Story of the Day: Brer Rabbit and the Tar Girl

Brer Rabbit and the Tar Girl. The tar-baby is often female, and this version of the story puts a strong emphasis on that detail. There is also a fun coda at the end where Brer Rabbit runs into Brer Raccoon and tells him about what happened, with Rabbit singing a little song at the end of the story. This is a tale from the Sea Islands of South Carolina collected in 1919; the storyteller's name was Toby Byas, and he was about 75 years old at that time (which means he was born around 1844). You will see some Gullah here (Wikipedia: Gullah), such as "he" and "him" being used as all-purpose pronouns, not marked for gender or number. More stories? Here are some more stories from South Carolina, and also some more Gullah stories from the Georgia Coast.

illustration by F. J. Church

BRER RABBIT AND THE TAR GIRL

Rabbit go to Buh Wolf well and get water. He tote all night, him and his chillun.

In the morning Buh Wolf come to the well, and would meet the well almost dry. And Buh Wolf ask him, "Buh Rabbit, every morning I go to my well I can't get a bit of water."

Buh Rabbit tell, "My brother, I get all my water out the cow-track. I don't go and mess your well."

Buh Wolf make a tar baby and put him to the well.

Next morning Rabbit gone and see the girl. Tell the girl for love him, tell him for kiss him, and if the girl don't kiss him, he will slap the girl.

One hand fasten.

He say, "What kind of girl you is? You love me till my hand fasten. Gal," he say, "turn me loose, I slap you with my other hand."

When he slap him, the hand fasten.

"But what kind of girl this here here? Love me so, this hand fasten. Girl, if you don't turn me loose, I butt you; and when I butt you, I kill you."

Then he butt the girl.

"What kind of a girl this? If you not turn me loose, I kick you."

And he kick the girl, and one of his foot fasten.

And he kick him with the other foot. And the other foot fasten.

In that time Buh Wolf come to the well for to get water. And Buh Wolf say, "Buh Rabbit, what you do here? What you tell me you don't get no water out my well, you get out the cow-track?"

Say, "Brother, I was going to the cow-track for get water, I see this girl. This girl so love me. The girl hold me here to the well."

Wolf tell him, "Oh, I going to put the lick on you."

And when Buh Wolf commence to lick Buh Rabbit, Buh Rabbit holler, "Do, Buh Wolf, if you turn me loose this time, I never come back here no more! That damn girl fetch me to this!"

Buh Wolf turn him loose, he lick him some.

Buh Rabbit run till he meet Buh Raccoon.

Buh Raccoon say, "Buh Rabbit, why you tarry up so?"

He say him gone to the cow-track for water, and he met one pretty girl, and him and the girl start for fight. Him thought been a girl; but when he come for find been a tar baby, and he tar him up.

And he going him now to wash up himself and dress hisself, and going to the girl house. And when he left Buh Raccoon, he say,
A whulla whulla whulla
Sak a landa,
I been there till I call you.
Sak a landa.

And he gone.



Story Title: Tar-Baby
Storyteller: Toby Byas
Book Title: Folklore of the Sea Islands, South Carolina
Author: Elsie Clews Parsons
Published: 1923
Rights: CC0 Public Domain
Online Source: Hathi Trust
Process: Eye dialect removed, light editing for punctuation and paragraphs.
Story Notes from Author (Parsons): For bibliography see MAFLS 13:II (note i). See also Aiken, S.C. (JAFL 34:4), Louisiana (JAFL 6:48), Antigua (JAFL 34:53), Benga (Nassau, 22-23), South Africa (Honey, 73-79, 79-82), Vandau (Curtis, 45), Cherokee (BAE 19:271-272), Philippines (MAFLS 12:326 ff.), Taulipang, Guiana (Koch-Grunberg, 47), Santal (Bompas, CXII). Comparative, Dahnhardt, 4:20-43.
Additional Notes: The part about Rabbit's children and draining the well dry is one Parsons listed as a variant in the footnote.