African American Folktales

by Roger Abrahams

  —Georgia

  INTRODUCTION

  In the world of these tales, the boundary is broken down between the village and the bush, and between humans and supernatural creatures. Characters may be animals acting like humans, or humans acting like animals. The stories in this section focus on contests and fights as the contestants, in one way or another, draw on the special powers coming from the nonhuman world.

  Some of the most interesting and unusual Afro-American folklore concerns the creatures that inhabit places where humans and the spirit world interact. Because the native healing systems found throughout this area invoke the powers of nature through the use of plant and animal products, a great many personal-experience stories are on record concerning beings with the power to heal and to hurt. Known as conjuring, hoodoo, and root work in the United States and obeah in the greater West Indies, these practices are carried on by specialists who seem mysterious primarily because their practices are outlawed in most places. Unlike voodoo (Vodun), Shango, and Santería, which are religious systems with rituals and ceremonies—and which also practice spiritual healing and exorcising—obeah and conjuring are carried out between a client and a worker. These healers commonly live alone, often at the edge of the community, and are depicted as intermediaries between bush spirits (or other forces of nature) and humans.

  Although the stories in this section do not derive directly from the realm of the conjuror, they do depict a world in which the distinction between animals and humans is broken down, animals becoming humans and humans calling on the power of animals. In the first story, “Golden Breasts, Diamond Navel, Chain of Gold,” pigs with great magical powers of dance bring important practices into play. They become magical helpers to the “poor boy” and bring about his eventual prosperity. In “Trying to Get the Goldstone,” the helpers come to the aid of one of their own, the bird Nancy Jane O, in her contest with a frog.

  On the other hand, in “Loggerhead,” a big bird is a scare figure menacing the community, and must be confronted and killed by Old Witch Boy, demonstrating that this strange hero has supernatural powers equal to any bush figure. Similarly, in “ Stackolee,” the title character is in league with the Devil and produces mayhem and death wherever he bullies his way. This tale, told in the same verse style and coming from the same urban environment as “The Sinking of the Titanic,” describes the confrontation of two badmen.

  As in “Loggerhead,” the conflict in “The Old Bull and the Young One” focuses on the continuity of the group, and by extension, on life itself. But here the confrontation occurs between father and son rather than between bush and village. Indeed, the bush provides a hiding place for the young bull until he can come into his full powers and challenge his father, the bull of the herd.

  In “Jack Beats the Devil,” as in “Stackolee,” we find the widely told story of the confrontation between a human rascal and renegade and the Devil. Jack gambles with the Devil and finally beats him at his own game. This contest involves a disparity of power, in which the apparently weaker character is able to prevail by exercising his wits, a theme which also animates “Three Killed Florrie, Florrie Killed Ten,” where the Old Witch Boy is the clever one, and “The Flying Contest,” in which little Kunibre triumphs over all of the larger birds.

  75

  GOLDEN BREASTS, DIAMOND NAVEL, CHAIN OF GOLD

  Kri, kra! Listen to the story!

  Open your ears and hear the story!

  There are men! Kri, kra!

  A mother had a poor son whose name was Boni-Boni, and he had no cloth to cover his body. She was also raising three pigs—one danced only the dance of the people of the bush, the apuku; one danced the waltz; and one danced only the African-style dance brought by the ancestors, the susa.

  Listen! The story will go on!

  The story must go on!

  Well, when hard times came, the mother said to her boy, “Well, my boy, I see we have nothing to eat. Go take the pig that dances the dance of the bush people and sell him, so we will have some food.”

  But the boy had taught that pig to dance himself, and he knew his powers. And he had read in the newspaper that there was this beautiful princess who had three special things on her body. And anyone who could guess what they were, they would be able to marry her. Boni-Boni and the pig that danced apuku went away to the village.

  Bato!

  Sing, sing, my dindyamaka,

  Sing, sing, my dindyamaka,

  Things will happen, my dindyamaka.

  Now, near that village lived a princess, a princess who was known for her beauty. She was handsomer than the sun. The more you looked at her, the more beautiful she appeared. But as the boy was approaching this neighboring kingdom, several soldiers stopped him, and one of them said, “Boy, where do you think you are going? People can’t pass here.” But the princess was walking in the yard, and saw the boy with the pig. She called him and said she liked the pig. She asked the boy what the pig did. He said, “This pig dances apuku.” Then she said to the boy, “Well, let me see him dance.”

  And now the pig began to dance apuku, and when everyone else saw this magical dance they ran away. For this dance was one done only by the bush spirits, never by people. And he danced it so well, it was a pleasure to see. And the pig sang as he danced:

  Ghosts are in the cemetery,

  Where are they?

  Ghosts wear white,

  Where are they?

  Ghosts are in the cemetery,

  They are in the burial ground.

  Ghosts wear white,

  They are in the burial ground.

  So the princess asked the boy how much he wanted for the pig. Boni-Boni said, “Ah, my princess, I don’t want any money. But if you let me see your breasts, then I will give you the pig.” The princess looked at him, and she laughed. She said, “What a silly boy! Are you looking for food, or are you looking for breasts?” But the princess loved the pig, so she showed the boy her breasts. And what were they but two breasts of gold. The boy took out a small book, and he wrote down this wonder.

  Now, when the boy went home, the mother was suffering from hunger. So when his mother asked him, “Boni-Boni, where is the pig? Did you sell it already?” the boy had to lie. “No, Mother, the pig, he got away from me. I looked for him everywhere, but I couldn’t find him.” The mother ran to get a stick, and holding it up, shook it at him: “If you don’t bring the pig back, I’m going to break your head.” The boy was afraid, so he ran away and hid.

  Listen to the story!

  And listen to the story!

  He who takes this story, and repeats it, will turn to marble!

  But the mother was still hungry, so she called out to him again. She said, “Boni-Boni, my son. I beg you, look how I have nothing to eat. Look how we are suffering, and take this pig, this one that dances the waltz, and sell him. But please, please, don’t let this one get loose and run away.” And so the boy took to the path again and he came once more to the kingdom of the princess.

  Kri, kra! All men on their kra, kra!

  And so, the boy sang this waltz to the pig:

  Selina fanaida

  Why do you cry?

  You love me for my money,

  But you do not love me for myself,

  That is why you cry.

  Bato! The story must go on!

  Well, my man, when the princess saw this waltzing animal, she said, “Boni-Boni, you must sell me this pig, and I will pay you as much money as you want. Never have I seen a pig dance like a human being like this!” This was not just an ordinary dance, you see, for when the pig danced a waltz you felt the pig’s power as far as the street. Boni-Boni said, “Ah, my princess, I cannot sell him to you,” and he began to laugh. The boy said, “My princess, I beg of you one thing, that I don’t know if you will agree to it. I want you to let me see your navel. Then I will give you the pig for nothing.” And the princess looked at him, and she said, “You are still only a boy. You can’t do anything to me, so
I will show you.” But when the princess bared her stomach, what he saw was a black diamond navel. The boy laughed; and he gave the pig to the princess.

  Now the princess had two pigs already, one that danced apuku and one that danced an amazing waltz. And all this the boy wrote down in the book.

  Listen to the story, my man!

  Listen to the story!

  An Anansi storyteller is here!

  So the boy went to his mother again, and told her, “Mother, you must not be afraid. Good times will come.” Now the boy and his mother still had nothing to eat. So he put on his only clothes, a blue coat and a pair of breeches, and a pair of sandals.

  So the boy still had the most marvelous pig, one that danced susa, the dance of the African ancestors. If the pig struck his foot on the ground, the earth would burst open to see a pig dance so beautifully. Now, while the mother was sleeping, the boy took the pig and went back to the kingdom of the same princess. And there he began to coax the pig to dance with the susa song.

  The rice is falling,

  Come pick it, brother,

  Things are there.

  The rice is falling,

  Come pick it, brother.

  When the princess saw this third dance, she was thrilled to silence. When she was able to think and speak, she said to herself that she must have that pig, and she offered Boni-Boni nine hundred guilders for him. But he said, “No, no, you must know, my princess, I can’t sell him to you.” Then the boy laughed and added, “Princess, I beg you to do one thing for me.” She said, “Well, what is that, my boy?” He said, “Princess, I want to see your thighs.” And when she agreed he saw the princess’s legs had a gold chain wrapped around them, a chain to match her pubic hair. And when she showed him this marvel, he gave the princess the pig.

  Now, when the boy went home this time, he had his mother clean for him his pair of blue breeches and a blue coat. So that Sunday the boy went to the priest for confession, and he confessed to the priest that he was in love with the princess. The priest asked him, said, “My boy, I see how you suffer, but how can you ever answer the questions and win the princess?” The boy said, “Pater, do you want me to tell you what the first one is?” The priest was doubtful but the boy insisted.

  “Pater, let me tell you a story. The first thing the princess has is two golden breasts.” Now the priest was interested in what the boy was saying and took note of these things. He said, “Boni-Boni, what else?” He said, “Pater, I do not know more, hear?” and told him no more.

  Well, my man, the story will go on!

  Well, the next day they both went to the kingdom of the princess. All the important white men from the area were there to try to answer the questions. Boni-Boni wore his little blue coat and his blue breeches and his sandals; he was a poor boy. When they arrived at the kingdom of the princess to answer the questions, the priest was the first one who went in to answer the questions with the information from the boy. First they asked him,“ What is the first thing the princess has?” The priest laughed. He said, “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! The first thing? Ah, two golden breasts.” Now, the king was a little alarmed that someone there might really know. He asked the priest, “What is the second one?” The priest thought and thought, but he didn’t know and could only say nonsense faithfully.

  And they called everyone else, but no one even knew one answer. Finally, they called the boy. They said, “You boy, here?” He said, “I will answer the questions till … there are questions to spare.” He said he would answer more than they thought. The king said, “What is the first thing that the princess has?” He said, “Ah, King, the first thing the princess has? Two golden breasts.” The king struck the boy with his foot. “Shut your mouth! You heard the priest say that just now.” The boy said, “I told the priest that myself at confession.” Now the priest was frightened to death.

  The king asked the boy what the second one was. “The second one is a navel with a black diamond in it.” The king was standing there frightened and pulling at his hair that such a youngster should answer such a question. “And the third one?” the king said. “What is the third one?” Boni-Boni said, “The third one, my king, is a golden chain that matches her pubic hair.”

  All the white men were frightened now, for they saw what powers the boy must have. They lifted the boy from the stool on which he sat. But they still didn’t think that the boy was fit to marry a princess. And so they gave the boy five hundred guilders to go and eat. And the king said to them, he said to the boy and the priest, he said, “Tomorrow night, at ten o’clock, I will lock you and the priest and the princess in a room. The princess will be in the middle, the priest on the right hand, and Boni-Boni on the left hand. And at five o’clock in the morning, whomever I see the princess embracing, that one will marry her, and get the entire kingdom.”

  Bato!

  Kri, kra!

  So the boy went home happy and said to his mother, “Eat and drink, and be happy. I have already won the battle.” When the mother saw the five hundred guilders, she was so happy that she wept, and she embraced the boy. Boni-Boni said, “Mother, don’t be afraid now. Take this. Tomorrow I am going to fight a greater fight.” So the boy asked his mother for ten of the guilders. He went to the drugstore and got some lavender water and some laxative. And then he went home and took a bath in the lavender water so he would smell sweet for the coming night.

  And so he went about nine o’clock at night. The priest was already sitting there like a great man. He was waiting for the hour to come. So at ten o’clock they locked the princess and the priest and Boni-Boni in a room that was beautiful beyond anything Boni-Boni had ever seen. This being the palace, everything was fixed neat and clean beyond words. Well, as they were lying down about eleven o’clock at night the boy began to eat one of the sugar cakes, and the others smelled them and they smelled so good. For the cakes were sweet with sweetness to spare. Now, the princess could smell them, and she yearned for the boy’s cakes. But because she didn’t want to get close to him, she pretended to be asleep.

  Now, the priest smelled the cakes too, and they smelled so sweet. And the boy said, “Pater, if you like a few of the cakes, then take a few and eat.” The priest said he thought he might try one, and the boy gave him of it and he ate it. He liked the cake so well that he asked the boy for more. Then the boy gave the priest the cakes with the laxative.

  By about one o’clock the priest felt his belly begin to swell and hurt him. He groaned, “Boni-Boni, my boy, I am going to die. You know what? I am going to have to shit in this house. I can’t help it.” “My God, Pater! They will kill you if you do that.”

  But the priest couldn’t stop, so he went behind the door and he shitted. And now he did not know what to do; he came and lay down again. So the whole room began to smell, until the princess herself woke up from the awful ugly smell.

  Now the priest was afraid that he was going to get caught. So he thought to himself that there was only one way of getting rid of the shit—he had to eat it. So the priest went behind the door, ate the shit, and tried to clean things up as best he could.

  Well, by that time it was four o’clock in the morning and the princess was getting cold. And so she decided she had to warm herself up, and decided to lie down beside the priest. But when the princess turned that way and began to put her arms around the priest, the smell was just too much for her. So she turned over and went to Boni-Boni’s side. She turned again to go to the priest, but she could not stand it. By now it was five o’clock in the morning, and she stayed on Boni-Boni’s side.

  When they opened the door, they saw how the princess and Boni-Boni were lying next to each other. So they had to let the boy marry the princess and receive the kingdom. And so the priest was ashamed. He could not walk anymore, for feebleness seized him. And the priest went and pulled out his beard. That is why priests do not grow beards anymore.…

  Now, the story must go on.

  And so the boy married, and received the kingdom. And the
father, the king, was not pleased that the princess had to marry that boy. Yet they were married.

  And so I myself ate at the wedding feast, and they shot me with a cannon, till I sat down here. And so the story comes to an end. And so the boy was singing a wedding song to himself.

  Emilina, todowais;

  Emilina, todowaisende.

  —Surinam

  76

  THE FLYING CONTEST

  Now, one time all the birds got together and decided that they needed a king, because all important creatures had a king. So they went to Lion to have him call a council of birds, as Lion was king of all the animals.

  When the meeting was called, all the birds came together. Kunibre was the smallest, but he was smart! He thought about the subject, and finally announced that, despite his size, he would be king. The others wondered about this, but they didn’t really know what to do.

  Lion thought about it and asked the birds how they thought it should be settled. They all talked, and Falcon, who knew he could fly high, hoped that they would decide by having a contest to see who could fly highest. But he couldn’t suggest this because the other birds would know what he was up to. Luckily, Nightingale said, “I want to say something, but I don’t know if it will be agreeable to everyone.” They all said, “Speak! Let’s hear what you have to say.” “I won’t suggest that you should choose by who sings most sweetly, because I know that if I raise a note, I should win. But let me say that God gave us all one thing and that is wings. So whoever can fly the highest, he should be made king.” Falcon was pleased when he heard this as it had been on his mind for such a long time. He jumped up and said, “I think that is the best plan,” and all the others agreed, even Kunibre. What no one knew was that Kunibre had his own plan in mind.