Jamaica: Sheep and Rabbit

In these two stories, you see Anansi paired up with two very foolish creatures. Anansi is dangerous, to be sure, but the main lesson here is that you shouldn't do what Anansi tells you to do and, most of all, don't ever ask him to show you what trouble means.

In the first story, Anansi gets to eat all the food by telling the Sheep to leave his spoon behind, and the foolish Sheep does what Anansi tells him.

Beckwith reports three different versions of the "trouble" story: one with Rabbit as the foolish partner, one with Rat, and one with Goat. You will see a "reindeer" in this story, which is how the storyteller refers to a deer with big horns (but no, there are no reindeer, or caribou, in Jamaica!).

[Notes by LKG]

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This story is part of the Jamaican Stories unit. Story source: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith (1924). I have removed the eye-dialect.

(sheep)

Sheep and Anansi

Mr. Anansi and Mr. Sheep going out walking over the country. Carry two spoon; Sheep carry one, Anansi carry one.

Anansi tell Sheep, "Mr. Sheep, leave you spoon here, don't carry it."

Then go to the second house and get some breakfast again. After Anansi get the breakfast, him say, "Mr. Sheep, where you spoon?"

And said, "Don't you tell me to leave it at the first house?"

"You must go back for it now!"

Mr. Sheep gone for it, Anansi eat off all the breakfast.

And said, "Come, Mr. Sheep, but you must leave you spoon."

"Me won't carry it at all."

Then go up to the next yard and get dinner now. Night is coming. and said, "Mr. Sheep, where is you soon?"

And said, "I left it at the last yard you eat."

Well, then, Sheep have to go back for his spoon again; till Sheep come back again and Anansi eat off the dinner.

Sheep couldn't get nothing to eat.

Rabbit and Anansi

Brer Anansi and Brer Rabbit went for a walk one day. Brer Rabbit ask Brer Anansi to show him 'daytime trouble.'

And while they go on, Brer Anansi saw Tiger den with a lot of young Tiger in it. Brer Anansi took out one and kill it and give Rabbit a basket with a piece of the Tiger's meat to carry for the Tiger's father, and took Rabbit along with him to Tiger's house and told Brer Rabbit to hand Tiger the basket.

Anansi run, and Tiger catch at Rabbit to kill him, but he get away.

Brer Anansi run up a tree and say, "Run, Brer Rabbit, run! Run for stone-hole!" Took a razor and give it to Rabbit.

And Tiger got up a lot of men to get Rabbit out the hole and Tiger sent for Reindeer to dig him out, as he had a long neck to put down his head and dig him out.

But Anansi told Rabbit when Reindeer put down his head in the hole, he must take the razor and cut it off. A lot of people gather to see Reindeer take Rabbit out of the hole, but instead, Reindeer head was taken off and he drop and was dead and the whole crowd run away with fright.

After Rabbit come out, Brer Anansi say to him, "Brer Rabbit, so 'daytime trouble' stay. So, as long as you live, never ask anybody to show it to you again!"

Next: New Names

(400 words)