Ndrâ drɨ ̀ò rɨ ̀sɨ ̀, ‘bá àzɨ ́ ndrâ e’yó
nǐpɨ nɨ àlʉ nɨ yo. ‘Bá drɨ ́á nǐ nɨ ́
ndrâ òrɨ sazʉ́, bòngó sòzʉ́ , átà
àfa edélé aya sɨ ̀ ‘dɨyɨ mà àzɨ ́
edézʉ́ àlʉ nɨ kʉ. te àdróá o’ápɨ
‘bùá uru rɨ ̀ vʉ́ òndùá drɨ ́á ndrâ
cɨ ́. Mba ndrâ òndùá ndê mà tà
kílílí émvʉ́ òdrɨ ́ sɨ ̀ nɨ mà aléá.
Long long ago people didn’t
know anything. They didn’t
know how to plant crops, or
how to weave cloth, or how to
make iron tools.
The god Nyame up in the sky
had all the wisdom of the world.
He kept it safe in a clay pot.
Ó’dú alʉ àdróá egá e’yó émvʉ́á
òndùá be rɨ ̀ fèzʉ́ ìbìó drí. Ó’dú
dríá ìbìó nɨ ́ àngʉ̀ nèzʉ́ émvʉ́á
‘da mà aléá ‘dálé ‘bo rɨ ̀ mà aléá,
èrɨ e’yó àzɨ ́ ó’dɨ ́ nɨ ònì rá. E’yó
‘da ndrɨ ̀ dɨ ́ ìbìó nɨ ́ fudrì cɨ ́.
One day, Nyame decided that
he would give the pot of
wisdom to Anansi.
Every time Anansi looked in the
clay pot, he learned something
new. It was so exciting!
Ìbìó ànyàmgbòlò be tʉ̀rɨ ̀ e’dó
e’yó egá kɨ ́nɨ ̀, “ma ngǎ émvʉ́á
‘dɨ ̀ mà tàmba kílílí patí èzʉ́ nɨ
mà síá ‘bùá ‘dálé. Ànɨ ́ èrɨ dɨ ́ nga
ovʉ pɨ ́ mâ nɨ ́a’dúle be nɨ ̀.” Pɨ
wízì èzʉ́, otra èrɨ émvʉ́á ‘dà mà
ruá kúrúmù rá rá ombé dɨ ̌ èrɨ
‘ɨ ́mà aléá. E’dó dɨ ̌ tú patí síá. Te
patí tuzà émvʉ́ be alɨ ́á rɨ ̀ ecá
èwá èwá kɨ ̀lé émvʉ́ nɨ ́ èrɨ mà
kùmúti òsǐ kɨ ̀lé émvʉ́á nɨ ́ èrɨ mà
kùmúti ògbǎ ògbà rɨ ̀lé.
Greedy Anansi thought, “I’ll
keep the pot safe at the top of a
tall tree. Then I can have it all
to myself!”
He spun a long thread, wound it
round the clay pot, and tied it to
his stomach.
He began to climb the tree. But
it was hard climbing the tree
with the pot bumping him in the
knees all the time.
Ìbìó nɨ ́ rɨ ̌ rɨá drì ci rɨá ‘dólé ‘dálé,
èrɨ mà mvî gǎ rɨ ̀ sò pá patí ètɨ ́á
‘ɨ ́mà átî nɨ nèrɨá . Nga ‘yǒ ‘ɨ ́mà
átî nɨ ́ kɨ ́nɨ ̀, “cɨ ̀kà té mɨ ́nɨ ́ émvʉ́á
‘dɨ ̀ ombézʉ́ mî ngʉ́kʉ́á ká mɨ ́nɨ ́
tuzʉ́ ndò kʉ yǎ?” ìbìó ò’bì dɨ ́
émvʉ́a’ ombé ‘ímà ngʉ́kʉ́á ká,
nga dɨ ́ patí tuzà esú èwákóòrʉ́.
All the time Anansi’s young son
had been standing at the
bottom of the tree watching. He
said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to
climb if you tied the pot to your
back instead?”
Anansi tried tying the clay pot
full of wisdom to his back, and it
really was a lot easier.
‘Du sâ ángɨ ́rɨ ́ kʉ rʉ́ ca patí síá
‘bùá lɨ ́lɨ ́á ‘dǎ rá.
Te e’dó e’yó egá kɨ ́nɨ ̀, ma té cé
belé ovʉ òndʉ̀á dríá rɨ ̀ be ma ‘ɨ ́
yâ rɨ ̀ tem â mvî mà òndʉ̀á aga
vɨ ́nɨ má vɨ ́lé rɨ ̀ rá dô! Àwókó nya
ìbìó nɨ e’yó ‘dɨ ̀sɨ ̀ rá e’bé émvú
‘dà patí síá rɨ ̀sɨ ̀ vǎ ‘dólé.
In no time he reached the top of
the tree.
But then he stopped and
thought, “I’m supposed to be
the one with all the wisdom,
and here my son was cleverer
than me!”
Anansi was so angry about this
that he threw the clay pot down
out of the tree.
Émvʉ́á ndê andi ‘ɨ kpélékpélé.
Òndʉ́á ngá dɨ ̌ yɨ adɨ ̌ ‘bá dríá nɨ ́
awazʉ́ yɨ mà èseléá. ‘Dà dɨ ́ gèrì
‘bá yɨ nɨ ́ ándrâ ònìzʉ́ ámvú
‘yazʉ́, bòngó sòzʉ́ àfa àzɨ ́ ‘dɨ ̀yɨ
edézʉ́ aya sɨ ̀ àzínɨ àfa ‘bá yɨní nǐ
edêsɨ ̀ rá ‘dɨyɨ pie.
It smashed into pieces on the
ground. The wisdom was free
for everyone to share.
And that is how people learned
to farm, to weave cloth, to
make iron tools, and all the
other things that people know
how to do.
Ghanaian folktale
Wiehan de Jager
Dorothy Fetaru
Lugbarati (official orthography)
Level 3
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