Suriname folk-lore

139. Agida.

Na wą' mą' bɛ̨' a go gi' wą' wɩnti dąnsi. Dąn a no mąŋ bai̯ agida, a go lɛn wąn. Nō, d'a go lɛn n' agida, a sɛn' wą' s'ma f'go tek' ɛm. Ma agida na wą' poku, ɛf' a no wan' g'a wąn presi tɛ suma kɔ̨' tek' dem, tu mą' no ką' kyeri ɛm. A i nak' den, tro 'a grǫ'. So di 'a mąn go f' tek' ɛ̨ŋ, 'a mą' i teki ɛ̨ŋ, ma ɛ̨' no bɛ̨' mąŋ fō kyeri ɛ̨ŋ. Na her' pasi a i nak' 'a mąn, trō 'a grǫ'. D'a mąn kɩs' wąn wɩnti. A g'a busi, a kɔt' tu tɩki (wɩpi). A fɔm agida tɛ ... fɔs' a bɛn kąn tyar' ɛ̨ŋ go gi 'a suma.

Dat' meki 'a wą' sɩ̨ŋgi f' agida.

Agida fadǫ',
Mąn no dɛ,
Agida fadǫ',
Mąn no dɛ.
Prɩ̨nci wąwąn na mąn,
Agida wąwąn na mąn.

139. Disciplining a Drum.³

A man was going to give a wɩnti dance. He could not buy an agida drum, so he went to borrow one. Now when he was going to borrow the agida, he sent someone to take it. But the agida is the kind of a drum, if it does not wish to go to a certain place when someone comes to take it, then two men cannot carry it. It throws them to the ground. So when the man went to take it, he was able to take it, but he was not able to carry it. The whole way it kept throwing him to the ground. Then the man was seized by a wɩnti. He went into the bush, and he cut two sticks (whips). He beat the agida till... before he could bring it to the person.

That is the reason there is a song about the agida.

Agida falls down,
No man is there,
Agida falls down,
No man is there.
Princi alone is the man,
Agida alone is the man.⁴

3 Told by 1.

4 Song No. 134. This song is for the snake wɩnti.