Aabawo khaale ni khaale naabi,
babaandu abe
baakhumanyakho shishiindu
shoosi ta. Sibaamanya
khuubyaala byakhulya ta,
namwe khuunaba tsingubo ta,
namwe khuubasa bibyuuma ta.
Ne wele waabwe Khabuumbi
uwamenyatsaka mu ngaaki
mwikulu aaba ni kamakesi koosi
ke shibala. Abe waakabiikha
buulayi mu nyuungu.
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.
Shifukhu shitweela, Khabuumbi
waakhalawo khuuwa Manaasi
inyuungu iyo iye kamakesi. Buli
esi Manaasi ekheengela mu
nyuungu umwo, eyikatsakayo
shishiindu shiyaakha. Isho
shaamwikhoyesatsaka naabi
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!
Lwe kumuluungo, Manaasi
wambaasa ari, “Kane imbiikhe
inyuungu yino buulayi imisya
we kusaala kuleeyi. Kane shino
shiinyalisise ise khuukimalila
senyene.
Manaasi waaborora luwuutsi
luleeyi, waalubowelela khu
nyuungu, lwanyuma waakibowa
khu nda yeewe.
Aryo waarakikha khuuniina khu
kusaala. Ne sishaba shaangu
khuuniina nga waasutile
inyuungu ta, lwekhuuba yaba
imukuunyaka khu meesikamo
keewe buli nyaanga.
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.
Bino byoosi byakholekha nga
umwaana wa Manasi
umukyeekhe, uwaba
weemikhile mwisiina mwe
kusaala, waaloleleele.Kila aloma
paapawe ari, “Sishaandibeele
shaangu khuuniina nga
waabowele inyuungu iyo khu
mukoongo, mu shifwo she
nda?”
Manaasi waakhakakho
waabowa inyuungu iyetsula
kamakyesi khu mukoongo, ni
abweenewo waashinyoola nga
shaangu naabi khuuniina.
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.
Lubaluba, waatabula imisya we
kusaala.
Ne waasilamo wambaasa ari,
“Iseese niye uwaandibeele ni
kamakesi koosi, ne bona ari
umwaana wase wafuurire ise
kamakyesi!”
Manaasi lirima lyamuwaamba
lwashino, waabukula inyuungu
iyaba ili imisya we kusaala
waakitsukutsa aasi.
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.
Inyuungu iyo yekhupa aasi
yaabulyungukhaka. Kamakesi
iko kaasalanila kekyela ka buli
muundu khuufunakho.
Shino nisho shishamilamo
babaandu khukhwiiyika
khuulima, khuunaba tsingubo,
ni khuubasa bibyuuma, atweela
ni bibiindu bibiindi byoosi
byeesi babaandu bakhola.
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.
