PDF (Lo-Res) - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

32 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY NUMBER 23
"You bastard, what are you looking for here,
blocking my way?" said Rabbit. The wax didn't
answer.
Then he hit it once hard. One of his hands was
stuck there. He attacked it with his other hand. It
stuck there. "Free my hand, you bastard, or I'll kick
you," said Rabbit. He kicked it. One foot stuck there.
"I'm going to give it to you with my other foot,"
said Rabbit. He gave it to him with his other foot. It
stuck fast there. "If you don't free me, I'll bite you
now," said Rabbit. He bit it. [His mouth] stuck fast.
Then at daybreak the melon owner went. He
found Rabbit lying there. Quickly he cut off its tail
with a machete. "I'll just give you a punishment.
Don't do the same another day!" said the melon
owner. That's why rabbits don't have [long] tails.
This Tzotzil version of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby stops
short of the episodes that characteristically follow Rabbit's
entrapment in the Middle American melon patch. Both the
introduction featuring the farmer's three sons and the sharp
finale are unorthodox but not unique since the former was
recorded among the Zapotecs of Ixtlan (Radin and Espinosa,
1917:46) and the latter among the Totonacs (Ichon, 1969:44).
Once there was a man named John Skin. He was
called John Skin because he always wore clothing
just [made of animal] skins.
He went out to get a job. He left. He travelled. He
met a friend on the road. "Where are you going?"
John Skin was asked.
"I'm going. I'm going to look for work. I don't
know if I'll find work anywhere," said John Skin.
"Oh, but do you have any tools?" asked his friend.
"No, I don't know what I can work with," said
John Skin.
"Oh if you want something, something good, buy
a sickle and an axe," said his friend.
"Ah!" he said. "All right, then, thank you for
telling me. I'll buy them if that's the way we can
earn money, if then we can get a job that way," said
John Skin.
"That's the way!" said his friend.
"Well, thank you, then. We'll see each other! I'm
going," said John Skin. He continued on. He bought
a sickle and an axe. He went on. He arrived in a big
town. He was looking for a job. "Have you any
work?" he asked when he arrived at a house.
"What kind of work do you want?" asked [the
man].
"I want whatever there is, if there is thatchcutting,
that's all I want," said John Skin.
John Skin Slays the Sea Serpent
T107
"Kavron k'usi chasa7 Ii7 toe chamakon ta be," xi
la ti t'ule. Mu la xtak'av ti chabe.
7Entonse, 7ismaj la j-moj te tzakal 7ikom jun
sk'ob, 7iyak'be 7otro jun sk'ob te tzakal 7ikom.
"Koltabon i jk'obe, kavron, ta me xajlik ta tek'el
tana," xi la ti t'ule. 7Islik la ta tek'el, te tzakal 7ikom
jun yok. "Ta me xakak'be li 7otro jun koke," xi la ti
t'ule. 7Iyak'be 7otro jun yok, te tzakal 7ikom. "Mi
muk' chakoltaon ta me xajti7 tana," xi la ti t'ule.
7Iyak' la ye, te tzakal 7ikom.
7Entonse, 7isakub 7osil, 7ibat yajval melon, te
banal 7ik'ot sta ti t'ule, j-likel 7isp'asbe sne ta
machita. "Tzitzel no 7ox chakak'be, mu xapas yech
yan k'ak'al," xi la ti yajval melone. Yech'o la ti
ch'abal sne li t'ule. T107
It can be assumed that the melon owner is conceived as a
Ladino, because watermelons are not normally grown by local
Indians. It would also be thought incongruous for a Zinacantec
to serenade his girl friend, but Ladinos are known to indulge in
such romantic conventions. See also T20, T49, T50, T90, T166,
and their notes.
7A ti vo7ne 7oy la jun vinik Jwan Kwero sbi, 7a ti
sbiinoj 7o ti Jwan Kweroe yu7un naka nukul sk'u7
slap ta j-mek.
Bweno 7ilok' la ta sa7-7abtel, 7ibat la, xanav la,
7isnup la ta be jun yamigo. "Bu k'al chabat?" x7utat
la ti Jwan Kweroe.
"Chibat, chibat ta sa7-7abtel, mu jna7 mi 7o bu jta
7abtel," xi la ti Jwan Kwero 7une.
"7Aj pero mi 7oy 7avabtejeb?" xi la ti yamigoe.
"Ch'abal, mu jna7 k'usi xu7 xi7abtej 7o," xi la ti
Jwan Kwero 7une.
"7Aj ti mi 7u k'usi chak'ane, 7a li k'usi li leke,
mano 7a li junuk jos jun 7ek'el," xi la ti yamigo 7une.
"7Aj!" xi la. "Yechuk che7e kol aval chavalbone,
ta jman mi ja7 jpastik 7o kanal mi ja7 7o jtatik 7o
7abtel yech," xi la ti Jwan Kwero 7une.
"Ja7 me!" xi la ti yamigo 7une.
"Bweno, kol aval che7e, te jk'opon jbatik 7un,
chibat 7un," xi la ti Jwan Kwero 7une. 7Ibat la 7un,
7isman la ti jun sjos jun yek'el, 7ibat la, 7ik'ot la te
jun muk'ta jtek-lum, ta la ssa7 7abtel. "Mi muk'
7avabtel?" xi la k'otel ta jun na.
"K'usi 7abtelal chak'an?" xi la.
"Ta jk'an k'usi 7oye, mi 7oy lok'-jobel ja7 no 7ox
ta jk'an," xi la ti Jwan Kwero 7une.