Ijapa/Ananse and Traps-gctid28475

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

 
 

Ananse and the Hare (Akan)

 
One day Kwaku Ananse decided to look for a fool to set a trap in the forest with. After looking around, he saw the rabbit and said to himself, "Surely the hare is not sensible, he should be the person to go and set the trap with so that I can fool him.
 The hare knew how sly Ananse was, and so he decided to be very careful. He accepted the invitation of Ananse to go into the forest to set traps. So the next day the two friends set off into the forest. When they got there, Ananse told the hare that they should look for some wood to make the trap. After both of them had set the trap, Ananse said, "Hare, let's go home and come back to inspect the trap tomorrow." So they left.
The following day, the two friends met and went into the forest to inspect the trap. When they got there, there was a big rat in the trap. The hare became excited and said to Ananse, "Ananse take the rat today, if we come tomorrow and the trap has caught an antelope, I will take it."  
 Ananse became furious and said, "You fool, you think you are wiser than I am. Take the rat. If tomorrow we come and the trap has caught an antelope, I will take it." So the hare took the rat and they both went away.  
 The next day when they got to the trap, there was a big antelope in the trap. Then the hare said, "Ananse, there is your antelope, take it, so that when we come tomorrow and the trap has caught a buffalo I will take it."  
 Ananse became furious and said, "You think you are very wise, take the antelope. If we come tomorrow and there is a buffalo in the trap I will take it." So the hare took the antelope and they left.
 Again the next day, when they got to the trap, true to the hare's words, there was a big buffalo in the trap. The hare said, "Ananse remember what you said yesterday. Take the buffalo. When we come tomorrow and there is an elephant, I will take it." But again Ananse flared up and said, "No! Take the buffalo, I will take the elephant tomorrow." The hare again took away the buffalo.
Early the following day when they dame into the forest, there was a big elephant in the trap. The hare said, "Ananse it's your turn now to take the elephant, so that when we come tomorrow and there is the wind, the storm, and the leaves, I will take it." Ananse did not know what the wind, the storm and leaves were. He thought it was something bigger than the elephant, so he said, "Wait a minute, you take the elephant, I will take the wind, the storm and the leaves tomorrow. So the hare took the elephant home.  
 The next day when they got into the forest, the wind and storm had destroyed the trap, and there was nothing but leaves in it. The hare said to Ananse, "Ananse, there is your wind, storm and leaves." Ananse realized that he had been fooled. There was nothing he could do, so he went away in shame.  
 It is sometimes naive to think that all people are fools. You can fool people for some time, but not all the time. (Hutchinson, 41)
 

 Ìjàpá and Ìgbín Set a Trap (Yoruba)

 
A long time ago, Ìjàpá and Ìgbín (The Snail) were such good friends that if they didn't see each other, they wouldn't be able to sleep well. There was nothing that they didn't do together. Ìgbín had even given Ìjàpá his daughter's hand in marriage. The two of them would wear the same kind of clothing. They were part of the same social club. Everyone knew them as the best of friends.
 Ìgbín knew that Ìjàpá was a greedy person. If they were out in public and someone wanted to offer them a gift, Ìjàpá would try to take the bigger portion because small things never satisfied him. As for Ìgbín, it didn't matter to him; anything that Ìjàpá gave him, he accepted. Nevertheless, he looked for a way to teach Ìjàpá that greediness wasn't a character trait befitting a person of good moral stature.
 One day, Ìjàpá told Ìgbín that all kinds of animals were coming into his farm and destroying his crops. Their footprints were all over his farm. They had eaten all of his crops completely. They took the cassava, dug up the yams, and ate all of the greens. Ìjàpá said that he had seen the footprints of hedgehogs that came and ate his corn. He also noticed the footprints of deer that had come and eaten all of his okra. The wild bush-pigs didn't even let his yams grow.
 "I beg you, Ìgbín, let's set a trap for those animals, and will catch them for food. There will be two opportunities that this will bring. The first one will be that we won't have to pay for meat anymore. The second one will be that the will be that these animals won't mess with my crops anymore."
Ìgbín accepted and they started their trapping. The first day that they checked their trap, it had killed a large rat. As for Ìgbín, he knew his friend's character and he decided on a way to teach him a lesson. He said, "Ìjàpá, I'm glad for you. The trap has killed a rat today. You take this rat and you and your children can eat it today. Tomorrow, the trap will kill a hedgehog and you know the hedgehog is bigger and tastier than a rat. That's what I'll take home tomorrow.
 Ìjàpá looked up in the sky, thinking for a while. His greed never let him rest. He thought, in truth, a hedgehog is bigger than a rat and if Ìgbín took the rat tomorrow, his meat would be better than his own. It was his own farm and he had just called Ìgbín as friend to help him set the trap. How should it be so that Ìgbín would eat better than he from the trap that was on his farm?  He replied, "No problem, I'll just be patient until tomorrow. You take the rat. How many times does the sun rise? I'll just be patient."
 Ìgbín carried off the rat to his house and fried it. He and his wife and children ate, drank and got full.  
The next day, in truth, the trap had caught a hedgehog. A big fat hedgehog. Ìgbín realized that his plan was working and started to use it to get all of the meat that the trap would kill. Greed didn't allow Ìjàpá to know what to do. Ìgbín again told Ìjàpá that "See, Ìjàpá, you've seen that what I told you would happen yesterday happened. The trap has caught a big fat hedgehog today. Congratulations on your good luck! Tomorrow, an antelope will be in the trap. And you know that those are so tasty. And four times the size of a hedgehog, besides. I'll take that home tomorrow."
 "Hàà, No way! You can just take this fat hedgehog. I'll wait 'til tomorrow so that I'll get the antelope. Antelopes are tasty indeed. I also believe that whatever you say will happen. Take this fat hedgehog and tomorrow, I'll take the antelope.
 Ìgbín took the hedgehog. He cooked it and all of the people of his household ate it with pounded yam. Hunger was killing Ìjàpá. He hadn't even tasted any of the meat that the trap had caught. As for Ìgbín, he ate until his stomach got fat.
 The next morning, Ìjàpá went to see Ìgbín. He called him so that they could go check their trap. They set off towards the farm. In truth, the trap had killed a big fat huge antelope. Ìjàpá danced, celebrated and jumped up and down. His stomach was sweet with happiness that he would be eating antelope in his house. All of the meat that Ìgbín had taken wasn't equal to even half of this antelope. Ìgbín said, "Ìjàpá, it was in your destiny. I'm happy for you. Food has arrived. Now you'll believe that what I say is true. Here's your antelope, but I'll take the deer that the trap will kill tomorrow. The deer is much bigger than the antelope, the hedgehog and the rat put together.
 Greed again gathered in the heart of Ìjàpá. He didn't know what he should do. All of the predictions that Ìgbín made about what the trap would kill came true. He hadn't gotten a single piece of meat since they had started trapping. What did an antelope amount to where there was a deer? Ìjàpá threw the antelope to Ìgbín saying, "Just take the antelope and go. I'll take the deer tomorrow. I've been patient up to this point. I'll continue to grin and bear it. Waiting to eat can't end up spoiling things."
 This is how Ìjàpá began to let greed gather all the meat that their trap killed and give it all to Ìgbín who was eating until he got fat while Ìjàpá became emaciated.  
 After a while, the trap caught an elephant. As for an elephant, it is the biggest of all the animals. Ìgbín again told Ìjàpá, "Há-à! Ìjàpá, I'm happy for you. Quick, call all the folks in your household to help you cut up your elephant. Have you seen the profit of being patient? This elephant alone is bigger than all of the meat that I've caught since we started trapping. But however, tomorrow, the trap will catch Trouble. As for Trouble, it's bigger than all the animals of the ocean and the land. I'll take Trouble tomorrow. An entire city couldn't finish eating Trouble. Take your elephant and go. I'll take trouble tomorrow."
"No way, no way! You take the elephant and go! This 'Trouble' that's so much bigger is what I'll take. How do you, who has carried off all the meat since we've started trapping expect me to let you take this 'Trouble' that's even bigger than an elephant? Sheer trickery. I won't allow it! Take the elephant; I'll take Trouble tomorrow."
 Ìgbín went home and called all the people of his neighborhood to help cut up the elephant that his trap had killed. The men carried axes and cutlasses. The women carried bowls, tubs, troughs, calabashes, baskets and other things that they could use to carry the meat. As the men cut the meat, the women carried it off. They finished carrying off all of the meat and went home. They cooked and set the food down to eat. There was no one in the neighborhood that didn't have some of that elephant in his or her mouth.
 When it got to around midnight, Ìgbín asked two men to help him move the trap from where it was. They carried it the path that the princess would take to go bathe in the river. That is where they set the trap.
 As for the princess, she would go to bathe in the river twice a day. Before anyone got up, she and her attendants would wake up and go to the river. On days like this, the princess would go in front and her attendants would follow her. They didn't know that a trap was on the path. As for her, she just was walking along. All of the sudden, gbàgì (was the sound that it made)! The trap was sprung. Her foot stepped on the trigger and the trap fell on top of her. It killed her instantly. Her attendants screamed and cried as they ran back to town calling out that the princess had died. A trap killed her. The king heard and the news spread. Commotion was all around. They cried "Há-à! Who is it that will be doomed? Huge Trouble! Who set this trap that brought on this Trouble.....!"
Ìjàpá quickly woke up from sleeping. He heard all the people crying that the one who had set the trap would get into Big Trouble! As for Ìjàpá, he was hoping to catch Trouble, just as Ìgbín had told him he would. He didn't even look back again. Gbaragada, he threw open the door and rushed outside screaming, "It was me, I set the trap! Trouble is mine all mine! It was my trap that caught Trouble! Gimme, gimme, gimme, where is it?"
 In a flash, the officers of the king caught him and prodded him along on the way to the king's palace. When they hit him with the charge saying that it was the princess that his trap had killed and that they would execute him he declared "Please! It wasn't me who set the trap there. Ìgbín tricked me. We both set the trap, please oh please forgive me, I didn't know..."
 They didn't even look at his face. The king ordered them to pull out the sword in front of him and put it back in its scabbard behind him.  
 This is how greed killed Ìjàpá o! This is the reason why the elders cite the proverb that, "Despite all of the tortoise's wisdom, the end goes to Ìgbín (The Snail)."
 This story teaches us that we should be satisfied with what we have. Greed is what killed Ìjàpá. (Babalọlá, 1985: 108) (Self-Translation).