How Tale-Bearing Came into the Tribe
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
THEY say that a certain hunter (once) went to the bush; he came and looked inside a pit, and in it were standing ’Nipa, the Man, Osebo, the Leopard, Owo, the Snake, and ’Kusie, the Rat. Now when these people saw the Hunter, this one said, “Father Hunter, come and take me out.” That one said, “Father, come and take me out.” The Hunter said, “I shall not come, for by to-morrow even, if I were to rescue you, and you were to get at me, what you would do to me (I know) I should not care about.” This one said, “I couldn’t (act so).” That one said, “I couldn’t (act so).” The Hunter said, “If that is really the case, I shall take you out.” And of a truth he took all the people out and went off to (his) village. One day, while the Hunter was there, Osebo, the Leopard, brought a large quantity of meat. He said, “Father Hunter, this is a thank-offering for the kindness you did me, I thank you, Apiafo.” He brought twelve palm-leaf baskets of meat to the Hunter. The Hunter thanked him and the Leopard went away. On another occasion, the Hunter was there, and Okusie, the Rat, came. He said, “Father Hunter, would you like some gold dust? “The Hunter said, “Ho! why not, that is the thing in quest of which men grow weary.’ The Rat set out, and went to where Nyankonpon, the Sky-god, kept his gold dust. He went and dug a hole beneath the room, and entered into the room, and went and took all the Sky-god’s gold dust, and brought it to the Hunter. The Hunter said, “I thank you, Aku.” And the Rat went off. Another day, he was there, and he heard some one salute him, “Ago.” The Hunter answered, “Ame” (come in). The Man came; he said, “Father Hunter, good morning.” He (the Hunter) replied, “Yes, kinsman.” He said, “This is a little pot of palm-wine which I have brought to thank you.” Father Hunter said, “I don’t want it; as for you, Man, it is just as I said it would be, when I declared I would not take you out; look what the Leopard brought me, behold what the Rat brought me.” Man took away his palm-wine and went off there to tell the Sky-god, saying, “Your gold dust that was lost, that Rat surely came and took it and went off and gave it to the Hunter.” The Sky-god said, “Is that so?” He said, “Grandsire, it’s the plain straight truth.” The Sky-god sent messengers to go and seize the Hunter, and they fastened a rope to his waist. They flogged him severely. Now when they had reached the path with the Hunter, he said, “Elders, I require to go and ease myself.” The messengers said, “No, thief, you will run away.” He said, “No, I will not run away, and if you wish, take the rope, fasten it to my waist, tie it on to a log, and allow me to go.” The messengers listened to him, and let him go. There he was, he made himself comfortable, when the long-and-slender creature came. He said, “Look here, my friend, accept this little cone of medicine, and take it along with you, and when you go, and they stand you before the assembly, and it comes about that they would kill you, I shall go to the King’s harem, that I may bite his favourite wife’s child; when I have bitten him, you will see that every one has risen up, and you also will speak, and say, ‘I have medicine,’ and if you will use it on the child he will recover.” The Hunter said, “I thank you, Aku.” The messengers took the Hunter and went and stood before the face of the Sky-god, (before him and his Councillors) the Kontire, Akwum’, Adonten, Gyase, and Kyidom chiefs. The Hunter stated his case, and when the Spokesman rose up to give judgement, they heard a noise of lamentation, pui! pui! far away in the royal harem. They said, ‘What is that?’ They said, “A snake has bitten the child of the favourite wife of the Sky-god.” Every one went off. Now the Hunter was standing there; he said, “If I were not a prisoner, then I might have medicine (an antidote for the poison).” A certain fellow overheard (him) and he went and told them, saying, ‘Go and bring the prisoner here.” Then the Hunter came. The Sky-god said, “If you are able to look at this, my child, so that he does not die, I will present you with your head.’ The Hunter said, “I have heard, Kind-one.” And the Hunter said (again), “Grandsire, what I am going to show you, if you can get some, then I shall be able to look after your child.” They said, “What thing is it?” He said, “The blood of a Tell-tale to mix with the pounded medicine.” They said, “Where are we to get the blood of a Tell-tale?” One of the Spokesmen, who was a wise man, said, “What about the fellow who came and told the Sky-god that the Hunter had come and stolen the Sky-god’s money, where is he?” They said, “You are not mistaken, you are not mistaken.” They went and brought the fellow. The Hunter said, ‘Break his hand off at the joint, and take his blood for me.” At once they broke it off. The Hunter took the blood to grind up with the medicine and applied it to the foot of the King’s child. Immediately he rose up. They said, “Sing the Hunter’s praises.” They shouted, “Eee!” The Sky-god said, “I take your head and present you with it, and as for the Tell-tale, let him be killed, and cut up his flesh, and cast it about on all sides.” They killed him, and cut his flesh up into small pieces, and cast it all about. That is how many Tell-tales came into the tribe.
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 Children Were (First) Whipped
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
THEY say that (once upon a time) a great famine came, and that Father Ananse, the Spider, and his wife Aso, and his children, Ntikuma, Nyiwankonfwea (Thin-shanks), Afudotwedotwe (Belly-like-to-burst), and Tikonokono (Big-big-head), built a little settlement and lived in it. Every day the Spider used to go and bring food, wild yams, and they boiled and ate them. Now one day, Father Ananse went to the bush; he saw that a beautiful dish was standing there. He said, “This dish is beautiful.” The dish said, “My name is not ‘beautiful ’.”. The Spider said, “What are you called?” It replied, “I am called, ‘Fill-up-some-and-eat’.” The Spider said, “Fill up some that I may see.” The dish filled up with palm-oil soup, and Ananse ate it all up. When he had finished, he asked the dish, saying, “What is your taboo?” The dish replied, “I hate a gun wad, and a little gourd cup.” The Spider took the dish home, and went and placed it on the ceiling.—Then Ananse went off to the bush and brought food, and Aso, when she had finished cooking, called Ananse, and he said, “Oh, yours is the real need, as for me, I am old man, what should I have to do with food, yours and these children’s is the real necessity; if you are replete, then my ears have become quiet (from the sounds of your lamentations).” When they had finished eating, then the Spider passed behind the hut, and went (and sat) on the ceiling where the dish was. He said, “This dish is beautiful.” It replied, “My name is not ‘beautiful’. He said, “What is your name?” It said, “I am called, ‘Fill-up-some-and-eat ’.” Ananse said, “Fill up some for me to see.” And it filled up a plate full of ground-nut soup, and Ananse ate. Every day when he rose up it was thus. Now, Ntikuma noticed that his father did not grow thin, in spite of the fact that they and he did not eat together, and Ntikuma kept watch on his father and saw what the father had got hold of. When the father went off to the bush, Ntikuma climbed up on top (of the ceiling) and saw the dish. He called his mother and brothers, and they went on top. Ntikuma said, “This dish is beautiful.” It said, “I am not called ‘beautiful’? He said, “Then what are you called?” It said, “My name is ‘Fill-up-some-and-eat ’.” He said, “Fill up a little that I may see.” And the dish filled up to the brim with palm-oil soup. Ntikuma and his mother and brothers ate until all was finished. And now Ntikuma asked the dish, “What do you taboo?’ The dish said, “I hate a gun wad and a small gourd cup.” Ntikuma said to Afudotwedotwe (Belly-like-to-burst), “Go and bring some for me.” And he brought them, and he took the gun wad and touched it (the dish), and the little gourd cup and touched (the dish with it). Then they all descended. And Father Spider (meantime) had come back (from the bush with the wild yams). Aso finished cooking them. They called Ananse; he replied, “Perhaps you didn’t hear what I said; I said, from to-day onwards, when I come home with food, you may partake, for you are the ones in need.” Aso and her children ate. Father Spider washed; he climbed up on the ceiling; he said, “This dish is beautiful.” Complete silence! “This dish is beautiful.” Complete silence! Father Spider said, “Ah! it must be on account of this cloth not being a beautiful one; I shall go and bring the one of the Oyoko clan tartan and put it on.” And he descended to go and fetch the Oyoko clan tartan cloth to wear. He put on his sandals; he climbed up there (again). He said, “This dish is beautiful.” Complete silence! “This dish is beautiful.” Complete silence! He looked round the room and saw a gun wad and a little gourd cup were in it. Ananse said, “It’s not one thing, it’s not two things (i. e. without any doubt), it’s Ntikuma.” Ananse smashed the dish, and came down; he took off the Oyoko tartan cloth and laid it down, and went off to the bush. As he was going, he saw a very beautiful (thing called) Mpere, the whip, was hanging there. He said, “Oh, wonderful! this thing is more beautiful than the last; this whip is beautiful.” The whip said, “I am not called ‘beautiful.” He (the Spider) said, “Then what are you called?” It said, “I am called ‘Abiridiabrada ’ (that is to say, Swish-and-raise-weals).” And he said, “Swish a little for me to see.’ And the whip fell upon him, “Swish, swish, swish.” Father Spider cried, “Pui! pui!” A certain bird (sitting near by) said to Ananse, “Say Adwobere” (which means, cool-and-easy-now). And Ananse said, “Adwobere.” And the whip stopped beating him. And Ananse brought this whip home; and he went and placed it on the ceiling. Aso finished (cooking) the food; she said, “Ananse, come and eat.” He replied, “Since you are still here (on earth), perhaps you have not any hole in your ears (and don’t hear what I said), I shall not eat.” Ananse climbed up above and went and sat down quietly. Then he came down again; and then he went again and hid himself somewhere. Then Ntikuma climbed up aloft. He said, “Oh, that father (of mine) has brought something again.” Ntikuma said, “Mother, Nyiwankonfwea, Afudotwedotwe, come here, for what father has brought (this time) excels the last one by far.” Then all of them climbed up (on the ceiling). Ntikuma said, “This thing is beautiful.” It replied, ‘I am not called ‘beautiful’. He said, “What is your name?” It said, “I am called ‘Swish-and-raise-weals ’.” He said, “Swish a little for me to see.” And that whip descended upon him and flogged them severely. Ananse stood aside, and shouted, “Lay it on, lay it on, especially on Ntikuma, lay it on him.” Now when Ananse had watched and seen that they were properly flogged, he said, “Adwobere” (Cool-and-easy-now). Ananse came and took the whip and cut it up into small pieces and scattered them about. That is what made the whip come into the tribe. So it comes about that when you tell your child something, and he will not listen to you, we whip him.
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.