Martha Warren Beckwith

“ The head-man on a Westmoreland cattle-pen even assured me that Anansi, once a man, was now leader of the dead in this land of shades. However this may be, the development of Jamaican obeah or witchcraft has been along the same two lines of interest. Magic songs are used in communicating with the dead, and the obeah-man who sets a ghost upon an enemy often sends it in the form of some animal; hence there are animals which must be carefully handled lest they be something other than they appear.
Riddling is a favorite pastime of the Jamaica negro. ”

“ Brar Hog and Brar Dog live close by river-side, so Brar Dog said to Brar Hog, "Come! we get a bathe!" Brar Hog said yes, so Brar Hog took off his mout' and Brar Dog an' Brar Hog jump in the water. Brar Dog said to Brar Hog, "Come! let us see who can dive longer than the other." ”

“ One day Anansi was walking an’ walk till he go into a wood and see a man have a barbecue1—plenty of meat. An’ him go an’ say, “Hi, Brar! how you do?” Man no ’peak. “Brar, you have plenty of meat an’ you want some one fe ’top wid you?” Man no ’peak. Say, “Brar, gi’ me little breakfas’ now?” Man no ’peak. Say, “Oh, Brar, you no talk, but me going to tak litt’e fe me breakfas’.” Man no ’peak. Nansi go up on barbecue say, “Brar say me mus’ tak meat.” No ’peak to him yet. Tak de meat an’ say, “Brar, gi’ me you pot?” Man no ’peak to him. Say, “Brar, mus’ put on yo’ pot go get meat.” Man no ’peak. ”

“ Anansi got into a temper, said, "How could you expect your dead father to rob the peas!" Said, "Well, mother, I soon prove it to you." He got some tar an' he painted a stump at the head of the grave an' he put a hat on it.
When Anansi came out to have his feast as usual, he saw this thing standing in the groun'. He said, "Good-evening, sir!" got no reply. Again he said, "Good-evening, sir!" an' still no reply. "If you don' speak to me I'll kick you!" He raise his foot an' kick the stump an' the tar held it there like glue. "Let me go, let me go, sir, or I'll knock you down with my right hand!" ”

“ When he go a little distance he said, “Odder man work groun’ have good place; Anansi work ’pon rock stone!” Cow drop down dead. Anansi tak him up put him in his bag, said, “Dat’s how oonoo talk a man!” He carry home Cow an’ eat him.
Horse and Goat come and they share the same fate. Now a day or two after, while Anansi was there knocking, Duck came up. He said, “Mawning, Brar Anansi.” Anansi said, “Mawning, Brar Duck.” Duck said, “A wha’ you do deh?” Anansi say, “Governor pass law say great famine coming ’pon lan’ an’ ev’rybody mus’ work groun’, so me deh try see wha’ me can do.” ”

“ They travel on till they get to a country where all the people were naked--no clothing except the head-man, who wore a long shirt; he had a wooden leg. So they invite up all these people to come to the dance. Mr. Ram-goat was in the lot. So they start playing and the people start dancing, dance until they get so tired everybody fell asleep; and Anansi stole the head-man's shirt--good shirt!--and put his own old one upon him while he was sleeping.
The man got awake, miss his shirt. Now this shirt could talk. The man call out, "Long-shirt, whe' you deh?" ”

“ Tumble-bug said, "Gentleman servant cutting bread-nut fo' gentleman horse." Say, "Hear any news?"--"Yes."--"What you hear?"--"Anansi kill Tumble-bug,--life for life!" Anansi start running an' Tumble-bug after him. He run out to a place call 'Dead man country', get among the dry trash, and that's where he live ever since.
[1. A soiled garment should never be left about lest it be used by the sorcerer to bewitch the owner. Burning such a garment produces a skin disease exactly like a burn, according to the common belief.] ”

“ He visited me at Harmony Hall with a group of men from Maroon Town. They would spend a whole morning or even all day telling stories in this way, first one and then another taking his turn and each making way for the other with a fine sense of fair play. ”

“ Much is preserved from old African originals in the personification of common objects of yard and road-side, much is borrowed also from old English folk riddling. That this spread has been along the line of a common language is proved by the fact that only a dozen parallels occur in Mason's Spanish collection from Porto Rico, at least ten of which are quoted by Espinosa from New Mexico, while of collections from English-speaking neighbors, fourteen out of fifty-five riddles collected in South Carolina and nine out of twenty-one from Andros Island are found also in Jamaica. ”

“ Anansi ask Monkey, "Brer Monkey, how much cunnie you have?" Said, "Brer, me have plenty plenty!" Anansi said, "Brer, me only have one one-half; I keep the one fe meself an' give me friend the half."
Trabble on, trabble on, until they see Tiger in one deep hole. Anansi say, "Brer Monkey, you have plenty cunnie an' long tail; sen' down tail into the hole an' help Brer Tiger!" While him sen' down him tail, Anansi climb one tree. Tiger come out of the hole now, lay hold on Monkey, say, "I nyam you t'-day!" Anansi on the tree laughing. Monkey into a fix now, don't know how to get away. ”

“ Anansi start to run. His whole body begin to blaze, have to run back an' tak up Dry-head. On reaching the fire, Dry-head order Anansi to bring the cow to him. Anansi with a sulky heart got to comply with Dry-head', order. Dry-head start eating the cow an' eat off every bit,--Anansi never taste it!
[1. Yeye is Jamaican for "eyes".
2. "Dry-head is one of the same species, but he is a different man from them." "Dry-head is a man always hide himself In the bush to eat up what Anansi or Tacoomah have," Parkes says.--He figures as a kind of old man of the sea in the Anansi stories.] ”

“ Shut up in the Pot.
Simeon Falconer, Santa Cruz Mountains. There was a very hard time, no food whatsoever could they get, so Anansi him family well fear. So when Bredder Tiger and Bredder Tacoomah go see him, he tell them for last three or four days his wife and children didn't eat bread. Say they will go back home and send him some of 'em food, and the two go back from Nansi yard and just dodge him now and hear his wife call, "Heah! dinner ready!" And Bredder Tiger and Bredder Tacoomah go back to the house knock on the door. ”

“ Tiger say, "How mus' we ketch him?" Anansi said, "You come here tomorrow twelve o'clock an' I'll sen' him up on a cocoanut tree an' while he in the tree, you wait underneath; when he come down you ketch him." The nex' morning, Cunnie-mo'n-father get two bags, fill it with red ants go up same cocoanut tree an' hide it, preparing for Tiger. At twelve o'clock Tiger come to Anansi yard. Anansi call for Cunnie-mo'n-father an' said, "Go an' get me some cocoanuts off'n that tree." He went, an' Tiger lay wait under the tree for him. ”

“ Now then, Anansi go back to Mr. Mighty an’ tol’ him that there is a man coming to the ball wearing a suit of sheep-skin clo’es,—dat is the man who steal the sheep.
Mr. Mighty give out invitation to all the high folks, all the ladies and gentlemen all aroun’, to attend the ball at that same date. The night of the ball, Anansi went with his fiddle an’ Tiger with his tambourine in the suit of sheep-skin clo’es. ”

“ Anansi said to Dog he remembered when he was a little boy his father planted yams on that very spot of land,--"An' the yams did bear." Dog said, "How they bear big?" Anansi said, "Brar Dog, they bear big, they bear big like me leg!" (Anansi's leg is jus' like a thread!) Brar Dog say, "Before I work an' plant yam, an' the yam not bigger than you. leg, I sooner walk round an' look!" That's the reason why, when you're eating, a dog 'sure to be looking at you. ”

“ Tiger lay down now to nurse them. Anansi took out one alive. Rat took out one dead, got frightened. Tiger looks cross. Anansi took out the other one alive. Rat took out his dead. Tiger got into a temper an' made a spring at Rat to catch him. Rat was running. The track was along the side of a wall. Anansi call, "Brer Pat, 'member stone-hole!" Tiger say, "What you say, Brer Nansi?" Anansi say, "Tell you mus' min', him go into dat stone-hole now!" Rat hear now, get into de stone-hole. Tiger wheel roun' to revenge himself on Anansi. Anansi get under de dry trash. ”

“ An’ Tiger got up a lot of men to get Rabbit out de hole an’ Tiger sent for Reindeer to dig him out, as he had a long neck to put down his head an’ dig him out; but Anansi tol’ Rabbit when Reindeer put down his head in de hole, he mus’ tak de razor an’ cut it off. A lot of people gadder to see Reindeer tak Rabbit out of de hole, but instead, Reindeer head was taken off an’ he drop an’ was dead an’ de whole crowd run away wid fright. ”

“ On my first visit to Maroon Town in the cock-pit country, he was selected as the leading Maroon story-teller to recite stories for me in the church vestry, where half the town gathered as audience. Others he gave me at Harmony Hall. The music he dictated to Miss Roberts at a later visit. He was one of my best informants, though an adroit padder with an eye to compensation.
See 5c, 66, 67, 68, 78a, 80, 82a, 83, 87a (note) , 93, 96. 60. Williams, Alfred, his friend. He was the Maroon song-leader and, with White, led the games and sports. A good singer, but an indifferent story-teller. ”

“ Milne-Home, 99-108, tells it of Anansi and "Lion," who takes the place of Tiger in earlier Jamaica story-telling. In a famous Jamaica digging-song, the words "Tiger-Lion" are coupled much as we should say "John Smith."
The story falls into three parts. (1) A bully takes for himself the food-supply of one weaker than himself, who dares not object. (2) The bully is tricked into allowing himself to be tied; when he is tormented or robbed of the food he is monopolizing. ”

“ Hanansi say, "Brar Kyan-crow, you know you do? You no lob dance? I wi' play fe you!" Kyan-crow say all right. Hanansi say, "But me banjo kyan' play widout hot water." When dey goin' along hall, when de banjo playin' "Ba cimba cimba," Hanansi say, "All right, Brar Kyan-crow, turn back-way come." He tak de packey, he dippy up full of de hot water an' say, "All right, Brar Kyan-crow, dance come now!" As Kyan-crow come, he meet him wid de packey hot water. Kyan-crow tumble down. So from dat day every Kyan-crow got peel-head. ”

“ 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. ”

“ An’ he only sen’ back fe all doze people who eat wid de knife an’ fo’k, say he going to mak a great dinner an’ all de people mus’ come. An’ when de people dem come, he put dem into de house an’ tak out his chil’ren an’ wife, put a kitchen. An’ put de horse-whip on de table an’ lock up de windeh, say if do’ an windeh open can not get dinner. An’ he tell de horse-whip mus’ lay out mak dem eat. An’ de horse-whip flog dem all till dey break down de house.
Anansi is a man nobody can fool him—only Brar Dead! ”

“ An’ says to Tiger, “Brar Tiger, you know what you do? I’s a man dat’s so fat, if I drop on de bare eart’ I’s goin’ to mash up; so if you want me to eat, you want to cut a whole heap a dry trash.” An’ Tiger went an’ cut a whole heap a dry trash an’ carried de dry trash come an’ he t’rown de dry trash.
Anansi said to Tiger, “Brar Tiger, ketch, ketch, ketch, comin’ down!” An’ Anansi let himself off of de house-top an’ drop in de trash, an’ Tiger was upon hard sarchin’ an’ couldn’t fin’ Anansi until t’-day!
Jack man dora, choose none! [11] ”

“ In Milne-Home, Anansi catches the fish by pretending he is going to give them new life.
(2) The tying trick is variously treated. In Callaway, 29, and Theal, the "cannibal's" hair is plaited into the thatch, in Jacottet, the tail; in Callaway, 358, the tail is fastened into the ground. In Dayrell, the two play at tying each other (as in numbers 16 and 37) and the weaker animal refuses to untie the stronger. In Barker, the stronger animal consents to be hung in order to have his teeth beautifully filed. ”

“ He got the cow, but he couldn't manage the removal of the cow alone, and he didn't want to get any intelligent person to assist him, he wanted a fool; so he got a man by the name of Foolman, Foolman wasn't such a fool as he thought. They removed the cow to a place to butcher it near to Foolman's yard, but Anansi did not know that. ”

“ Hog ax him say, “A wha’ yo’ a doin’ heah?”—“A try a work a groun’.” Hog pass him.—“Chuh! man kyan’t look upon rock-stone an’ say me work groun’!” As Hog say so, him drop dead. Anansi pick him up, go eat.
Guinea-chick say, “I will go deh!” Guinea-chick put on him clo’es same as a go market. So when he come an’ see Anansi upon de stone a dig, tie him head wid a check handkerchief—dat are Guinea-chick—an’ pass Anansi, no ’peak to him. Dat time him go long Anansi say, “Dat dar fool!” Den Anansi drop dead. ”

“ Puss and Dog went out journeying one day and they found a thruppence. So they divided and now the trouble was they didn' know which thing to buy with a penny ha'penny. Dog said, "Brar Puss, I goin' to take fe my quattie to buy a quattie worth of look'." Puss say, "I won' buy 'look', I wi' buy cattle!" So the Puss buy a pair of lizard and let them go on the run, and they run to breed. That is why you see a cat always after lizard, and a dog is always looking, looking, looking and doing nothing,
XII.
Han' a go market. Hear beg Han' a buy meat. When Han' come a pass, he cut piece of de meat. ”

“ Once upon a time Brer Tiger an' Brer Anansi was gwine on. Brer Anansi tell Brer Tiger says, "Brer Tiger, I'm gwine to t'row away my knife an' when you see I t'row away mine, you mus' t'row away yours, too." Brer Anansi tak somet'ing an' t'row it away, an' Brer Tiger tak his knife an' t'row it away. An' when dem reach de fiel' to eat pine, [1] deh comes Brer Nansi had his knife, he was eating pine, an 'Brer Tiger didn't get none. Brer Nansi say to Brer Tiger, "Brer Tiger, no man a knife nyam pine; no man no have knife no nyam pine!" ”

“ As him go fe cry, say “Shut yo’ mout’, sir!” As he eat anodder bone again, he knock de las’ pickney, mak t’ree. Tell him say him mustn’t cry. Ate anodder bone an’ t’row it in de hole, knock de mudder. As him go fe cry, say, “Shut yo’ mout!” An’ de las’ bone he eat, knock Anansi in a head. Anansi say, “Mak we all holla now in a de hole!” So dey all holla “Yee! yee-e-e!” in a de hole, an’ as dey holla, Tiger get frighten’ an’ run lef’ de house, an Anansi an’ wife an pickney come out tak all de meat go away, run him out of his house ’count of dat bone-hole! ”

“ The time hard. Anansi said to Tacoomah, “How going to manage wid de hard time?” So Tacoomah said, “You know we do? I will get me machete1 an’ I go half shut de door, den I will say, ‘Police, I sick!’ ” Den, when people come, Tacoomah take de machete an’ chop dem, put dem in de barrel for de hungry time. Anansi say, “Brar Tacoomah, barrel nearly full?”—“No, Brar.” He cry out again how Tacoomah poorly; an’ de people come an’ as dey come, he kill dem put in barrel to serve in hungry time. ”

“ Bredder Monkey been a come see him an' hear what Bredder Spider singing. Bredder Monkey say, "Wa' so you get me daughter!" an' grab away the baby an' kill Spider. And as him kill Spider the pickney drop out his hand dead. ”