How It Came About That the Hinder Part of Kwaku Ananse, the Spider, Became Big, at the Expense of His Head, Which Became Small
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
THEY say that once a great hunger came, and that Kwaku Ananse said he would go and search for meat and vegetable food and bring it that he and his wife Aso might eat. He went into a certain stream and met people; now these people whom he met, excuse my saying so, were spirits. When Ananse met the Spirits, they were standing in the water and splashing the stream-bed dry to catch the fish. Kwaku Ananse said, “Brothers, may I come and splash a little too?” The Spirits said, “Come.” Ananse went, and he saw that they were using their skulls to splash the stream dry. The Spirits said to Ananse, “You have seen that which we take to splash the stream dry, will you allow us to remove your skull in order that you may splash too?” Ananse said, “I will permit you, take it off for me.” Of a truth, the Spirits removed it and gave it to him. Kwaku Ananse and the Spirits joined together in splashing the bed of the stream dry. As they splashed, the Spirits raised a song:
“We, the Spirits, when we splash the river-bed dry to catch fish, we use our heads to splash the water,
Oh, the Spirits, we are splashing the water.”.
The Spider said, “This song is sweet, may I sing some of it?” The Spirits said, “Sing some.” And he lifted up his voice:
“The Spirits, we are splashing the water, we take our heads to splash the water. Oh, the Spirits, we are splashing the water.
Since the Creator made things, do we take our heads to splash the water?
Oh, the Spirits, we are splashing the water.
I take my head to splash the water dry to-day o,
Oh, the Spirits, we are splashing the water.”
Ananse finished singing, and the Spirits told him, saying, “We have splashed, we have got fish, your share is a basket full, take it and go and eat, take your skull, join it (on your body), and go off; but what we have to say most particularly is this, the very day you sing any of that song, your skull will open and fall off.” The Spider said, “Fish in abundance which you have given to me, is all I desire, and as for a song, for what reason should I sing it?” The Spirits said, “That is well, go off.” The Spider set off. The Spirits, too, got everything together, and they, too, went away. When the Spirits had reached yonder, as it were, then they raised their song:
“We, the Spirits, when we splash the river-bed dry to catch fish, we use our heads to splash the water.
Oh, the Spirits, we are splashing the water.”
And the Spider heard the song, and he, too, took it up:
“Since the Creator made things have we taken our heads to splash the water?” Oh, the Spirits, we are splashing the water.”
No sooner had he finished than his skull opened and dropped off. Ananse lifted it up and held it against his chest. He said, “Spirits, Spirits, my head has fallen off.” The Spirits heard, and they said, “That’s the Spider, he hasn’t listened to what we told him, and he is calling us, let us all go back and hear what he will say.” Almost immediately, the Spider came hastening along. He said, “Puo! children of my father; my head has opened and fallen off, so I beg of you, if I have done you any harm, forgive it; you are in the right, but take my head and put it back in its place for me.” The Spirits took it, and replaced it. They said to him, “Now if you sing this song again, and it falls off again, when you call us, we shall not answer, so get along with you.” The Spirits set off again. As they were going they sang their song. And now Ananse began to sing again, and his head became detached and fell off, kutukum! And he lifted it and, excuse my vulgarity, clapped it against his anus, and leaped to the side of the path, sora! (was the sound of the grass parting as he entered it). He said, “Path, save me, and when the day dawns that I become rich, I shall give you some.” That is why you will see Ananse with a small head and a very big bottom; it all comes from the hardness of his ears.
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 Owea (The Tree-Bear), Abosom-Akotere (The Chameleon), and Opatuo (The Owl) Came to Get Their Distinctive Cries
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
OWEA, the Tree-bear, (who also has the title of) Kwaduampon Kyerefo, Opatuo, the Owl, and Abosom-Akotere, the Chameleon, (whose titles are), “The Creator’s death”, “The take-a-year-to-do-anythingcreature’, “He-walks-very-slowly-but-he-will-reach-the-land-of-whitemen-far-away”, (all these animals) once lived together. Now, not one of them had a wife. And the Adobe-tree sold herself to them. Every day, when Adobe-tree got up, she went and waited upon this one; next day she waited on another of them; and next day on another. One day, when it was the turn of the Creator’s-death (to command the Adobe’s services) and he looked for the Adobe-tree, where could he see her? And off he went to tell the Tree-bear and the Owl the news. And they said, “Go and call her.” And the Creator’s-death raised his voice:
“Adobe o! Adobe o!”
The Tree-bear cried:
“When she went, she didn’t return; she went, she didn’t return, she didn’t return, she didn’t return!”
And the Owl called:
“We have weighed out (the gold dust) and might as well have thrown it away, m! We have weighed out (the gold dust) and might as well have thrown it away, m!m!”
And that is the origin of the cries of these three creatures.
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 Men Commit Evil by Night How It Came About That Children Play by Moonlight How It Came About That Matters in Dispute Are Heard in the Daytime
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
THE Sky-god begat three children, who were Esum, Darkness; Osrane, Moon; and Owia, Sun. When his three children grew up, the Sky-god made them go to villages. This one built his village; this one also built his village, and this one, too, built his village. And there they were, and their father loved Sun. And while the Sky-god was (reigning) there, he blackened a Stool, and he said to his attendants, “Who knows what my thoughts (lit. the words in my head) are?” And Ananse, the Spider, said, “As for me, I know.” At the time when he said, “As for me, I know,” then the Sky-god made all the attendants rise up. There and then the Spider also rose up, saying he was going to the villages of the Sky-god’s children. When Ananse reached the path, he said to himself, “I do not know his thoughts, and yet I said, I know them.” And he plucked some feathers out of every bird and stuck them in himself, and flew off, alighting on a gyedua-tree in the Sky-god’s village. And when the people saw the bird, they all made a great commotion (which sounded like) “Ye e e e!” And the Sky-god came out of the house and came under the gyedua-tree and said, “Were Ananse here, he would have known the name of this bird, for I had decided that Owia, Sun, is the one I wanted to make a chief, and I asked who knew what was in my head, and Ananse said that he did, and I have gone and pulled up that Yam known as ‘Kintinkyi’, and he who can know its name and speak it, to him I shall give it (the stool). That is why he has gone off to bring my children, and had he been here, he would have seen the name of this bird.” And now the bird flew away, and he pulled out the feathers and threw them away, and he set out and reached the village of Night, and he said, “Your father has said that you must come with me.” And Night said, “It is well, I and you will go.” And Ananse said, “I am going in order to fetch Moon and Sun.” And Night said to him, “Let me seek for something to give you to eat.” And the Spider replied, “Ho.” Night went and brought some roasted corn and gave it to Ananse. When he had finished chewing it, he set out for Moon’s village. When he reached Moon’s village, he said, “Your father says you must come along with me.” And Moon said, “It is well, I shall go.” And Ananse said, “I shall go to Sun’s village in order to bring him.” And Moon said, “Let me get you something to eat.” And Ananse said, “Ho.” And Moon made mashed yam for him to eat. And the Spider set out for Sun’s village. When he reached Sun’s village, he said to him, “Your father says you must come along with me.” And Sun said, “It is well, I and you shall go, but let me get you something to eat.” And Ananse said, “Ho.” And Sun went and caught a sheep. When he came back, he said to Ananse, “I would have wished, had my father come here, that he should have seen what I was doing, if it were good, or if it were bad, in either case he would have seen; but since he has not come, and you have come, it is as if father has come, therefore here is this, my sheep, that I shall kill that you may eat.” And he killed the sheep and prepared it beautifully for the Spider to eat. And Ananse said, “Let us go on a (fallen) tree.” And when they had gone (there), then Ananse said to Sun, “Your father has blackened some stool, which is there, and he wishes you to succeed to that stool, and he has pulled up some yam and there it lies, and if you know how to speak its name, he will take the stool and give it to you, and it is called ‘Kintinkyi’. And in order that you may not forget its name, I shall cut a short drum for you, and I shall make a mpintini drum to go with it, and when they beat the (short) drum and the mpintini drum then you will never forget, for the short drum will speak and say:
‘Firi bomo!
Firi bomo!’
Then the mpintini drum will say:
‘Kintinkyi bomo!
Kintinkyi bomo!’”
And they set off to go to the Sky-god’s town. And now they reached Moon’s village and took him along, and reached Night’s village and took him along. All the way they played the mpintini drum. And when they reached the outskirts of the town and Ananse saw a man, he sent him off to tell the Sky-god that they were coming. And the Sky-god called an assembly together, and Ananse and they came and saluted (every one). And Ananse gave the Spokesman the news, saying, “The chief’s errand on which I was sent (I have performed), I have brought them.” And the Sky-god said, “My children, the reason I caused you to be sent for is: I have blackened the stool which lies there, and I have also pulled up the yam which lies there; I shall take this stool and give it to him who sees and names the yam. Because my eldest child is Night, let him name it.” And Night said, “It is called ‘Pona’.” And all the people said, “Ye e e e.” And the Sky-god said, “My second child is Moon, therefore let him speak its name.” And Moon said, “It is the yam called ‘Asante ’.” They said, “Ye e e e.” The Sky-god said, “My child who makes the third is Sun, therefore let him name it.” Now, I forgot to say that the dance music was going on:
“Kintinkyi bomo!
Kintinkyi bomo!”
and Ananse was turning cart-wheels, and Sun rose up and stood there and he took hold of the yam, and he said, “Oh, as for this, since ever I began to walk beside my father and was very small, he used to tell me its name, and I have not forgotten; it is called ‘Kintinkyi ’.” And the Tribe shouted applause three times, “E! E! E!” And his father rose up and stood there, and said, “You, Night, you are the eldest, but the words which I told you, you have allowed yourself to forget, because you did not pay attention to my words; because of that, (it is decreed) that wicked things only will be done during your time. And you also, Moon, the words with which you and I walked and I told you, you did not follow, (it is decreed therefore) that only children will play during your reign. And as for you, Sun, when I said words to you, you did not forget, you listened to my advice, so you are made Chief; should any one have any matter to settle, let it be heard in your time, only household cases, there is not any objection to those being heard in the evening. And take the path which I have set you, and if Moon wishes to trespass upon it, may kontonkurowie (the circular rainbow seen at times round the sun) throw itself around you, so that he (Moon) may not be able to come and touch you; and again when the rain-clouds gather, the Sky-god’s bow will be cast (on the sky) that your children who are under you may see when I have cast it (that waters) will not overflow and carry them away. And again, these words which were formerly known as the ‘Sayings of the Sky-god ’, since Ananse, the Spider, has been able to read (has seen) the words in my head, let them be known (henceforth) as “The Sayings of the Spider’.”
This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, some you may take as true, and the rest you may praise me (for telling of it).