Hausa Tales and Traditions

Being a translation of Frank Edgar's Tatsuniyoyi Na Hausa

Neil Skinner, Neil Skinner

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136968334
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

First Published in 1969. This is a translation from Hausa of Frank Edgar's three volumes of his African folktale, Tatsunijoyi Na Hausa, his major work. The Hausa whose folklore Edgar recorded so industriously are the largest ethnic group in Northern Nigeria and number many millions.

PART I

MAINLY ANIMALS

These are arranged under the name of the leading character of each tale. Rightly or wrongly, I have made each animal male or female according to whether the Hausa word is masculine or feminine.

1

SPIDER

Spider [Gizo] and His Wife Koki*

TATS does not, unlike Rattray, attempt to render the poor pronunciation of Hausa, that Gizo (as a foreigner) is supposed to have. This is not to say that the story-teller did not add it, when speaking the part. R. No. 6 gives a tale about the origin of Gizo – which is nearly the ordinary name for ‘spider’ in Hausa-telling how he came into existence when the lion trampled on a smith thus giving him many legs.

One of the concluding formulae, involving Gizo, which occurs several times, would appear from Rattray to be ‘Do you think I would have made it up if it hadn’t been for Gizo?’, but the versions in TATS sometimes differ slightly from this.

The Crested Cranes and the Lion† [I/3]

One day twelve crested cranes made a journey to eat the fruit of a baure tree in the middle of a river. As they were leaving they passed Spider’s house. One of the figs fell into Spider’s house. Said he to them ‘Stop, you crested cranes.’ So they stopped. Said he ‘Crested cranes, won’t you take me with you to eat of the baure?’ Said they ‘But, Spider, you have no wings!’ Said he ‘Pluck me one each from yours.’ And each of them plucked him a feather from his own wing.

Then they took him along and went with him to eat of the baure. But Spider prevented them from eating of it. Whereupon they, in their turn, took back their wings and flew off, leaving him asleep on the baure. After a while he woke, straightened himself to take off – and fell into the river.

Now, in this river there was a big town. It was into this that he fell. He greeted the townspeople ‘Peace be upon you’; and they replied ‘Welcome, stranger!’ Then said their chief ‘Take him to the fishes’ hut.’ Spider settled down. Then said he to the Chief of the Water (head ferryman) ‘Bring me the children that I may teach them to read.’ The children were collected together for him. He kindled a fire in the school*.

Then he chanced to see ten crocodile’s eggs. So he picked one up, put it in the fire and said to the children ‘If you hear a pop, say “Stranger’s fart, stranger’s fart”.’ This he continued doing till he had used up† the ten eggs. Then he said to them ‘Tell the Chief of the Water to have me taken home’ and he was entrusted to ten fishes to take him to the bank.

When they had brought him to the bank, he said to them ‘Come out a little way on to the land and let’s play the entering-bag game.’ Out they came. Said he ‘If I enter, don’t strike it!’ Then he got into the bag and out again, and said to them ‘Now it’s your turn to enter.’ But when they were in the bag, he tied up the mouth of the bag with them in. Then he kindled a fire and began to grill them. As he finished grilling them up comes the lion. Says the lion ‘Peace be upon you, Spider.’ Says Spider ‘Welcome, Big Brother.’ And the lion says ‘Give me some fish!’ and he took the fish. Whereupon Spider burst into tears. Says the lion ‘Crying for the fish, Spider?’ And Spider replied ‘No, it’s the smoke.’

They were sitting there when a guinea-fowl got up, and Spider, speaking of her, said ‘Shameless creature, just as if it wasn’t me who gave her her markings!’ Then a bush-fowl got up and Spider said ‘Look at her! I’m just preparing to give her some markings too, when off she goes!’ Says the lion ‘Can you really do those markings, Spider?’ and Spider replies Of course I can!’ Then the lion says ‘Do you think you could give me markings like that?’ and Spider answered ‘Get a rope of ox-hide.’ And he brought him one.

Then Spider seized the lion and tied him to a tree-trunk; and he put an iron rolling-pin* in the fire till it was red-hot. Then pressed it against the lion’s body, cauterizing him, and off he ran. Along came the termite and said to the lion ‘You’re tricky, ungrateful people: if one gives you day, you return night.’ Says the lion ‘I won’t return night to you.’ So she chewed through the ox-hide rope and the lion made off.

He went to look for Spider. When Spider heard that the lion was seeking him, he took the corpse of an oribi, dried up, and put it on his body. Then he met the lion, who said to him ‘Oribi, have you heard news of Spider?’ And the oribi answered the lion ‘Run, lion, run. Don’t you know, if Spider looks angry at a man, he’ll fade, or die. You’ve been warned!’ And the lion set off running.

Big Fleas and Little Fleas† [I/6]

Spider was sick. When he got up, he said to his wife ‘I haven’t any meat.’ And he said, sitting at the door of his compound ‘I invite all the wild beasts to help.’ So she went off and told them, saying ‘You are all invited, Spider summons you all to help him.’

Next morning first thing along comes the cockroach, he’s the first. Says he to Spider ‘Here I am, answering your call to help.’ And Spider answered ‘Into a hut with you before the others come!’ Next up comes the cock. Says he to Spider ‘Where are all the others?’ and Spider said ‘The cockroach is in the hut – in you go and kill him!’ and the cock went into the hut, killed the cockroach and down he sat.

A little later up comes the cat. Says he to Spider ‘Where are all the others?’ and Spider answered ‘There’s the cock in the hut there. Go and kill him!’ Into the hut went the cat and killed the cock, and there was the cock, in the hut, dead.

And there was the cat too, when up comes the dog. Says he to Spider ‘Where are all the others?’ and Spider answered him ‘Into the hut with you! The cat’s there, go and kill him.’ And in he went and killed the cat.

And as he sat in the hut, up came the hyena and said to Spider ‘Here I am, come to help.’ And Spider said ‘There’s the dog in the hut. Go and kill him!’ And the hyena went in and killed the dog.

And she settled in the hut. Then along came the leopard and said to Spider ‘Here I am, come to help’ and the Spider said to the leopard ‘There’s the hyena, go in and kill her!’ And the leopard went in and killed the hyena. And while she was still in the hut, up came the lion. Says he to Spider ‘Here I am, come to help’ and Spider said to him ‘There’s the leopard, go and kill her!’ Then the lion and the leopard both came out and joined battle. And as they fought, Spider came up and ground up a pepper fine, and, taking some, threw it in the lion’s eyes. Then he took some more and threw it in the leopard’s eyes. And they shut their eyes and couldn’t see. Then he took a stick and started beating the lion, beating the leopard, saying

‘Leave off, lion; leave off, leopard! For who may enter the fight of you great ones?’ until he killed them. And he got meat enough to satisfy him. And he ate and grew fat.

A Variant* [I/94]

It is said that once Spider recovered from an illness and felt the desire for meat. Not finding any he summoned all the beasts of the bush to come to his compound and do some work for him.

When it was light, the first to arrive was the cockroach. ‘Peace be upon you’ said he. ‘And upon you peace’ said Spider. ‘Haven’t the others come yet?’ asked the cockroach, and Spider answered ‘Go into a hut and sit down, till they arrive’ and the cockroach entered a hut and sat down.

After a while the rooster arrived. ‘Peace be upon you’ said he to Spider. ‘And upon you peace’ answered Spider. ‘Haven’t the others come?’ he asked, and Spider answered ‘Only the cockroach has come so far. He’s there in the hut. Go on in and kill him.’ So the rooster went in and killed the cockroach. Then he too sat down in the hut and waited.

After a while the cat came along. Says he to Spider ‘Where are the others?’ and Spider answered ‘They haven’t collected yet. The rooster is the first to come. He’s there in the hut. When you go in, kill him!’ Then the cat went into the hut, and killing the rooster, sat down and waited. And Spider just went on sitting there at the doorway of the entrance-hut.

After a while the dog came along, and asked Spider ‘Haven’t the others come yet?’ ‘Not yet’ said Spider. ‘Just the cat so far – he’s there in the hut. When you get in, kill him!’ So the dog went and killed the cat and sat down and waited in the hut.

After a while the hyena came along. ‘Haven’t the others come yet?’ says she to Spider. ‘No’ says Spider. ‘Just the dog so far.’ ‘Where’s he?’ says she. ‘In the hut’ says Spider. ‘When you go there, kill him!’ and in went the hyena and killed the dog, and she too sat down in the hut and waited.

After a while, along comes the leopard. ‘Where are the others?’ says she to Spider. ‘Haven’t they collected yet?’ ‘Not yet’ says Spider. ‘Except for the hyena – she’s here. She’s sitting in the hut there. If you go in, kill her!’ So the leopard went in, killed the hyena and sat down in the hut and waited.

After a while, along came the lion. Said he to Spider ‘Haven’t the others collected?’ ‘No’ said Spider. ‘Not yet – except only the leopard, she’s there in the hut. Go and find her, and kill her!’ So the lion went on and found the leopard in the hut, and he seized the leopard, and the leopard in her turn seized him and they fought.

Now Spider had had some pepper pounded up for him and put it by. When he heard the lion and leopard fighting, he went up to them, and taking some of the pounded pepper he threw it in the lion’s eyes. And taking some more, he threw it in the leopard’s eyes. Then the eyes of both of them were closed and they couldn’t see, and Spider, picking up a big stick, began to hit them both hard, saying as he did so ‘Lion, leave off! Leopard, leave off! For who may enter the fight of you great ones?’ And he went on hitting the lion and the leopard in turn until he had killed them and there they were, dead. Then he called Mrs. Spider and they gathered up the meat, and ate and ate, and had their fill of meat. Kurungus kan kusu.

The Malam and the Hyena* [I/7]

One day a certain malam set out on a journey. And as he rode along on his mare, up came a hyena and said to him ‘Where are you going?’ And he answered ‘I’m going to school.’ And she said ‘May I come too?’ and he answered ‘Certainly, come along!’

As they went along, the malam’s mare collapsed and could go no farther. Then said the hyena ‘Malam, give me the mare to eat. Get on me and we’ll get along.’ And the malam said to her ‘Very well, take her and eat her!’ So she took her and ate her, and then ran off, leaving the malam with his saddle and bridle.

He put his saddle up on his head and set off, and as he went along he met with Spider. Says Spider ‘Malam, where are you off to?’ and he answered ‘I came out and met a hyena as I was going. She asked me to give her my mare to eat, saying I could ride her. But when I gave the mare and she had eaten her, she ran off, and I haven’t seen her since.’

Says Spider ‘Where’s the place she ate your mare?’ and the malam answered ‘Come along with me and I’ll show you!’ Off they went and he showed Spider where the hyena had eaten her. She had left the liver, the head and the hooves. Spider took the liver and put it in his bag. Then he said to the malam ‘You stay here!’ And the malam sat down waiting for Spider, while Spider went off to look for the hyena.

A little later he met with the hyena and said to her ‘Where are you going?’ and she answered ‘I’m on the run. I ate a malam’s mare, after telling him a lie.’ Says Spider ‘Come along, we’ll go and I’ll take you to some meat.’

As they went along Spider said to the hyena ‘Today you’ll eat meat till you’re full.’ Says the hyena ‘I say, Spider, you wouldn’t be after taking ...