Suriname folk-lore

85.

Wą' mąn a bɛn dɛ g'a wąn trawą' oso. Ma nō, ala dei̯ tɛ a go, a i taki, di̯a meti na ɛ̨ŋ bɩgi trefu, ɛn no ką nyąm s'rɛfi s'rɛfi. Wą' dei̯, a gō na mąn 'oso baka, dąn na mąn umą bɔri. Dąn di a tyari nyąm kɔm, 'a mąn no wąn fō mek' 'a trawą' nyąm na ɛ̨ŋ. Nō m'a tai̯g' 'a trawąn taki, ‘Mati, mi bɛn sɑ meki yu nyąm nąŋga mi, ma na di̯a met' mi bɔri.’ Bika' a bɛn dɛ yeri taki na trawą' i taki di̯a meti na ɛ̨ŋ trefu. Nō mō na man si na n'nyąm, a kɔn kis' lɔstu f'ɩ̨. No m'a taki, ‘Mati, mi 'ɛ bɛg' yu, bai̯a, na mi trefu, ma gi' m'afu.’ Na tra wą' taig' ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Kaba i ɛ tak' ala dei̯ taki, di̯a met' 'ɛ i trefu? Mi no kąn mąŋ fō gi yu. Ɛf' yu nyąm ɛ̨', yu 'ɛ go pɔri.’ So na man nyąm, a no gi' ɛ̨ŋ nɔtįŋ.

85. Grudging Hospitality: Food-Taboo Pretext.¹

There was a man who used to go to another's house. But now, every day when he went he said deer meat was his great trefu;² he could never, never eat it. One day he went to this man's house again, and the man's wife was cooking. Then when she brought the food, the man did not wish to have the other eat with him. At once he said to the other, said, ‘Friend, I would have you eat with me, but I cooked deer's meat.’ Because he had heard that the other one said deer's meat was his trefu. No sooner did the man see the food, than he had a great desire for it. At once he said, ‘Friend, I beg you, brother, it is my trefu, but give me half.’ The other man said to him, said, ‘Haven't you been saying every day that deer's meat was your trefu? I cannot give you. If you eat it you are going to be sick.’³ So the man ate, and it did not give him anything.

1 Told by 1.

2 Food-taboo.

3 Lit., ‘spoil’; for punishment for violating food taboos, see above, pp. 36-37.