Now there lived Kwaku Anase, the spider, and he went to Nyankonpon, the sky-god, and said, “Grandsire, take your sheep called Kra Kwame, the one which you keep to sacrifice to your soul on a Saturday, and let me kill and eat it, that I may go and bring you a beautiful girl in exchange.”
The sky-god gave him the sheep, and Ananse set out and returned to his village and killed the sheep and ate it. The spider then went to a certain village. In that village there was not a single male – all were women. Ananse married them all and he and they lived there.
One day, a hunter came and saw them. When he left, he went and said to the sky-god, “As for Ananse and the sheep of yours which he received, he has killed it and given it to some women to eat and then married them.”
The sky-god said, “Is it true?”
The hunter said, “Grandsire, it is the truth.”
The sky-god then sent messengers, telling them to go to that village and bring to him all the women who were there.
The messenger went off, met the women, and, with the exception of one woman who was ill, took them all to the sky-god.
Ananse said, “You who remain, what can I do with you?” You can’t do anything for me?”
The sick woman said, “Go and bring me a gourd cup.” Ananse went and brought a gourd cup.
She said, “Bathe me, and take the water you have used and pour it into the gourd.”
Ananse bathed her body and poured the water he had used into the gourd.” She then became very beautiful; there was no woman like her in the tribe. Then Anase married her again, Although she was already his.
Now the hunter came again, and he saw this woman. He went off and reported to the sky-god, saying, “Ananse has made a fool of you, he sent you the ugly women and has kept the beautiful one for himself.”
The sky-god sent messengers and directed them to go to the village where the spider was and to bring the woman to him.
They delivered the message of the sky-god to Ananse. He said, “Would he not like me to come also?”
The messengers said, “The sky-god said we must take the woman to him.” Ananse said, “That is she sitting there, take her away.”
After she had been taken, Ananse went and got the gourd into which all the diseases he had taken from the woman had been poured, and he stretched a skin over the mouth of it. Then he stretched a skin over another gourd and gave it to his child, Ntikuma, and Ananse beat on the drum he had made and sang:
“Y’ odende dende den,
Y’ odende den.
Aso Ya-e!
Y’ odende den.
Your eyes are red in vain!
Y’ odende den,
You are bandy-armed!
Y’ odende den,
Y’ odende den.
Is that Aso Ya?
Y’ odende den,
Y’ odende den.
You are knock-kneed!
Y’ odende den,
Y’ odende den.
Your nose is a lump on your face!
Y’ odende den,
Y’ odende den.
Your feet are large as paddles,
like those of a slave!
Y’ odende den,
Y’ odende den.
Your head is like a cow!
Y’ odende den,
Y’ odende den.”
Ntikuma drummed and sang:
“Beautiful maiden,
Beautiful maiden!”
And Afudotwedotwe or Belly-Like-to-Burst and Nyiwankonfwea of Thin-Shanks, Ananse’s children, danced. Ananse, the crow, ran with speed and told the sky-god,” Ananse has a dance which is fitting for you but not for a spider.”
Immediately the sky-god sent messengers there to Ananse to go and bring him this dance.
Ananse said, “this dance of mine, we perform it only in the harem, and if the sky-god agrees then I shall bring it along.”
The messengers returned and told the sky-god. The sky-god said, “That is nothing, let him, bring it to the harem.” Ananse went with the drums to the harem, and the sky-god came and danced, and all his wives danced.
Now, there remained the one who had been sick. When she saw that Ananse had stretched a skin over the gourd in which were all her diseases, because of that she said she would not dance. And now the sky-god forced her, and she came; and when she was about to dance. Ananse lifted up the gourd and struck the woman with it, and the diseases scattered with a sound like a tese!
That is how syphilis, stomach-ache, headache, leprosy, Guinea worm, small pox, yaws, fits, diabetes, and madness came among the tribe. Once there was no sickness among mankind/womankind. It was the sky-god who was the cause of Ananse’s bringing diseases among the tribe.
[ ASHANTI ]