Ananse and the banana tree
Once upon a time, Ananse used to live on the ground and farm the land like every
one else. Those days one hand of banana could feed a small family. As time passed,
more and more people started to plant around the village, until you could hardly
walk without stepping into someone's grung (a field, part of a farm where foodstuff
is grown). This went on and on until Bra Ananse, Bra Dog and Bra Monkey decided
to clear a plot near the edge of the forest and cultivate it.
For their first crop, they planted bananas. One morning, when the bananas were full
(about to ripen) Bra Dog went to inspect the grung, and he saw that a whole bunch
of bananas were missing.
Bra Dog called Bra Ananse and Bra Monkey and told them that someone was thieving
the bananas. So they decided to laywait the robber, in the hope of catching him
in the act. Weeks passed, they were still losing bananas and they still didn't know
who was stealing them.
It went on and on until only one bunch of bananas, the pick of the crop, was left.
By that time, Bra Dog and Bra Monkey suspected Ananse as the thief, but they hadn't
seen him so they could not accuse him to his face. That night they decided to set
up in the hope of catching Ananse.
That night the three of them sat awake, watching each other. Bra Ananse looked up
in the sky and saw the bright moon. He knew that the thief would not attempt to
steal the banana until the moon set, so he lay down and acted as if he was sleeping.
When Bra Monkey and Bra Dog felt that Ananse had gone to sleep, they started to
plan what they would do to Ananse when they caught him. Soon they got tired and
decided to rest a little.
When the moon started to set, Ananse knew it was likely to be the time that the
banana would be stolen. So he decided to move a little closer to the banana tree.
As he neared it, he was just in time to see Bra Dog cutting down the bunch of bananas
with his bill machete.
Ananse started to make a ruckus: "Bra Dog," he said, "I see you. I see you cutting
down the banana. It is you who has been stealing them all along."
He made such a racket that it woke Bra Monkey who came running. He started to accuse
Ananse of stealing, and by the time he realized that the culprit was Bra Dog and
not Bra Ananse the damage was done. Ananse ran away from Bra Monkey and climbed
an ebbe tree and sat up in the top looking down at Bra Dog and Bra Monkey.
Monkey told Dog: "I am going to tell everyone that you are a thief."
Bra Dog rush toward Bra Monkey and start to chase him, until Monkey climbed a tall
mango tree. "You had better not come down while I am here, or else," said Bra Dog
as he unsuccessfully tried to climb the mango tree. It was no use, Monkey was too
high up in the tree Meanwhile, Monkey called to Ananse: "Ananse ,Ananse... my friend
Ananse. What are we going to do?" Ananse replied: "When the going was good for you,
you were not my friend. Now things are looking bad this is the time you want to
know me? I don't think so."
From that day on, Dog and Monkey were always fussing and Ananse parted company with
the both of them. And that is why Old People say: "Nuh swap dog fi monkey."