How (The) Hoe Came to Ashanti

How Akokonini, the Cock, Got a Pointed Mouth

FATHER ANANSE, the Spider, was living there with his children Afudotwedotwe (Belly-like-to-burst), Nyiwankonfwea (Thin-shanks), (and) Tikonokono (Big-big-head). And the Spider told them, saying, “You must go and search for figs for me to eat.” So these children set off; they walked and walked, and walked, and they came across some fig-tree, and (the figs) were ripe, and the children went beneath (the tree). Afudotwedotwe (Belly-like-to-burst) said to Nyiwankonfwea (Thin-shanks), “Climb and pluck some of them.” He said, “Oh, if I climb my legs will break.” Tikonokono (Big-big-head) said, “You, Afudotwedotwe, do you climb up.” He said, “Oh, if I climb up, my belly will burst; you climb yourself.” So Tikonokono (Big-big-head) climbed. He plucked some of the children of the Fig-tree and went on plucking and plucking, then he said, “Will that do?” The rest of them said, “Ah, (how do we know?),” So he went on pulling them; then he asked them again, “Will that do?” And they answered, “Lower your head and look.” And when he was about to lower his head, to look, then his head hit the ground, saying (a word like) “Kum!” When Belly-like-to-burst would have laughed, his belly burst with a bang, ta! Thin-shanks, when he would run off to tell his father, his legs broke and remained behind the fence. The Cock was washing his soul, and was going out to throw away the egg-shells (of the offering), when he saw Thin-shanks had fallen down and his legs had broken, and had been left on the other side of the fence. When he was about to laugh, his mouth became pointed:

“When he was about to laugh,

His mouth became pointed.

When he was about to laugh,

His mouth became pointed.”

That is why the Elders say, “If any one falls down, go and look to him, and don’t laugh.” Now as for the Cock, he acted like this, and laughed, therefore his mouth became pointed; formerly he had a beautiful, beautiful mouth.

This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.

How the Tail of Efuo, the Black-Colobus Monkey, Became White

THEY say that (once upon a time) there lived Esono, the Elephant; Kwakuo, the Monkey; Anyinhima, the Putty-nosed Monkey; and Efuo, the Black-Colobus Monkey; and they said that they would go to some village to look for women to marry. Then they set out. As they were going, they came across a muddy pool. The Putty-nosed Monkey said, “Stand still while I ask you something.” He said, “On this journey upon which we are going, who (among us) is nice-looking?” The Elephant said, “It is Efuo, the Black-Colobus Monkey.” Kwakuo (the other monkey) said, “If that is so, let us beat him, and immerse him in the muddy pool.” Of a truth they beat him, and took him and ducked him in the muddy pool, and they went on. Then the Colobus Monkey rose up (out of the pool), and followed them stealthily, (walking) slowly, and went and sat down on the village midden-heap. And the rest of the people reached the village, they saw young girls congregated under a Gyedua-tree. The young girls saw them. This one said, “I desire this one”; this one said, “I desire this one.” And they married all the girls. Now, there was one maiden there, who had gone to the farm, (but before she had set out) had told her mother, saying, “When the’ young men come, pick out one and put him aside for me.” And when she returned from the farm, she asked her mother, saying, “Where is mine?” She replied, “When I went (to see about it), they had already divided (the young men) among them.” The girl said, “It does not matter.” And she skinned some plantains, and was going to throw the husks on the midden-heap. Now, that Colobus Monkey had come and sat down on the midden-heap. The girl was about to throw the refuse on it, when the Colobus Monkey said, “Don’t throw it on me.” The girl said, “Who is that?” He said, “It’s I.” The girl said, “What’s the matter?” He said, “I and my playmates were coming to marry (you) girls, when they beat me, and made all my body dirty, and that’s why I have come to sit here.” She said, “For my part, I love you, so come and let us go home.” She and he went off, and she got water and washed him. When she had taken a fibre sponge and applied it to his skin for a little, she saw that his skin was really beautifully glossy. The girl said, “Mother, come and look, for such beauty as this is not a thing to play with.” And the mother said, “Finish washing him.” And she finished washing him, and she oiled him, and he took his sandals, and he took his sankuo (musical bow), and went and sat under the Gyedua-tree, and played. Then the girls who were already married, as soon as ever they saw him, this one said, “I don’t love my husband any more,” that one said, “I don’t love my husband any more, it is the Black-Colobus Monkey whom I love.” The Black-Colobus Monkey said, “She whom I have got, I love.” Now all the animals went round saying good-bye, saying they were going to collect their belongings and return. And when the beasts went off, instead of going (on), they went and sat down on the path, and waited for the Black-Colobus Monkey in order to beat and kill him when he came along. The Black-Colobus Monkey also went round bidding good-bye, saying, “I, too, am going to collect my things and return.” And he set out. When he reached the path, the animals saw him; they said, “There is the Black-Colobus Monkey, there is the Black-Colobus Monkey.” Then the Black-Colobus Monkey grasped (a branch of) a tree (and leapt up), kra! kra! kra! Then the animals picked up white clay and threw it at him, and some stuck to his tail. That is how his tail became white; and some hit his chin. That is why his chin became white. Long ago the tail and chin of the Black-Colobus Monkey were tun, tun, tun, very black.

This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.

How It Came About That Some People Are Good-Looking, and Others Are Not Good-Looking

We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).

THEY say there (once) was a woman, and that she went to a certain Palm-tree which stood there in the water that she might consult it about child-bearing. And when she went, the Palm-tree said, “I shall give you what you want, but the child with whom I shall present you, when he rises up, will never do any work.” She said, “I agree (to that).” It was not two days, it was not three days, when she conceived and gave birth. Like the children in Spider-stories, he was not long of growing up, he was grown up at once. And his mother told him, saying, “Among the whole of the tribe’s taboos, there are none which you need observe save the Palm-tree, you must never climb one.” He said, “Mother, I have heard.” Now, one day the mother left him there to go to the farm. He went and called his sweetheart, and he and she began to play, and he caught hold of her waist-beads and they broke and fell. And the girl said, “This string of waist-beads which you have broken, go and bring me some Palm-tree fibre that I may restring them.” The boy went off and bought some and brought it. The girl said, “I don’t want that, only some which you have sought from a Palm-tree which stands in the water.” So the child set out in search of some. As he went, there was a Palm-tree standing in the water. Up he climbed, kra! kra! kra! until he reached the neck of the tree. He took out his knife, and as soon as he touched it, the Palm-tree split in two, and the boy’s stomach went inside, and the Palm-tree closed up again. There he was, it was squeezing him. Soon after his mother came; when she reached the water, she saw a shadow upon it, and she said:

“Whose shadow is this lying on the water like that of my child Akwasi Kwasaman?” He said, “Mother, it’s I.”

She said, “Why is the Palm-tree

squeezing you?”

He said, “I went to strip off Palm

fibre to go and give to my lover and the Palm-tree squeezed me.”

The mother said, “You, this Palm-tree

squeeze him, squeeze him, squeeze him,

my child Kwasaman.

Palm-tree squeeze him, squeeze him, squeeze him, Palm-tree squeeze him.

And the mother went off. And the father also came, and he said:

“Whose shadow is it that lies on this water like that of my child Kwasaman?” He said, “Father, it is I.”

He (the father) said, “Why is the Palm-tree squeezing you?”

He said, “I went to strip off Palm fibre to go and give to my lover and the Palm-tree squeezed me.”

He (the father) said, “You, this Palm-tree squeeze him, squeeze him,

My child Kwasaman.

Palm-tree squeeze him, squeeze him, Palm-tree squeeze him.” And the father went off home, and told the Head of the village, and the Head of the village, too, called all the people; and they came to the foot of the Palm-tree, and the Head of the village lifted up (his voice), saying:

“Whose shadow is it that lies on the water like that of my grandchild Akwasi Kwasaman?”

He said, “Grandfather, it is I.”

He (the Head of the village) said, “Why is the Palm-tree squeezing you?”

He said, “I went to strip off Palm fibre to go and give to my lover and the Palm-tree squeezed me.”

The Head of the village said, “You, this Palm-tree squeeze him, squeeze him, squeeze him,

My grandchild Kwasaman.

Palm-tree squeeze him, squeeze him, Palm-tree squeeze him.”

And the Head of the village went off, and all the villagers sang the same song telling the Palm-tree to squeeze him. And now his lover came along, and she said: “Whose shadow is it that lies upon the water, like that of my lover Akwasi Kwasaman?”

He said, “It is I, your real lover.”

She said, “Why is the Palm-tree squeezing you?”

He said, “I went to break off Palm fibre for you, and the Palm-tree squeezed me.” She said, “Palm-tree release him, release him, release him.

Palm-tree release my lover, Akwasi Kwasaman.

Palm-tree release him, release him, release him, Palm-tree release him.”

When she spoke thus, the Palm-tree opened out a little, and her lover’s stomach came out a little. And she raised her voice once more, saying:

“Whose shadow is it that lies upon the water, like that of my lover Akwasi Kwasaman?”

He said, “It is I, your real lover.”

She said, “Why is the Palm-tree squeezing you?”

He said, “I went to break off Palm fibre for you, and the Palm-tree squeezed me.” She said, “Palm-tree release him, release him, release him.

Palm-tree release my lover, Akwasi Kwasaman.

Palm-tree release him, release him, release him, Palm-tree release him.”

And now her lover came forth all at once, and he came and clung on the bosom of his sweetheart, and they melted away; and they changed into oil. And the people who went there quickly and rubbed some on their faces, are they who are very beautiful; but they who did not get any, they are those who are not nice-looking. This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.