Suriname folk-lore

[p. 354]

114.

Ba Yau̯ na fɔs' tɛm a bɛn dɛ dritoro fō wąn prɛndasi. A bɛ̨' 'abi tu umą na fōtō. Ma fa a bɛ̨' fɛni den sąn' na prɛnasi, dą i cha' kɔ̨' gi den umą f'ɛ̨ŋ. Ma tɛ a'ɛ cha' kɔ̨', dą' a tai̯g' den taki, ‘Te ųn dɛ nyąm, ųn mu' pąŋya fɩ̨ŋga.’ Ma d' a tai̯g', na fɔs wą' a no ferstąnd bǫn są' dɑt' wą' taki. A tai̯g' na twedi umą na seref' sani, dɑti ferstand. Są' wąn' tak' dati, dat' bɛn wąn' taki te ɛ̨ŋ chari sani kǫ' gi' dem, dę' no mu' dɛ nyąm ɛ̨ŋ dem wąwąn, dę' m'ɛ gi' suma afu.

Nō, na wą' di no ferstąn' san' dat' wą' taki, dąn tɛ bakadina, tɛ a bɔri, a nyąm. Dą' ɛ̨' g'a dɔro sei̯, dą' i pąŋya i fɩ̨ŋga, a i taki, ‘Ba Yau̯ taki, te mi 'ɛ nyąm, mi mu pąŋya fɩ̨ŋga.’ Bika' Ba Yau̯ bɛ̨' tyari furu speki nąŋga bachau̯ kǫ' gi' ɛ̨ŋ. A den nyąmi ɛ̨ŋ wawąn. Ma na trawą', tɛ Ba Yau̯ tyari den san' gi' ɛ̨ŋ, a dɛ prati afu gi' suma, sant' a bɛn ferstand są na odo bɛn taki.

No ląŋga na baka Ba Yau̯ kɔ̨' dɛdɛ. Ma di Ba Yau̯ dɛdɛ, na wą' fō' den umą di bɛ̨' pąŋya ɛ̨ŋ' fɩ̨ŋga gi' lɔktu, no wąn suma n'ɛ tyari wąwąn sani gi' ɛ̨ŋ. A sidǫ' ɛ̨ŋ wąwąn. Ma na trawą' di bɛ̨' gi suma fɛ den sani, somɛni suma 'ɛ kɔ̨' dɛ tya' san' gi' ɛŋ. Trawą' dɛ tyari kau̯, trawą' 'ɛ tyari sukru, trawą' 'ɛ tyari kɔfi, kɔ̨' gi' ɛ̨ŋ. So a i kɩsi furu sani na tra suma bɛ̨' gi' ɛ̨ŋ. Nō, wą' dei̯, na wą' umą go na tra wą', a taki, ‘ai̯, bai̯ya, sɛnse Ba Yau̯ dɛdɛ, mi dɛ pina. No wą' suma 'ɛ tya' sani kɔ̨' gi mi. Ma luku yu dɑti fa somɛni suma tya' sani kɔ̨' gi' yu?’ Dąn da tra wą' ɑksi ɛ̨ŋ taki, ‘Wɛ, di Ba Yau̯ bɛ̨' char' san' gi' yu, sa' yu bɛ̨' du 'ąŋga 'ɛ̨ŋ?’ A taki, ‘Mi wąwąn bɛ̨' nyąmi.’ A den tra wą' tak' baka, ‘Di Ba Yau̯ bɛn tai̯g' gi yu taki, “Yu mu pąŋya fɩ̨ŋga,” fa 'ɛ yu bɛ̨' du?’ A taki, ‘Tɛ mi nyąm, dą' mi pąŋya fɩ̨ŋga gi lɔktu.’ 'A tra wą' tak', ‘Sooo. Wɛ', dɛn na lɔktu mu' tya' gi' yu, bika' na lɔktu bɛ̨' pąŋya fɩ̨ŋga. Mi, dati tɛ 'ę bɛ̨' dɛ gi' mi, na den sɛrefi suma di mi a bɛ̨' gi', dę' tya' kɔ̨' gi' mi baka.’

Na odo fō te yu 'ɛ nyam, yu mu' pąŋya fɩ̨ŋga, dati wą' taki, tɛ i nyam, yu mu' nyą' na suma, yu no mu' ɔr' ala fi 'u sɛrefi. No so, tɛ yu no 'abi, no wą' tra' suma dɛ go gi' yu, bika' yu no mɛ̨' gi suma di f' yu.’

[p. 355]

114. Spreading the Fingers.¹

In the early times Ba Yau² was a plantation overseer. He had two wives in the city. But as he found things [provisions] on the plantation, he brought them to his wives. But when he brought [things], then he said to them, said, ‘When you eat, you must spread your fingers.’ But when he said this, the first one did not understand very well what that meant to say. He told the second wife the same thing, and that one understood. What that meant was that it was meant to say [that] when he brought them things, they were not to eat them alone, they were to give others half.

Now the one who did not understand what that said, then, in the afternoon when she cooked, she ate. Then she went outside, and spread her fingers, and said, ‘Ba Yau said when I eat I must spread my fingers.’ Because Ba Yau brought her much bacon and salt fish. She alone ate it. But when Ba Yau brought the things for the other one, she shared half with other people, because she had understood what the proverb had said.

Not long afterwards Ba Yau died. But when Ba Yau was dead, nobody brought anything to the wife who had spread her fingers for the air. She sat alone. But to the other one who had shared things with other people, many people brought things. One brought her a cow, one brought her sugar, one brought her coffee. So she received many things from others. Now one day, the one wife went to the other, and she said, ‘Yes, sister, ever since Ba Yau died, I have suffered hunger. No one brought me anything. But look, how is it that so many people have brought things to you?’ Then the other one asked her said, ‘Well, when Ba Yau had brought you things, what did you do with them?’ She said, ‘I alone ate them.’ Then the other one said again, ‘When Ba Yau said to you, said, “You must spread your fingers,” what did you do?’ She said, ‘When I ate, I spread my fingers in the air.’ The other one said, ‘So... Well then, the air must bring you things, because you spread your fingers for the air. As for myself, the same people to whom I gave things, bring me things in return.’

The proverb, when you eat you must spread fingers, means, when you eat, you must eat with people, you must not keep all for yourself. Otherwise, when you have nothing, nobody else is going to give you, because you had not given people what was yours.

1 Told by 1. Compare Cameroons (Ekoi), Mansfeld 233, No. 27.

2 Lit., ‘Brother Thursday’.