Suriname folk-lore

136. Mat' Luisɔ̨n (Dibri tɔri).

Mat' Luisɔ̨n bɛn dɛ wąn didibri. A bɛn dɛ libi na wąn plesi. Ma wąn mąn tɛki ɛ̨ŋ pikin nąŋga wei̯fi fō go meki grǫ' leti na sei̯ dapɛ. Fa-i-si dɛm nak' wąn 'oru, nō mō Luisɔn ɑksi taki, ‘Suma dapɛ?’ Na mąn taki, ‘Na mi, Luą‧ŋgu.’ A tak', ‘Są' i kɔ' du?’ A piki taki, ‘Mi kɔ̨' meki grǫ'.’ Luisɔn taki ɛ̨ŋ pikin taki, ‘Kɔ̨' go lɛpi Mat' Luą‧ŋgu meki grǫ'.’ Bifɔsi Mat' Luą‧ŋg' kɔt' wąn bom, Mat' Luisɔ̨n nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ pikį' kɔt' na heri grǫ' Dem gowɛ.

Tamara Mat' Luą‧ŋg' go baka. Mat' Luisɔ̨' aksi, ‘Suma dapɛ?’ A taki, ‘Na mi Luą‧ŋg'.’ ‘Sa' i 'ɛ du?’ A taki, ‘Mi a gō pran' grǫ'.’ Luisɔ̨' taki nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ pikį', meki kɔm lɛpi pran' grǫ'.

Ma nō di den prani kaba, na nanyąm kɔ̨' lepi. Mat' Luą‧ŋg' gō fō kɔt' wan karu, nō mō Luisɔ̨n ɑksi taki, ‘Sa yu 'ɛ do?’ A taki, ‘Mi 'ɛ kɔt' wąn karu.’ Luisɔ̨n tai̯gi ɛ̨ŋ pikį' baka taki, ‘Kɔ̨' go lɛpi Mati Luą‧ŋgu kɔti karu.’ Bufɔsi Mat' Luą‧ŋg' kɔti wąn karu, Luisɔ̨n nąŋga ɛ̨ŋ pikin kɔt' na her' grǫ' karu.

Tamara Mat' Luą‧ŋg' a 'e gō kɔti wąn ba‧ana. A go safri fō Luisɔ̨n no yɛri. Ma fa-i-si a fasi na ba‧ana nō mō, Luisɔ̨n aksi ɛ̨ŋ'

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taki, ‘Suma dapɛ?’ A tak', ‘Na mi Luą‧ŋgō.’ ‘Sa yu 'ɛ du?’ A tak', ‘Mi 'ɛ kɔt' wąn ba‧ana.’ Luisɔ̨n tai̯gi ɛ̨ŋ pikin taki, ‘Kɔ̨', go lɛpi Mat' Luą‧ŋgu kɔt' ba‧ana.’ Bifɔs' Luą‧ŋg' kɔt' wąn ba‧ana, dę' kɔt' na her' grǫ'.

Dąn Mat' Luą‧ŋgō hati bɛn brɔ̨ŋ. Di a gō na 'oso, dą' wąn fō den pikin du wąn ɔgri. Nō mō a bigin fɔm na pikin, Luisɔ̨n aksi taki, ‘Sa yu 'ɛ du?’ A taki, ‘Mi 'ɛ fɔm mi pikin.’ Luisɔ̨n taki gi' ɛ̨ŋ' pikin, ‘Kɔ̨, go lɛp' Mati Luą‧ŋgō fɔm wąn pikį'.’ Den go, den fɔ̨' na pikin, biti ɛ̨ŋ tɛ den kir' ɛ̨ŋ.

So Mati Luą‧ŋgō kɔ̨' fredɛ. A taki gi' ɛ̨ŋ wei̯fi, ‘Mek' wi froisi, bika' a no bǫ' suma di̯a na wi sei̯.’ Ɛn so dę' bɛn gowɛ, libi Mat' Luisɔ̨n. Mat' Luisɔ̨n tek' na her' grǫ' nyanyąm di dem bɛn prani.

Kaba.

136. Trespassing on the Devil's Land.²

Mat'³ Luison was a devil⁴. He lived at a certain place. But (one day) a man took his children and his wife, to go and make a field right there beside it. No sooner had they struck with a hoe than Luison asked, he said, ‘Who is there?’ The man said, ‘It is I, Luangu.’ He said, ‘What have you come to do?’ He answered him, said, ‘I have come to make a field.’ Luison said to his children, said, ‘Come, go help Mat' Luangu cut his field.’ Before Mat' Luangu cut down one tree, Mat' Luison and his children had cut the whole field. They went away.

The next day Mat' Luang' went back. Mat' Luison asked, ‘Who is there?’ He said, ‘It is I, Luangu.’ ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I am going to plant the field.’ Luison said to his children, let them come and help plant the field.

But now when they had finished planting, the crop became ripe. No sooner did Mat' Luangu go to cut a stalk of corn than Luison asked him, said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I am cutting a stalk of corn.’ Luison said to his children again, said, ‘Come, go help Mat' Luangu cut the corn.’ Before Mat' Luang' had cut a stalk of corn, Luison and his children had cut the whole field of corn.

The next day Mat' Luang' went to cut a plantain. He went softly so Luison would not hear. But no sooner did he take hold of

2 Told by 1. Compare Senegal (Torodo), Equilbecq, ii, 116-122; Sierra Leone (Temne), Cronise and Ward 152-159; Liberia (Kpelle), Westermann (III) 381-385, Nos. 10 and 11; Ivory Coast, Tauxier (I) 331-2, Gagu No. 19; Gold Coast, Barker and Sinclair 181-184; No. 36; Southern Nigeria (Yoruba), Frobenius 219, No. 49, (Lagos), Herskovits, M. and F. (II) No. 4, (Ekoi), Talbot (III) 371-373; Jamaica, Beckwith (II) 70-71, No. 65; Santo Domingo, Andrade 284-285, No. 238.

3 Mati, ‘friend’ is often employed to designate a person of whom one is speaking.

4 Inf. ‘This is a devil story.’

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the plantain, than Luison asked him, said, ‘Who is there?’ He said, ‘It is I, Luangu.’ ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I am cutting a plantain.’ Luison said to his children, said, ‘Come, go help Mat' Luangu cut plantains.’ Before Luang' had cut one plantain they had cut the whole field.

Then Mat' Luangu was angry. When he went home, then one of his children misbehaved. No sooner did he begin to beat the child than Luison asked, said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I am beating my child.’ Luison said to his children, ‘Come, go help Mati Luangu beat a child.’ They went and they beat the child till they killed it.

So Mati Luangu became afraid. He said to his wife, ‘Let us run away from here, because these are no good people here beside us.’ And so they went away and left Mat' Luison. Mat' Luison took all the crops of the field which they had planted.

The end.