Jamaica Anansi stories

Chapter 215: 131. Dancing to Anansi’s Fiddle. [Note]

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About This Book

A collection of Jamaican folktales gathers short animal and trickster narratives centered on the spider Anansi alongside tales about tigers, monkeys, goats, and birds. Stories account for curious animal traits, stage comic reversals, and probe themes of cunning, justice, and social order through episodic plots and origin motifs. The volume also presents riddles, dance and song materials, and field-recorded music, arranged in thematic sections that compile variants, brief notes, and folkloric context for each tale.

[Contents]

131. Dancing to Anansi’s Fiddle. [Note]

Sarah Vassel, Bog, Westmoreland.

Assono a run a gang. Assono sen’ one of de men for water. When he go a take water, him couldn’t take it; Anansi play fiddle into de water-hole—

“Zing a little ting!”

T’row down de gourd an’ begin to dance. Assono a come to look fe de man. When he come, (Anansi stop playing). He call to him say, “Massa, no quarrel!” Him come give de massa de gourd a go fill it. Anansi begin playing. De Massa t’row down de gourd, begin dance. Assono dance till him drop. Anansi cut off him head an’ tek de head make a water-cup. [163]