Suriname folk-lore

140.

Wąn mąn bɛn dɛ, habi wąn Nɛ̨ŋgɛre kɔndre wɩnti di dę' kari Adąŋgra. Ma Adąŋgra bɛn wroko mɔni. A bɛn dɛ wąn wɩnti di sɛt' tra suma wɩnti. A dɛ kar' 'kra, a dɛ pur' yɔrka, a i pur' wisi. Ɛn tɛ a kɩs' na mɔni, dą' a pɔt' 'a mɔni na ɩni wąn dyɔgo. Tɛ a wani, a i gi na mąn somɛni fō a nyąm. Ma wąn dei̯, 'a mąn go safri na dyɔgo, a fufuru hafu na mɔni. A dɛ̨ŋk' taki Adąŋgra n'ɛ go sabi. Wąn tra dei̯, a go fō tek' agɛn, a si soso anąnsi-tɛtai̯ dɛ na ɩni na dyɔgo.

(Tɛ wąn suma pai̯ Adąŋgra na mɔni, a 'i tek' hɛm, a 'i tek' wąn braka krosi tai̯ hɛm tɛ ... a lusu hɛm baka, 'a mɔni no dɛ Ɛf' a wani, a 'i swari hɛm. Mi srɛf' si hɛm pɛ a swari na mɔni.)

[p. 424]

Na mąn kɔm siki. Beina a bɛn dɛdɛ. A bɛn 'a fō bɛgi Adąŋgra bifɔsi a kɔm bɛtrɛ, bika' na mɔni no bɛn dɛ fō hɛm. Dɑti meki Adąŋgra sɩki hɛm. Dɑti na tru tɔri.

140. Wɩnti Adangra's Revenge.⁵

There was a man who had an African wɩnti they called Adangra. But Adangra earned money. He was a wɩnti who treated other people's wɩnti. He called the soul,⁶ he exorcised ghosts, he exorcised black magic. And when he got the money, he put the money in a jug. When he liked, he gave the man some of it to spend.⁷ But one day the man went cautiously to the jug, and he stole half the money. He thought that Adangra would not know. Another day he went again to take, and he saw only a spider's web in the jug.

(When a person paid Adangra money, he took it, and he took a black cloth, and he tied it, and when he loosened it again, the money was not there. If he wanted, he swallowed it. I myself saw him swallow the money.)

5 Told by 1.

6 The 'kra.

7 Lit., ‘to eat’, but this is used idiomatically to mean spend, enjoy, relish.

[p. 425]

The man became sick. He almost died. He had to beg Adangra's pardon before he grew better, because the money had not been his. That is why Adangra made him sick. That is a true story.