Mr. Man hired Anansi to guard his sheep, but Anansi was stealing the sheep.
"Find out who's stealing my sheep!" Mr. Man said.
"I'll catch the thief by holding a party," said Anansi.
Then Anansi went to Tiger and gave him sheepskin trousers and a sheepskin shirt. "Wear your new clothes to the party," Anansi said. "And sing this song: See my clothes all made of sheep; see my sheepskin clothes."
Tiger came to the party in his new clothes, singing the song.
"That's him!" shouted Anansi. "That's the sheep-thief!"
Mr. Man had Tiger arrested and locked up in jail.
Inspired by: Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Notes: This is story 4 in the book. Beckwith heard this story from George Parkes; additional information in Beckwith's notes. We can guess that Anansi is the one stealing the sheep, but the story doesn't say so exactly. Here are the words to Tiger's song in the original:
Mister Mighty loss him sheep,
It stan' lik' a Tiger t'iefee.
Fe tre-ew, bredder, fe tre-ew,
It 'tan lik' a it mak me clo'es.
Dance has a version where Anansi makes Monkey the dupe for stealing the sheep of "buckra massa": Anancy and Monkey.
Anansi is so cunning that not only does he get to steal and keep the sheep but he also frames his arch enemy and sends the innocent and gullible tiger to jail! Haha!
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to frame someone else for your crime, especially somebody far more stupid than yourself!
DeleteIt's not fun to be framed for a crime you didn't commit, believe me!
DeletePoor Tiger! In jail for a crime he didn't commit! Justice for Tiger!!
ReplyDeleteHahaha
Delete