, it is I, the Fiantoni,
Ba Toto, I am the Kwemando;
Man Kwakwa.¹

Then the bird became angry, then all the more did it stretch its neck. Then he screeched and he sang with anger. Then all the more did the kingdom shake. Then what was inside the boy's sack was a razor. Then he pulled the razor from the sack, and then he cut the bird's neck. Then he rolled up the neck, and the neck was long... Then he traveled to reach the kingdom where the bird lived. Then he saw three large obia pots. They had no fire,² but they were cooking. One had red, one had black, one had green (inside). That was the obia which the bird was cooking. Then the boy took all. He looked to see what the bird had written, then he took all. So that caused the boy to change into the Obia-man of that kingdom. Then he brought the bird's neck to the King. Then the King gave him half of his kingdom, and his daughter.

So that boy spread obia throughout the whole kingdom. The children of the boy's children were Obia-men.³

1 Song No. 123.

2 This seems to be a special indication of magic in the mind of natives. When the city informants spoke of the sacred city of Dahomey in the interior of the Suriname bush they said that at Dahomey they know how to cook without fire.

3 I.e., the knowledge was passed on in the family.