How It Came About That Men and the Animals Began to Awake from Sleep

Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa

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

THERE once was a child, Kwasi Gyinamoa, and he had eight sisters, and not a single one among them had a mate, so they set out, saying that they were going somewhere to go in search of husbands. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa said, “I and you shall go.” They replied, “We and you shall not go.” The eldest among them said, “Let him go with us, and when we reach (well on) the way, and a thorn pierces us, he can pull it out for us.” They set out, and Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa went (with them). They came to a certain river, and part of it flowed like white clay; part of it flowed (like) red clay; and part of it flowed (like) black charcoal. They exclaimed, “Eh, what is to be done that we may cross this stream?” Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa took his (magic) cow-tail-switch, struck (the water), and made the water divide into two, and they passed through it, and went on. They came to a certain town; it was a very large town. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa said, “The town is dinn (i. e. silent save for the chirping of cicada), is there no person in it?” Now a Bird spoke, saying, “There is some one in the house there, go on.” They went on, and there was an old woman, with her head resting upon her legs, and she was searching in it for lice. When she saw the Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa, then she lifted up her head and replaced it; she said, “My grandchildren, why, when no one is to come here, have you come here?” Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa replied, “My sisters are eight, and they have not got husbands with whom to mate, and so they said they would come and seek for husbands whom they should marry.” Old-woman-grandmother said, “Oh, that is all right, for I, too, have eight children.” Old-woman-grandmother sent her grandchild to call her children. When they came, this one said, “Here is my husband,” that one said, “Here is my husband.” When they had all finished being paired off, then the old woman went and got a charm called dokum, and tied it on the necks of her children. Then each went off to sleep with his wife. And Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa also went off to rest with the old woman. When night came, the old woman lit up her teeth, bright red, in order to go off to kill the girls with them. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa said, “E! e! e!” The old woman said, “What is it?” Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa replied, “When I am in my own village, and when I go to rest but cannot sleep, then mother cuts a slice of yam and puts it in the fire, and she takes a perforated calabash and goes and splashes water to bring for me to drink.” Old-woman-grandmother set off to go to the stream, and Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa went and slipped the charm called dokum from the necks of the old woman’s children, and took them and hung them on his sisters’. The old woman returned from the water; she said, “I tried to splash water (in that strainer), but I could not splash it.” Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa replied, “Go and get some mud, and pick leaves and put them in (the strainer), and take it and splash.” The old woman went and did so, and she splashed water in it, and it was all right. She brought it, and she took the yam off the fire, and gave it to Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa to eat, and he drank the water as well. Then he threw himself down and slept. Old-woman-grandmother rose up; she said, “It is I.” She lit up her teeth, (until they shone) red, and went off with them and entered the room; she felt with her hand round the necks of the children, and the one on whose neck the dokum charm did not lie, she burned up with her teeth. In this way she killed the eight children. She did not know that it was her very own children whom she had killed. When things became visible, very, very, very early Old-woman-grandmother set out to go to the plantation. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa also went and told his sisters and made them flee away. Old-woman-grandmother came back from the plantation. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa said, “Old-woman-grandmother e! Old-woman-grandmother e! if you were not a fool, would you have killed your own children? As for me, I and my sisters are going off.” Old-woman-grandmother said, “It is of no consequence, he who knows (how to deal with you) is yonder.” He went off, and Old-woman-grandmother too transformed herself into a beautiful maiden, and she held a gourd-rattle, and went off to Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa’s village. She said, “The person who can take an arrow to pierce this gourd-rattle, I shall marry him.” All the people who were in the village (tried to) pierce it, but were not able. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa pierced it. She said, “I have married you.” Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa said, “As for me, I shall not marry you.” So his uncle married her. He went off to sleep with her, but she plucked out his two eyes, and went off with them. Then the young girl said, “Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa there! I have plucked out the two eyes of your uncle and I am going off with them.” Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa replied, “Take them and be off, for he who knows (how to deal with you) is yonder.” Next morning, when things became visible, they said, “Child, go and recover and bring back your uncle’s eyes. He said, “I shall not go.” They urged and urged him, and (at last) he set out. Now, Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa knew that Old-woman-grandmother’s grand-daughter was enceinte, so he, too, got a calabash and clapped it on his stomach, and bound his cloth over it, and set off going to Old-woman-grandmother’s village. When he reached the end of the town, he wept. Old-woman-grandmother said, “What’s the matter?” He said, “I and my husband were coming, and when he reached the top of the hill he fell down and that caused his two eyes to come out and fall down.” Old-woman-grandmother said, “That’s all right, here is the left eye of that reincarnated rascal’s, Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa’s, uncle, and here also is his right eye. When you go (to where your blind husband stands) you must say, ‘My eyes jump about, my eyes are clear.’” No sooner had Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa’s hand touched them, than he said, “You there, Old-woman-grandmother, these are my uncle’s eyes which you plucked out, and I am going off with them.” Old-woman-grandmother said, “That does not matter, he who knows (how to deal with you) is yonder.” Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa came home, and he took the eyes and replaced them in the sockets of his uncle. He said, “My eyes jump about, my eyes are clear,” and his uncle’s eyes opened clearly. Next morning, when things became visible, all the children (in the village) went to bathe in the stream. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa said, “I am not bathing.” They said, “Perhaps you have an embryo tail?” When they said so, his breast became choked, and he bathed. No sooner had he jumped into the water, than Old-woman-grandmother seized him, twom! She said, “Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa, I have got you,” and she went off with him to her village. Then Old-woman-grandmother went and got a basket and covered him over, and got palm-nuts, and set them on the fire. She said, “I am going off to the onion tribe, I am going off to the spice tribe, and then I shall come and kill Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa.” She set off, and Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa gathered up pebbles and began to crunch them, pupru! pupru! Old-woman-grandmother’s grandchild said, “What is it you are chewing?” He said, “Tiger-nuts.” She said, “Give me some to chew.” He replied, “Uncover me.” She said, “You would go off.” He replied, “No, I shall not go off.” She uncovered him, and he emerged; the grandchild of the old woman was pounding palm-nuts. Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa took the palm-nut pestle, hit the grand-daughter of Old-woman-grandmother, and killed her. Then he peeled off the skin of the grand-daughter of Old-woman-grandmother, and dressed himself in it. Old-woman-grandmother returned; she said, “Why are you all filthy like this? ’” He replied, “I have killed Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa; I have put him on the fire.” This news was sweet for Old-woman-grandmother, and she danced and lifted up her voice (and sang):

“Child, you have killed Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa,

Some day you will be somebody.”

She finished cooking the food, they sat down beside it, and ate. Old-woman-grandmother splashed the soup (into her mouth with a loud noise), fweo! fweo! Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa said, “You are splashing soup (into your mouth) made from your grandchild’s head.” Old-woman-grandmother said, “What’s that you say?” He replied, “I was saying there is no salt in this soup-stew.” Old-woman-grandmother said, “Go and fetch some.” So he went and got some. They finished eating, and Old-woman-grandmother said, “Now that I have killed Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa, come hither, my grandchild.” When he came, she took gold trinkets and adorned him finely. Now, Old-woman-grandmother gazed in his face for some time. She said, “Ah! this child’s face reminds me of that of Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa.” The child said, “Grandmother, why, when you know that Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa came and killed all my eight kinsmen (do you speak like that), for you make me sad.” Old-woman-grandmother said, “Shut your mouth.” Now the child eased himself there in the house. The grandmother cleared it away. He said, “Let me go and throw it away on the midden-heap.” So Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa carried it away. When he reached the midden-heap, he took off all the gold ornaments with which the old woman had adorned him and tied them up. Then he said, “Ho there, Old-woman-grandmother, ho there, Old-woman-grandmother, I am he, Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa, now for a second time, I have come and killed your grandchild, and besides I have taken your gold ornaments.” Old-woman-grandmother replied, “I said your face resembled that of Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa; now wherever you go, I go with you.” Then they both ran off, kiri! kiri! kiri! Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa reached his village, and he gave the gold trinkets to his blood-relations, and he went to the path, and hid on the side of it, and Old-woman-grandmother also came there. That is why, when you walk on a path, you will hear a rustling sound, “pe.” That is Old-woman-grandmother chasing Child-Kwasi-Gyinamoa.

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.