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.
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!
Nédamishó Anansi, néjo, “káik
enâ motí te enchumatá ó
olchaní óádó. Néákú nánú aké
náíng’or.”
Népiyayu enkeené náádó,
néenikí te enchotó nábo
empólos enyé néítokí aenikí te
enkái shotó ínâ motí.
Néíteru akéd olchaní. Négolu
enkedotó éátâ emotí naenikíno
empólos.
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.
Óre egirá Anansi aekenyá akéd
olchaní, náa kéíng’oríta aké
enkáyíóní énye nátií abóri ílô
shaní. Néjokí inâ áyíóní,
“émeleléku sá doí enkedotó ó
olchaní teníeníki ínâ motí
enkoríóng?”
Nélaku Anansi emotí oó
inkulupúók te empólôs, néenikí
enkoríóng. Nélelekú enkedotó
katúkûl.
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.
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.
Nébelibela inâ móti, néaku
meáta oltung’áni leitú étûm
eng’énó.
Náa néíjia éíkúnâ iltung’aná peê
enotitô eng’énó nauníé endáa,
ó enaripíé inkiláni ó enaitóbirie
intokitín ó osúyáí.
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.
