Suriname folk-lore

148. Lɛba nąŋga Yɔrka.

Wąn yɔrka nąŋga wąn Lɛba go strei̯, taki den wani si suma 'fɔsi sɑ kɩs' pasi fō go na bakafutu-bąnya. Ma di den kɔmopo na bɛr'pe, dąn 'a Lɛba tai̯gi 'a yɔrka taki, ‘Yu si na fɔs' uku-tapu di wi dɛ miti, dąn mi dɛ go kɛ̨ŋki mi krosi nąŋga yu.’ 'A yɔrka taigi, ‘A bǫ'.’ Ma na fō soso yɔrka dem bɛn gi na bakafatu-banya. Lɛba no bɛn mąŋ pasa kɔm na ɩni.

Ma ala yɔrka bɛn weri soso weti. Nō, di den kɛ̨ŋki na krosi, na Lɛba, nō, bɛn wer' broko krosi, ɛn na yɔrka ben dɛ weri wet' krosi. Ma di den kɛ̨ŋki krosi, na Lɛba frɩgɩti fō tek' na kakųnbɛ krosi. Dąn a go na na hoso. Ma di a go, fɔs' a pasa kɔm na ɩni, dan den tap' ɛ̨ŋ. Den taki, ‘Ala den suma di dɛ na ɩni na hoso weri kakųnbɛ krosi. Ma kaba yu no weri?’ Dąn a pik' den taki, ‘Bika' mi na Lɛba. Mi nąŋga yɔrka na wąn, ma mi bɩgi mɔro yɔrka, bika' mi kɔmopo tɛ ... na Afrika. Yɔrka na sabana dɛ tą', ma mi na her' kɔndre, ala uku-tapu mi dɛ, so dɑti yɔrka musu pasa na mi uku-tapu.’

Dɑti meki, te wąn suma dɛ go wis' wąn trawąn, ɛf' na yɔrka a go tek' hɛm, a musu pai̯ tapu-uku 'fɔsi, bika' na uku-tapu a musu pasa nɛŋga na yɔrka. So dati mek' Lɛba de wąn sɔrtu fō wɛn mɔro hei̯ gadō lei̯ki den p'kin gadō. Tɛ wąn suma 'abi wąn yɔrka nąŋga wąn Lɛba, na yɔrka no kąn kɩs' na suma fɔs' na Lɛba, bika' na Lɛba dɛ na ala prei̯si. 'Fɔs' 'a yɔrka dɔro na tapu-uku, dɩsi na Lɛba dɛ na uku dɩs' tapu.

148. Leba and Yorka Make a Wager.³

A yorka and a Leba made a wager to see which would be the first to be admitted to a bakafutu-banya.⁴ But when they left the cemetery, then the Leba said to the yorka, said, ‘You see the first crossroads we come to, I am going to change clothes with you.’ The yorka said, ‘All right.’ But it was only for yorka that they were giving the bakafutu-banya. The Leba could not pass (to) get inside.

All the yorka were wearing only white. Now when they [came to] change clothes the Leba, now, was wearing torn clothes, and the yorka was wearing white clothes. But when they changed clothes, the Leba forgot to take the kerchief tied about the head and face.⁵ Then he went to the house. But when he went, before he could pass inside, they stopped him. They said, ‘All the people who are in the house are wearing kerchiefs about their heads. Why are you not wearing one?’ Then he answered them, he said, ‘Because I am Leba. The yorka and I are one, but I am greater than the yorka because I have come all the way from till... Africa. The yorka live in the cemetery, but I am on all the crossroads of the country, so that the yorka must pass my crossroads.’

That is why, when someone is going to use black magic against another, if he is to take him a yorka, he must sacrifice at the crossroads first, because he must pass the crossroads with the yorka. So that is why the Leba is a kind of a higher god than the lesser gods. When a person has a yorka [spirit] and a Leba [spirit], the yorka cannot get him before the Leba, because the Leba is everywhere. Before the yorka arrives at the crossroads, the Leba is [already] at this corner.

3 Told by 1.

4 A yɔrka dance. This is one of the dances danced yearly in the market place to propitiate the gods of trade, and this is also danced at the opening of wɩnti dances, and is included under the euphemistic term of Anansi story dances. An explanation of this latter name is that Anansi stories are told for the dead, and these are the dances for the dead.

5 The name for this is kabųnbe. It is tied about the head of the dead, so he may be recognized when he walks abroad.