Jamaica Anansi stories

The art is practised as a social amusement, groups forming in which each person in the circle must propound riddles until his supply is exhausted or his riddle unguessed.

My own work as a collector in this engrossing field of Jamaican folk-lore owes much to those collectors who have preceded me and who have enjoyed a longer and more intimate acquaintance than has been possible for me with the people and their idiom;—to Monk Lewis, a true folk-lorist, whose “Journal” of 1816 is of the greatest interest to-day, to Mr. Walter Jekyll and his excellent volume of songs and stories in the Folk-lore Publications of 1907, and to the writers of nursery tales, Mrs. Milne-Home, Pamela Smith, and Mrs. W. E. Wilson (Wona). I take this opportunity also to acknowledge most gratefully the many courtesies for which I am indebted during my visits to the island. I particularly wish to thank Professor Frank Cundall for his advice and cooperation, and for the use of the invaluable West India library connected with the Jamaica Institute in Kingston where I was able to consult books not easily to be found in library collections. To the Hon. and Mrs. Coke-Kerr, to Mrs. Harry Farquharson and to the Rev. and Mrs. Ashton I am gratefully indebted for many courtesies in the task of finding reliable native informants. To these informants themselves,—to Simeon Falconer, William Forbes, George Parkes, and a score of others I owe thanks for their ready response to my interest. In America also I wish to thank Mrs. Elsie Clews Parsons for suggestions as to method and for the use of her valuable bibliography and Mrs. Louise Dennis Hand for help with Spanish collections, and to express my grateful obligations to Professor Franz Boas for his patient editing and valuable bibliographical suggestions.

The Folk-lore Foundation Vassar College Martha Warren Beckwith April, 1924.

ANIMAL STORIES.

1. TYING TIGER.

a. The Fish-basket.

George Parkes, Mandeville.

One great hungry time. Anansi couldn’t get anyt’ing to eat, so he take up his hand-basket an’ a big pot an’ went down to the sea-side to catch fish. When he reach there, he make up a large fire and put the pot on the fire, an’ say, “Come, big fish!” He catch some big fish put them aside. He said, “Big fish go, make little fish come!” He then catch the little fish. He say, “Little fish go, make big fish come!” an’ say, “Big fish go, make little fish come!” He then catch the pot full an’ his hand-basket. He bile the pot full and sit down and eat it off; he then started home back with the pot on his head and the basket. Reaching a little way, he hide the pot away in the bush an take the basket along with him now.

While going along, he meet up Tiger. Now Tiger is a very rough man an’ Anansi ’fraid of him. Tiger said to him, “What you have in that basket, sah?”—speak to him very rough. Anansi speak in a very feeble voice, say, “Nothing, sah! nothing, sah!” So both of them pass each other, an’ when they went on a little way, Tiger hide in the bush watching Anansi. Anansi then sit down underneath a tree, open his basket, take out the fishes one one, and say, “Pretty little yallah-tail this!” an’ put it aside; he take out a snapper an’ say, “Pretty little snapper this!” an’ put it one side; he take out a jack-fish an’ say, “Pretty little jack-fish!” an’ put it one side. Tiger then run up an’ say, “Think you havn’t not’ing in that basket, sah!” Anansi say, “I jus’ going down to the sea have a bathe, sah, an’ I catch them few ’itte fishes.” Tiger say, “Give it to me here, sah!”—talk in a very rough manner. An’ Tiger take it an’ eat them all an’ spit up the bones. Anansi then take up the bones an’ eat them, an’ while eating he grumble an’ say, “But look me bwoy labor do!” Tiger say, “What you say?” Anansi say, “Fly humbug me face, sah!” (brushing his face).

So both of them start to go home now with the empty basket, but this time Anansi was studying for Tiger. When he reach part of the way, Anansi see a fruit-tree. Anansi say, “What a pretty fruit-tree!” (looking up in the tree). Tiger say, “Climb it, sah!” (in a rough manner). So when Anansi go up an’ pull some of the fruit, at that time Tiger was standing underneath the tree. Anansi look down on Tiger head an’ said, “Look lice in a Brar Tiger head!” Tiger said, “Come down an’ ketch it, sah!” Anansi come down an’ said to Tiger he kyan’t ketch it without he lean on the tree. Tiger said, “Lean on the tree, sah!” The hair on Tiger head is very long. So while Anansi ketchin’ the lice, Tiger fell asleep. Anansi now take the hair an’ lash it round the tree tie up Tiger on the tree. After he done that he wake up Tiger an’ say that he kyan’t ketch any more. Tiger in a rough manner say, “Come an’ ketch it, sah!” Anansi say, “I won’t!” So Anansi run off, Tiger spring after him, an’ fin’ out that his hair is tied on the tree. So Tiger say, “Come an’ loose me, sah!” Anansi say. “I won’t!” an’ Anansi sing now,

“See how Anansi tie Tiger, See how Anansi tie Tiger, Tie him like a hog, Tiger, See how Anansi tie Tiger, Tie him like a hog, Tiger!”

An’ Anansi leave him go home, an’ a hunter-man come an’ see Tiger tie on the tree, make kill him.

b. The Storm.

Vivian Bailey, Mandeville.

Brer Tiger got a mango-tree in his place. Brer Nansi go an’ ask if he could sell him a ha’ penny wort’ of mango. Brer Tiger say no. Brer Nansi well want de mango. Brer Nansi say, “Law pass dat eb’ry man have tree mus’ tie on it ’cause going to get a heavy storm.” Brer Tiger say, well, mus’ tie him to de mango-tree. After Brer Nansi tie Tiger, climb up in de mango-tree, an’ eb’ry mango he eat tak it an’ lick Brer Tiger on de head. After he eat done, he shake off all de ripe mango an’ pick dem up go away leave Brer Tiger tie up on de mango-tree.

Brer Tiger see Brer But pass an’ ask Brer But to loose him. Brer But say dat he kyan’t stop. Brer Tiger see Brer Ant passing, ask Brer Ant to loose him; Brer Ant say he kyan’t depon [1] haste. Brer Tiger see Brer Duck-ants passing an’ ask him fe loose him. An’ don’ know if him will loose him, for don’ know if him will put up wid him slowness, for Duck-ants is a very slow man. After him loose him, Brer Tiger tell him many t’anks an’ tell him mus’ never let him hear any of Duck-ants’s frien’s pass him an’ don’ call up “How-dy-do.”

Brer Nansi in a cotton tree were listening when dey talking. De nex’ evening, Brer Nansi go to Brer Tiger yard an’ knock at de door. An’ say, “Who is deah?” an’ say, “Mr. Duck-ants’s brudder.” An’ dey tak him in an’ mak much of him, get up tea because it was Mr. Duck-ants’s brudder, an’ after dat go to bed. In de morning provide tea for Mr. Duck-ants ’fore he wake, an’ when he wake an’ was washin’ his face he got to tak off his hat. An’ Brer Nansi is a man wid a bald head, an’ dey got to fin’ out it was Brer Nansi an’ dey run him out of de house.

2. TIGER AS SUBSTITUTE.

a. The King’s Two Daughters.

William Forbes, Dry River.

Deh was Anansi. He go out an’ court two young lady was de king daughter an’ mak dem a fool, an’ dem ketch him an’ tie him, an’ de two sister go an’ look a bundle a wood fe go an’ mak a fire under a copper [2] fe bu’n him wid hot water. An’ after when dem gone, he see Tiger was coming. Anansi said, “Lawd! Brar Tiger, I get into trouble heah!” An’ said, “Fe wha’?” An’ say, “King daughter wan’ lib wid dem, come tie me.” Tiger say, “You fool, mak y’ loose an’ tie me!”