Nights With Uncle Remus: Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation — Context and Discussion

Portuguese was a very few words which he had picked up during the short time he had been in this country, a circumstance which strongly confirms his statement that the myths related by him were really brought from Africa. From this man Professor Hartt obtained variants of all or nearly all of the best known Brazilian _animal_ myths, and convinced himself that this class is not native to this country. The spread of these myths among the Amazonian Indians is readily explained by the intimate association of the two races for over two hundred years, the taking character of the myths, and the Indian's love for stories of this class, in which he naturally introduces the animals familiar to him.... Yours truly, ORVILLE A. DERBY.

_Caixa em Correio, No. 721, Rio de Janeiro._

Those who are best acquainted with the spirit, movement, and motive of African legends will accept Mr. Derby's statement as conclusive. It has been suspected even by Professor J. W. Powell, of the Smithsonian Institution, that the Southern negroes obtained their myths and legends from the Indians; but it is impossible to adduce in support of such a theory a scintilla of evidence that cannot be used in support of just the opposite theory, namely, that the Indians borrowed their stories from the negroes. The truth seems to be that, while both the Indians and the negroes have stories peculiar to their widely different races and temperaments, and to their widely different ideas of humor, the Indians have not hesitated to borrow from the negroes. The "Tar Baby" story, which is unquestionably a negro legend in its conception, is current among many tribes of Indians. So with the story of how the Rabbit makes a riding-horse of the Fox or the Wolf. This story is also current among the Amazonian Indians. The same may be said of the negro coast story "Why the Alligator's Back is Rough." Mr. W. O. Tuggle, of Georgia, who has recently made an exhaustive study of the folk-lore of the Creek Indians, has discovered among them many legends, which were undoubtedly borrowed from the negroes, including those already mentioned, the story of how the Terrapin outran the Deer, and the story of the discontented Rabbit, who asks his Creator to give him more sense. In the negro legend, it will be observed, the Rabbit seeks out Mammy-Bammy Big-Money, the old Witch-Rabbit. It may be mentioned here, that the various branches of the Algonkian family of Indians allude to the Great White Rabbit as their common ancestor.[i_20] All inquiries among the negroes, as to the origin and personality of Mammy-Bammy Big-Money, elicit but two replies. Some know, or even pretend to know, nothing about her. The rest say, with entire unanimity, "Hit 's des de ole Witch-Rabbit w'at you done year'd talk un 'fo' now." Mrs. Prioleau of Memphis sent the writer a negro story in which the name "Big-Money" was vaguely used. It was some time before that story could be verified. In conversation one day with a negro, casual allusion was made to "Big-Money." "Aha!" said the negro, "now I know. You talkin' 'bout ole Mammy-Bammy Big-Money," and then he went on to tell, not only the story which Mrs. Prioleau had kindly sent, but the story of Brother Rabbit's visit to the old Witch-Rabbit.

Mr. Tuggle's collection of Creek legends will probably be published under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, and it will form a noteworthy contribution to the literature of American folk-lore. In the Creek version of the origin of the ocean, the stream which the Lion jumps across is called Throwing-Hot-Ashes-on-You. Another Creek legend, which bears the ear-marks of the negroes, but which the writer has been unable to find among them, explains why the 'Possum has no hair on his tail. It seems that Noah, in taking the animals into the ark, forgot the 'Possums; but a female 'Possum clung to the side of the vessel, and her tail dragging in the water, all the hair came off. No male 'Possum, according to the story, was saved. Mr. Tuggle has also found among the Creeks a legend which gives the origin of fire. One time, in the beginning, the people all wanted fire, and they came together to discuss the best plan of getting it. It was finally agreed that the Rabbit (Chufee) should go for it. He went across the great water to the east, and was there received with acclamation as a visitor from the New World. A great dance was ordered in his honor. They danced around a large fire, and the Rabbit entered the circle dressed very gayly. He had a peculiar cap upon his head, and in this cap, in place of feathers, he had stuck four sticks of resin, or resinous pine. As the people danced, they came near the fire in the centre of the circle, and the Rabbit also approached near the fire. Some of the dancers would reach down and touch the fire as they danced, while the Rabbit, as he came near the fire, would bow his head to the flame. No one thought anything of this, and he continued to bow to the fire, each time bowing his head lower. At last he touched the flame with his cap, and the sticks of resin caught on fire and blazed forth. Away he ran, the people pursuing the sacrilegious visitor. The Rabbit ran to the great water, plunged in, and swam away to the New World; and thus was fire obtained for the people.

The student of folk-lore who will take into consideration the widely differing peculiarities and characteristics of the negroes and the Indians, will have no difficulty, after making due allowance for the apparent universality of all primitive folk-stories, in distinguishing between the myths or legends of the two races, though it sometimes happens, as in the case of the negro story of the Rabbit, the Wildcat, and the Turkeys, that the stories are built upon until they are made to fit the peculiarities of the race that borrows them. The Creek version of the Rabbit, Wildcat, and Turkey story is to the effect that the Wildcat pretended to be dead, and the Rabbit persuaded the Turkeys to go near him. When they are near enough, the Rabbit exclaims: "Jump up and catch a red-leg! jump up and catch a red-leg!" The Wildcat catches one, and proceeds to eat it, whereupon the Turkeys pursue the Rabbit, and peck and nip him until his tail comes off, and this is the reason the Rabbit has a short tail. The Creeks, as well as other tribes, were long in contact with the negroes, some of them were owners of slaves, and it is perhaps in this way that the animal stories of the two races became in a measure blended. The discussion of this subject cannot be pursued here, but it is an interesting one. It offers a wide field for both speculation and investigation.

The "Cutta Cord-la" story (p. 241) of Daddy Jack is in some respects unique. It was sent to the writer by Mrs. Martha B. Washington, of Charleston, South Carolina, and there seems to be no doubt that it originated in San Domingo or Martinique. The story of how Brother Rabbit drove all the other animals out of the new house they had built, by firing a cannon and pouring a tub of water down the stairway, has its variant in Demerara. Indeed, it was by means of this variant, sent by Mr. Wendell P. Garrison, of "The Nation" (New York), that the negro story was procured.

In the introduction to the first volume of Uncle Remus, a lame apology was made for inflicting a book of dialect upon the public. Perhaps a similar apology should be made here; but the discriminating reader does not need to be told that it would be impossible to separate these stories from the idiom in which they have been recited for generations. The dialect is a part of the legends themselves, and to present them in any other way would be to rob them of everything that gives them vitality. The dialect of Daddy Jack, which is that of the negroes on the Sea Islands and the rice plantations, though it may seem at first glance to be more difficult than that of Uncle Remus, is, in reality, simpler and more direct. It is the negro dialect in its most primitive state--the "Gullah" talk of some of the negroes on the Sea Islands, being merely a confused and untranslatable mixture of English and African words. In the introductory notes to "Slave Songs of the United States" may be found an exposition of Daddy Jack's dialect as complete as any that can be given here. A key to the dialect may be given very briefly. The vocabulary is not an extensive one--more depending upon the manner, the form of expression, and the inflection, than upon the words employed. It is thus an admirable vehicle for story-telling. It recognizes no gender, and scorns the use of the plural number except accidentally. "'E" stands for "he" "she" or "it," and "dem" may allude to one thing, or may include a thousand. The dialect is laconic and yet rambling, full of repetitions, and abounding in curious elisions, that give an unexpected quaintness to the simplest statements. A glance at the following vocabulary will enable the reader to understand Daddy Jack's dialect perfectly, though allowance must be made for inversions and elisions.

_B'er_, brother. _Beer_, bear. _Bittle_, victuals. _Bret_, breath. _Buckra_, white man, overseer, boss. _Churrah_, _churray_, spill, splash. _Da_, the, that. _Dey_, there. _Dey-dey_, here, down there, right here. _Enty_, ain't he? an exclamation of astonishment or assent. _Gwan_, going. _Leaf_, leave. _Lif_, live. _Lil_, _lil-a_, or _lilly_, little. _Lun_, learn. _Mek_, make. _Neat'_, or _nead_, underneath, beneath. _Oona_, you, all of you. _Sem_, same. _Shum_, see them, saw them. _Tam_, time. _'Tan'_, stand. _Tankee_, thanks, thank you. _Tark_, or _tahlk_, talk. _Teer_, tear. _Tek_, take. _T'ink_, or _t'ought_, think, thought. _T'row_, throw. _Titty_, or _titter_, sissy, sister. _Trute_, truth. _Turrer_, or _tarrah_, the other. _Tusty_, thirsty. _Urrer_, other. _Wey_, where. _Wun_, when. _Wut_, what. _Y'et_ or _ut_, earth. _Yeddy_, or _yerry_, heard, hear. _Yent_, ain't, is n't.

The trick of adding a vowel to sound words is not unpleasing to the ear. Thus: "I bin-a wait fer you; come-a ring-a dem bell. Wut mek-a (or mekky) you stay so?" "Yeddy," "yerry," and probably "churry" are the result of this--heard-a, yeard-a, yeddy; hear-a, year-a, yerry; chur-a, churray. When "eye" is written "y-eye," it is to be pronounced "yi." In such words as "back," "ax," _a_ has the sound of _ah_. They are written "bahk," "ahx."

Professor J. A. Harrison of the Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, has recently written a paper on "The Creole Patois of Louisiana,"[i_21] which is full of interest to those interested in the study of dialects. In the course of his paper, Professor Harrison says: "Many philologists have noted the felicitous [Greek: _aithiopizein_] of Uncle Remus in the negro dialect of the South. The Creole lends itself no less felicitously to the _recit_ and to the _conte_, as we may say on good authority. The fables of La Fontaine and Perrin, and the Gospel of St. John have, indeed, been translated into the dialect of San Domingo or Martinique; lately we have had a Greek plenipotentiary turning Dante into the idiom of New Hellas; what next? Any one who has seen the delightful 'Chansons Canadiennes' of M. Ernest Gagnon (Quebec, 1880) knows what pleasant things may spring from the naive consciousness of the people. The Creole of Louisiana lends itself admirably to those _petits poemes_, those simple little dramatic tales, compositions, improvisations, which, shunning the regions of abstraction and metaphysics, recount the experiences of a story-teller, put into striking and pregnant syllabuses the memorabilia of some simple life, or sum up in pointed monosyllables the humor of plantation anecdote." Professor Harrison alludes to interesting examples of the Creole negro dialect that occur in the works of Mr. George W. Cable, and in "L'Habitation Saint-Ybars," by Dr. Alfred Mercier, an accomplished physician and _litterateur_ of New Orleans. In order to show the possibilities of the Creole negro dialect, the following _Conte Negre_, after Dr. Mercier, is given. The story is quoted by Professor Harrison, and the literal interlinear version is inserted by him to give a clue to the meaning. The Miss Meadows of the Georgia negro, it will be perceived, becomes Mamzel Calinda, and the story is one with which the readers of the first volume of Uncle Remus are familiar. It is entitled "Mariage Mlle. Calinda."

1. Dan tan le zote foi, compair Chivreil ave compair Dans temps les autres fois, compere Chevreuil avec compere

2. Torti te tou le de ape fe lamou a Mamzel Calinda. Tortue etaient tous les deux apres faire l'amour a Mademoiselle Calinda.

3. Mamzel Calinda te linmin mie compair Chivreil, cofair Mlle. Calinda avait aime mieux compere Chevreuil, [pour] quoi faire

4. li pli vaian; me li te linmin compair Torti oucite, le plus vaillant; mais elle avait aime compere Tortue aussi,

5. li si tan gagnin bon tchor! Popa Mamzel Calinda di li: il si tant gagner bon coeur! Papa Mlle. Calinda dire lui:

6. "Mo fie, li tan to maie; fo to soizi cila to oule." Landimin, "Ma fille, il (est) temps te marier; faut te choisir cela tu voulez." Lendemain,

7. compair Chivreil ave compair Torti rive tou ye de cote Mlle. C. compere Chevreuil avec compere Tortue arriver tous eux de cote Mlle. C.

8. Mamzel C., qui te zongle tou la nouite, di ye: "Michie Chivreil ave Mlle. C., qui avait songe toute la nuit, dire eux: "Monsieur Chevreuil avec

9. Michie Torti, mo popa oule mo maie. Mo pa oule di ain Monsieur Tortue, mon papa vouloir me marier. Moi pas vouloir dire un

10. dan ouzote non. Ouzote a galope ain lacourse dice foi cate dans vous autres non. Vous autres va galopper une la course dix fois quatre

11. narpan; cila qui sorti divan, ma maie ave li. Ape dimin arpents; cela qui sortir devant, moi va marier avec lui. Apres demain

12. dimance, ouzote a galope." Ye parti couri, compair Chivreil dimanche, vous autres va galopper." Eux partir courir, compere Chevreuil

13. zo tchor contan; compair Torti ape zongle li-minme: son coeur content; compere Tortue apres songer lui-meme:

14. "Dan tan pace, mo granpopa bate compair Lapin pou "Dans temps passe, mon grandpapa battre compere Lapin pour

15. galope. Pa conin coman ma fe pou bate compair Chivreil." galopper. Pas conner (= connaitre) comment moi va faire pour battre compere Chevreuil."

16. Dan tan cila, nave ain vie, vie cocodri qui te gagnin Dans temps cela en avait un vieux, vieux crocodile qui avait gagne

17. plice pace cincante di zan. Li te si malin, ye te pele li plus passe cinquante dix ans. Lui etait si malin, eux avaient appele lui

18. compair Zavoca. La nouite vini, compair Torti couri trouve compere Avocat. La nuit venir, compere Tortue courir trouver

19. compair Zavoca, e conte li coman li barace pou so compere Avocat, et conter lui comment lui embarrasser pour sa

20. lacourse. Compair Zavoca di compair Torti: "Mo ben la course. Compere Avocat dire compere Tortue: "Moi bien

21. oule ide toi, mo gacon; nou proce minme famie; la tair vouloir aider toi, mon garcon; nous proche meme famille; la terre

22. ave do lo minme kichoge pou nizote. Mo zongle zafair avec de l'eau meme quelquechose pour nous autres. Moi va songer cette affaire

23. To vini dimin bon matin; ma di toi qui pou fe." Toi venir demain bon matin; moi va dire toi que pour faire."

24. Compair Torti couri couce; me li pas dromi boucou, Compere Tortue courir coucher; mais lui pas dormir beaucoup,

25. li te si tan tracasse. Bon matin li parti couri lui etait si tant tracasse. Bon matin lui partir courir

26. cote compair Zavoca. Compair Zavoca dija diboute ape cote compere Avocat. Compere Avocat deja debout apres

27. boi so cafe. "Bonzou, Michie Zavoca." "Bonzou, mo boire son cafe. "Bonjour, Monsieur Avocat." "Bonjour, mon

28. gacon. Zafair cila donne moin boucou traca; min mo garcon. Cette affaire cela donne moi beaucoup tracas; mais moi

29. cre ta bate compair Chivreil, si to fe mekie ma di toi." crois toi va battre compere Chevreuil, si toi fais metier moi va dire toi."

30. "Vouzote a pranne jige jordi pou misire chimin au ra "Vous autres va prendre juge aujourd'hui pour mesurer chemin au ras

31. bayou; chac cate narpan mete jalon. Compair Chivreil a bayou; chaque quatre arpents mettez jalon. Compere Chevreuil va

32. galope on la tair; toi, ta galope dan dolo. To ben compranne galopper en la terre; toi, tu va galopper dans de l'eau. Toi bien comprendre

33. ca mo di toi?" "O, oui, compair Zavoca, mo ben cela moi dire toi?" "O, oui, compere Avocat, moi bien

34. coute ton ca vape di." "A soua, can la nouite vini, ecouter tout cela vous apres dire." "Le soir, quand la nuit venir,

35. ta couri pranne nef dan to zami, e ta chache aine dan toi va courir prendre neuf dans tes amis, et toi va cacher un dans

36. zerb au ra chakene zalon ye. Toi, ta couri cache au ra herbe au ras chacun jalon eux. Toi, toi va courir cacher au ras

37. la mison Mamzel Calinda. To ben compranne ca mo di toi?" la maison Mlle. Calinda. Toi bien comprendre cela moi dire toi?"

38. "O, oui, compair Zavoca, mo tou compranne mekie ca vou "O, oui, compere Avocat, moi tout comprendre metier cela vous

39. di." "Eben! couri pare pou sove lonnair nou nachion." dire." "Eh bien! courir preparer pour sauver l'honneur notre nation."

40. Compair Torti couri cote compair Chivreil e range tou Compere Tortue courir cote compere Chevreuil et arranger tout

41. kichoge compair Zavoca di li. Compair Chivreil si tan sire quelquechose compere Avocat dire lui. Compere Chevreuil si tant sur

42. gagnin lacourse, li di oui tou ca compair Torti oule. gagner la course, lui dire oui tout cela compere Tortue vouloir.

43. Landimin bon matin, ton zabitan semble pou oua Lendemain bon matin, tous habitants assembler pour voir

44. gran lacourse. Can lhair rive, compair Chivreil ave grande la course. Quand l'heure arriver, compere Chevreuil avec

45. compair Torti tou le de pare. Jige la crie: "Go!" e ye compere Tortue tous les deux prepares. Juge la crier: "Go!" et eux

46. parti galope. Tan compair Chivreil rive cote primie partir galopper. Temps compere Chevreuil arriver cote premier

47. zalon, li hele: "Halo, compair Torti!" "Mo la, compair jalon, lui heler: "Halo, compere Tortue!" "Moi la, compere

48. Chivreil!" Tan ye rive dezieme zalon, compair Chivreil Chevreuil!" Temps eux arriver deuxieme jalon, compere Chevreuil

49. siffle: "Fioute!" Compair Torti reponne: "Croak!" Troisieme siffler: "Fioute!" Compere Tortue repondre: "Croak!" Troisieme

50. zalon boute, compair Torti tink-a-tink ave compair jalon au bout, compere Tortue tingue-a-tingue avec compere

51. Chivreil. "Diabe! Torti la galope pli vite Chevreuil. "Diable! Tortue la galopper plus vite

52. pace stimbotte; fo mo grouye mo cor." Tan compair passe steamboat; faut moi grouiller mon corps." Temps compere

53. Chivreil rive cote nevieme zalon, li oua compair Torti Chevreuil arriver cote neuvieme jalon, lui voir compere Tortue

54. ape patchiou dan dolo. Li mete ton so laforce apres _patchiou_! dans de l'eau. Lui mettre toute sa la force

55. dihior pou aien; avan li rive cote bite, li tende dehors pour rien; avant lui arriver cote but, lui entendre

56. ton monne ape hele: "Houra! houra! pou compair Torti!" tout monde apres heler: "Hourra! hourra! pour compere Tortue!"

57. Tan li rive, li oua compair Torti on la garlie ape Temps lui arriver, lui voir compere Tortue en la galerie apres

58. brasse Mamzel Calinda. Ca fe li si tan mal, li embrasser Mlle. Calinda. Cela faire lui si tant mal, lui

59. sape dan boi. Compair Torti maie ave Mamzel Calinda s'echapper dans bois. Compere Tortue marier avec Mlle. Calinda

60. samedi ape vini, e tou monne manze, boi, jika samedi apres venir, et tout monde manger, boire jusqu'a

61. y tchiak.[i_22] eux griser.