How (The Salutations) “Kuronto” and “Buru” Came to Be Used

How It Came About That When One Goes into a Room at Night, It Is Dark

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

THEY say that Kuntukurunku, Odds, and Kuntunamoa, Ends, fell from the ceiling on to the ground. They said, “Old-mother-earth, you are (too) flat.” Mother Earth said, “Why do you say that I am (too) flat?” They replied, “Because you have not dug a hole for us to sleep in.” Old-mother-earth turned to Prae, the Broom, and said, “Your mouth (is covered with) the droppings of fowls.” She replied, “Why do you abuse me?” Old-mother-earth said, “If I have abused you, I have abused you; if you don’t understand the reason, stop asking.” The Broom turned to Abena, The-strip-of-bark (into which refuse is swept), and said, “You take (things) and go and throw them away.” Strip-of-bark said, “Why do you abuse me?” Broom said, “(Anyhow) I have done so.” Strip-of-bark also addressed Sumina, Midden-heap, saying, “You keep what you receive.” Midden-heap said, “Why do you abuse me?” He (Strip-of-bark) replied, “I have abused you, and if you do not know the reason, then stop asking.” Midden-heap, too, addressed the Abe, Palm-tree, saying, “Your neck is all overgrown with rubbish.” Palm-tree said, “Why do you abuse me?” Midden-heap replied, “I have abused you, and if you don’t know the reason why, then stop inquiring.” Palm-tree, too, turned to Tetea, Little-blackant, and said, “Your ears are black.” Little-black-ant said, “Why do you abuse me?” Palm-tree replied, “I have abused you, and if you don’t know the reason, leave off asking.” Little-black-ant, he, too, went to Esono, the Elephant there, and went on to his foot; and he tickled the Elephant. As he (the Elephant) was lifting up his foot, then he trod just beneath the eye of Tamiriwa, the Black-snail, and the Black-snail’s eye began to water, and he wiped the water off on an efan leaf (growing) near by. (Now), the food which Old-woman-grandmother eats is the efan plant, and it was up it that Tamiriwa, the Black-snail, had wiped the water from his eye. “Kraman, the Dog, was passing, and she (the Old-woman-grandmother) called the Dog and took the firewood (she was carrying) and made the Dog carry it on his head. As Dog was going along, he got a kola-nut, and he split one into two, and threw one into the mouth of the Okagya’s, the Squirrel’s, hole. Okagya, he, too, took the kola-nut and hit Onyina, the Silk-cotton-tree, with it. The Silk-cotton-tree, too, got his breast choked with rage. He saw that a little child was walking past, and he plucked off his branch and struck him and killed him. Now, that little child was the child of Nyankonpon, the Sky-god. There and then the Silk-cotton-tree was seized, and taken before the Sky-god. They asked him (the Silk-cotton-tree), saying, “What is it all about?” The Silk-cotton-tree said, “I was standing there in my own somewhere, when this Squirrel —the infant that he is—(dared) to lift up a kola-nut and hit me with it, so as for me, when this child was passing, I thought he was Okagya, the Squirrel, and I took off one of my branches and hit him, and behold, it was your child.”” Nyame, the Sky-god, said, “Take him and fasten him to a log, and call Okagya, the Squirrel, to come.” Okagya came; he said, “Sire, you know that my taboo is the kola-nut, yet Okraman, the Dog, went and got one, and cast it at the entrance to my hole, and as I was throwing it away, it went and hit Old-man-silk-cotton-tree.” The Sky-god said, “Take him, and fasten him to a log, and call the Dog to come.” They went and called the Dog to come. The Dog said, “Sire, I was walking in my own somewhere—now you notice how (delicate) I am—when Old-woman-grandmother took her bundle of firewood and placed it on my head; now Okagya, the Squirrel, it is he who lies in his hole in the farm which Old-woman-grandmother has made in order to get something to eat, but it was I whom Old-woman-grandmother made carry her firewood; I, too, took a kola-nut and threw it at the entrance to his hole.” The Sky-god said, “Take him, fasten him to a log, and call Old-woman-grandmother to come.” Old-woman-grandmother came. She said, “Ah, my grandchildren, look in my mouth, I who cannot chew meat, efan leaves are what I eat; moreover, I bathe Bosompra; my taboo is (therefore) Tamiriwa, the Black-snail; only the Dog knew this, and he went and told Tamiriwa, and made him take water from his mouth, and put it in the efan leaves upon which I live. That is why I gave him my firewood to carry.” The Sky-god said, “Oh, take her and fasten her to a log, and go and bring Tamiriwa, the Black-snail.” The Black-snail came. He said, “Sire, I was on my own somewhere, behold, a great big Elephant trod upon the place just below my eye, and I went and took an efan (leaf) to wipe it. That is all I know about it.” The Sky-god said, “Take him and fasten him to a log, and bring Esono, the Elephant.” They went and fetched Esono. The Elephant said, “Some three days ago I was living there, and my skin began to itch, and when I looked at the place—excuse my using the word—this fool the Little-black-ant had got into (my skin) in order to seek for meat to chew, that he might grow big; and as I was pulling up my foot, it went and trod on Tamiriwa, the Black-snail.” The Sky-god said, “Take him and fasten him to a log, and bring Tetea, the Little-black-ant.” When Tetea came, he said, “Sire, there is a Palm-tree; when it bears, (its nuts) are first black; when I, the Little-black-ant, walk over them, it causes them to ripen. The other day I was there, when the Palm-tree told me that my ears were black, and since I am so small, I thought I would go off to the Elephant there, to seek for meat to eat that I might grow big.” The Sky-god said, “Take him and fasten him to a log, and go and call the Palm-tree to come.” Abe, the Palm-tree, came; he said, “Sire, this is what I have to say: I and Sumina, the Midden-heap, live together, and when the rubbish thrown upon him becomes too much, and he cannot bear any more, I accept some and put it round my neck; now, however, he abused me, saying I had refuse around my neck. Because of that, as for me, my eyes became red, and I, too, abused the Little-black-ant.” The Sky-god said, “Take him and fasten him to a log, and call on Sumina, the Midden-heap, to come.” Midden-heap came; he said, “Sire, Abena, Strip-of-bark, who, when they sweep up the rubbish in a room, is given it that she in turn may bring it to me. The other day, without any cause for offence, she said to me, ‘You store up what you receive’ (i. e. are greedy); I said, ‘a’, and as the Palm-tree was near by, I, too, abused him.” The Sky-god said, “Take him and fasten him to a log, and call Abena, Strip-of-bark, to come.” Strip-of-bark came; she said, “Sire, when Prae, the Broom, sweeps out a room, if they do not give me (his sweepings), when the wind blows, all the refuse comes back again; now, the other day, though I did nothing to her, she said, ‘You take things only to throw them away.’ Because of that, I too became red of eye, and I went and abused Sumina, the Midden-heap.” The Sky-god said, “Take her, and fasten her to a log, and call Prae, the Broom, to come here.” The Broom came; she said, “Sire, Old-mother-earth lies there so flat, her surface gets dirty, so whenever I rise up, I sweep up all the filth upon her and make her beautiful; yet the other day, Mother-earth addressed me, saying, ‘Your mouth is (full of) fowl’s droppings,’ and my breast too, became choked, and I went and abused Abena, the Strip-of-bark.” The Sky-god said, “Take her and fasten her to a log, and call on Mother-earth to come.” When Mother-earth came, she said, “Sire, there I lie; they tread upon me; I never say anything; they do all kinds of things upon me, yet I never say anything. Now the other day when I was there, Kuntukurunku and Kuntunamoa, Odds and Ends, fell upon me, and I said, ‘O! what is the matter?’ and they said, ‘You have not dug a hole in which we can lie, and you and all your flatness are no use (to any one).’ Because of that, I, too, abused Prae, the Broom.” The Sky-god said, “Take her and fasten her to a log, and go and get Odds and Ends.” Odds and Ends came. They said, “Sire, we were on the ceiling, and we were playing, and we fell down and we hurt ourselves; because of that we abused Mother-earth, saying she was flat.” The Sky-god said, “Councillors, we have heard all this matter, so let us rise up and go into the room and consider the evidence and come and give judgement.” So they rose up and went into a room, and closed the door. That is why, when you go into a room at night,—blackness—the Sky-god and his Councillors are consulting there.

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.