Shinni ma Shomi kan Kerfotagha’, a Kushi story

Batic, Gian Claudio

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‘Shinni ma Shomi kan Kerfotagha’, a Kushi story

Gian Claudio Batic
Department of Asian, African and Mediterranean Studies
University of Naples 'L'Orientale'

urn:nbn:de:0009-10-46141

Abstract

Kushi is a minority Chadic language spoken in northeastern Nigeria. This article presents an oral text known as Shinni ma Shomi kan Kerfotagha (‘The story of Shomi and Kerfotagha’), a folktale depicting the adventures of Shomi, the Kushi trickster par excellence. The text is accompanied by word-by-word interlinear analysis and by an English translation.

Riasunto

Il kushi è una lingua ciadica minoritaria parlata nella Nigeria nordorientale. L’articolo presenta un testo orale conosciuto con il titolo di Shinni ma Shomi kan Kerfotagha (‘La storia di Shomi e Kerfotagha’), una storia della tradizione Kushi in cui vengono narrate le gesta di Shomi, l'astuto imbroglione per antonomasia. Il testo è accompagnato da un'analisi interlineare e da una traduzione in inglese.

Tsakure (Hausa)

Harshen Kushi shi ne wani ƙaramin harshen da ake magana da shi a ƙauyen Kushi a arewa maso gabashin Nijeriya. An rubuta wannan maƙala a kan wani tatsuniya ta Kushi da ake kiranta Shinni ma Shomi kan Kerfotagha watau ‘Tatsuniya ta Shomi da Kerfotagha’. Darajar wannan tatsuniya ita ce ta ba da labari a kan mayaudari na al’adar gargajiya ta Kushi. An yi nazarin sigar tatsuniyar an kuma fassara ta zuwa Ingilisi.

1. Introduction

<1>

Kushi is a West Chadic language classified in the Tangale proper of the Bole-Tangale group (ISO 639-3 (kuh); Glottocode: kush1236). It is spoken by about 11,000 people (Lewis et al. 2015) living in the village area of Kushi and in a few hamlets nearby on the northern foothills of the Chonge-Mona range (Gombe State). [1]

Figure 1 – Kushi and its neighbours

<2>

Kushi people refer to their language as fò Gòjì lit. ‘mouth (of) Kushi’. Several publications focusing on southern Bole-Tangale languages have appeared over the last three decades. A few of them dealt with punctual aspects of Kushi, mainly under a comparative perspective: Jungraithmayr and Leger (1993, 2006), Leger (1998, 2014).

<3>

No grammatical or lexical description of Kushi has ever been produced. The present contribution is the first output of an on-going project aiming at documenting, describing, and analysing the language as well as the oral tradition of the Kushi people. [2]

2. The story of Shomi and Kerfotagha

2.1. Themes of the story

<4>

The story of Shomi and Kerfotagha (Shinni ma Shomi kan Kerfotagha) narrates how Shomi, the main character, succeeds in turning every threat posed to him into a beneficial opportunity. By means of an unscrupulous cunning led by the instinct for survival, Shomi represents a well-known character in West African oral literature: that of the ingenious hero whose display of deceit is aimed at protecting his own life as well as the life of his family. [3]

<5>

The story can be divided into two parts, either part following the same scheme. In the first part, Kerfotagha visits his friend Shomi with the proposal to fight with him. If Shomi accepts, Kerfotagha will give him a he-goat. Since Kerfotagha is physically superior, Shomi is perfectly aware that his prospects of success are very limited and that playing by the rules would not be the best strategy in order to survive and keep the animal. Therefore, with the help of his sons Amurmulum and Tarangriwet, Shomi manages to fake the match, thus obtaining an otherwise improbable victory.

<6>

The second part is longer and, although built upon the same blueprint, more articulated from the point of view of event sequence. This time the threat is represented by Viper. One day, Viper goes to Shomi’s house with a big rooster and, like Kerfotagha before, a proposal: if Shomi accepts to be bitten, then he will have the cock. Of course Shomi accepts, but on one condition: Viper should come back in three days. Viper does as told, but when he is back Shomi finds an excuse (i.e. his children are not around and he does not want to die without having kissed them one last time) and asks Viper to postpone the biting. After three days and before the coming of Viper, Shomi instructs his wife Firit on what to say to Viper. Then, he transforms himself into a baby boy. So, when Viper comes, Firit tells him that her husband is not around. The successful trick played by Shomi revolves around his surrealistic disguise: Firit goes out to call Shomi and asks Viper to look after the baby (i.e. Shomi) in her absence, but then the baby disappears and when Shomi (once regained his normal appearance) shows up and realizes that his child is nowhere to be found, he gets angry and punishes Viper for not having taken care of the baby. Needless to say, Viper will be killed, cooked and eaten by Shomi and his family.

<7>

An interesting feature of the story is that both Kerfotagha and Viper do not represent an immediate threat. They go to visit Shomi and propose him a deal. Shomi could express his disinterest for their plans and send them away, instead he promptly accepts their proposals. If he acts like that, it is because he knows that, just by relying on his cleverness, he will be able to manipulate the situation in such a way to transform an accepted risk (i.e. fighting with someone stronger than he or agreeing to be bitten by a viper) into a sure victory.

<8>

It is clear that the cunning of Kerfotagha and Viper does not stand a chance against Shomi’s survival instinct. Their offer exists only because it contains the background assumption that the other party will die in the very fulfilment of the deal. This implicit conviction relies on some kind of physical power that both Kerfotagha and Viper possess, but strength alone can’t overwhelm the resourceful mind of Shomi. Interestingly enough, the two agonists (that is the initiators of the chain of events) offer the same kind of explanation for their aim to harm Shomi: Kerfotagha wants to fight and Vipers wants to bite because since they were born they have never had the chance to fight and bite, respectively. This display of naivety, which is meant to mask the true intentions of the agonists, will set in motion the role play leading to the fatal resolution of the conflict.

2.2. Language and style

<9>

The style of the tale is quite linear. The events are narrated in logical order without making use of any special stylistic device, like for example the juxtaposition of (apparently) disconnected events that characterise the Kushi war song analysed by Leger (1993).

<10>

The text displays the following features:

the narrator tends to introduce the actions of the characters as things that are said and not as things that are done. This is carried out throughout the text by making an extensive use of the verbal form yàa ‘say, saying’;
the preferred strategy to narrate the sequence of events is the use of the imperative form mòo ‘let’ followed by the subjunctive form of the verb yù ‘say, do’. The result is a chain of sentences, each of them introduced by the construction mòo x yàa ‘let x say/do’;
when things are actually said (ex. ‘let x say/do (that) x says y’), a logophoric pronoun is affixed to the verb yù ‘say, do’;

each sentence introduced by mòo x yàa ‘let x say/do’ may contain one or more subordinate clauses encoding the single action performed by x, i.e. the subject. These subordinate clauses need a subjunctive form, namely a subjunctive marker. In presence of a prenominal subject, the canonical subjunctive marker is an enclitic -n attached to the subject pronoun (nè-n, khè-n, shì-n etc.). In absence of a prenominal subject (or when the order is VOS, in which case no enclitic marker can be affixed to the pronoun), the subjunctive marker is an initial ʔìn. Since the kind of subordinate clauses we are referring to tend to be subject-less (the subject being expressed once at the beginning of the sentence), it is this pre-verbal ʔìn that is recurrently found in the text to mark the subjunctive;
a few words of clear Hausa origin, more or less integrated into Kushi, are found in the text: amma ‘but’, ashe ‘what!?’, bari ‘let, leave’, daga ‘from’, daidai ‘correctly, exactly’, damina (<Ha. damu ‘be worried’), har ‘up to’, kafin ‘before’, ko ‘or’, kuma ‘also’, kukkuwa ‘wrestling’ (< Ha. kokawa), ƙ auye ‘village’, lie’, lookoci ‘time’ (< Ha. lokaci), maza ‘quick’, sannan ‘after’, sosai ‘very much’, taɓa ‘have never done (something)’, tun ‘since’, and yanzu ‘now’.

3. The text

<11>

The story has been collected by Malam Samson Waziri in the Kushi village area at the beginning of the ’90s. The narrator is Malam Lapandi Babale, 33 years old.

<12>

Kushi is a tonal language distinguishing between two punctual tones – high and low. In the text presented below low tones are marked with a grave accent, while discrete high tones are left unmarked. High tones are marked only in contour tones (ex. tóò ‘well’). Vowel length is also indicated, with the tone marked on the first vowel (ex. pèemò ‘he’). The voiced velar fricative (ɣ) is transcribed with gh, the aspirated velar (kh) with kh, and the voiceless palato-alveolar fricative (ʃ) with sh.

<13>

The following abbreviations are used:

def	definite form	obj	object pronoun
dist	distance extension	pl	plural
fut	future marker	perf	perfect
gen	genitive	pos	possessive pronoun
icp	intransitive copy pronoun	rel	relative
log	logophoric pronoun	s	subject pronoun
m	masculine	suj	subjunctive
neg	negation	vn	verbal noun

<14>

(1)	Mà	Kèrfòtaghà	kàn	jèrè-nì	tà	Shòmì	kùttà	mina-jù,
	s2pl	Kerfotagha	with	friend-pos3m	in	Shomi	sleep	house-pos3pl
	Kerfotagha and his friend Shomi are staying at their homes.

(2)	dàràŋ	nòn	ɗòk	yè	Kèrfòtaghà	ʔìllinà	tì	mina	sheni
	sun	of	some	rel	Kerfotagha	stand	on	house	pos3m
	One day, Kerfotagha leaves his house

(3)	ʔìn	kèrìn	khù-nì	Shòmì,
	suj	follow	head-pos3m	Shomi
	and goes to the house of his friend Shomi.

(4)	yàa	shìi	wan-na	gàsshò	ʔàn	nèy,
	say	s3m	come-dist	find	person	fight
	He tells him that he is looking for a person to fight with,

(5)	yà	tun	lookòci	yè	nòn-nì		pàttàn-nìn
	say	since	time	rel	mother-pos3m		beget-obj3m.perf

	shìi	taɓà	yà	nèy	kàn	nìyò-m,
	s3m	never	do.perf	fight	with	person-neg
	because since his mother gave birth to him he has never fought with anybody.

(6)	wende	shìi	tòllì-nà	gbe	fara-ni	kàn	gàsshò	ʔàn	nèy,
	now	s3m	pull-dist	big	he goat-pos3m	with	find	person	fight
	But now he got a big billy goat and whoever will fight with him will keep the animal.

(7)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	oh!	pèemò	tà	gàsshàn	ʔàn	nèy,
	let	Shomi	say	oh!	he	fut	find.vn	person	fight
	“Oh! Are you looking for someone to fight with you?” Shomi asks.

(8)	yàa	oh!	tóò
	say	oh!	well
	“Yes,” Kerfotagha says.

(9)	yàa	mòo	pèemò	yà-ji	wèeya	shìk-i
	say	let	log3m	say-log3m	see.perf	body-def
	Shomi tells his friend that he has seen the billy goat

(10)	yàa	mòo	pèemòn	Kèrfòtaghà	ʔìn	tùk	fara-i	ʔìn	tùkkì-nà,
	say	let	log3m	Kerfotagha	suj	tie	he goat-def	suj	tye-dist
	and that he should tie the animal. Kerfotagha ties the billy goat and

(11)

mòo

Shòmì

yàa

shìi

tà

lì

kòɗɗì

yè

shìn

tà

wàra

yàa

nèy

pèemòn

wàrù,

let

Shomi

say

s3m

fut

put

time

rel

s3pl

fut

do.vn

fight

log3m

come

Shomi says that he will put time between now and the moment they will come and fight, so that he will come at that time.

(12)	mòo	Kèrfòtaghà	yàa	duma	dàràŋ	wenne,
	let	Kerfotagha	say	that	sun	what
	Kerfotagha asks “When will it be?”.

(13)	ʔa	Shòmì	yàa	duma	shàghlò	tàat,
	let	Shomi	say	that	day	three
	Shomi replies that he should come after three days.

(14)	mòo	Kèrfòtaghà	yàa	to	yà-ji	lèka	tàat	yà-ji	tà	wàrù.
	let	Kerfotagha	say	yes	say-log3m	wait	three	say-log3m	fut	come
	“Very well” Kerfotagha says, and then he goes back home and waits for three days.

(15)	shàghlò	tàat	ʔìn	wàrù
	day	three	suj	come
	After three days, he comes back.

(16)	ʔìn	kwònì,	ʔìn	yìw	yàa	nèy.
	suj	meet	suj	get	do	fight
	They meet and start fighting.

(17)	Kèrfòtaghà	ʔìn	shàr	Shòmì	ʔìn	kàn-nì-nà,	ʔìn	shàr	manni	ʔìn	kàn-nì-nà
	Kerfotagha	suj	take	Shomi	suj	lay-obj3m	suj	take	another	suj	lay-obj3m
	Kerfotagha takes Shomi and brings him down, and again and again.

(18)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	pèemò-i	kànnò-ni-m
	let	Shomi	say	log3m-def	lay-obj3m-neg.perf

	yàa	kàn-na-nì		shibo	shòjàk,
	say	lay-dist-obj3m		children	dry grass
	Then Shomi gets up and says that it is not him, Kerfotagha, to bring him down, but the grass which is on the field,

(19)	dun	shibo	ʔà	tèmmò	khù	dami-m	kàn-na-nì
	because	children	neg	clean.perf	head	field-neg	lay-dist-obj3m

	ɓara	shibo
	only	children
	because the children have not cleared the area.

(20)	ʔàmma	mòo	pèemòn	Kèrfòtaghà		mènò		pèemò	mina
	but	let	log3m	Kerfotagha		go.back		log3m	house

	màa	shàghlò	tàat	bìràŋ	pèemòn		shì-rù,
	when	day	three	again	log3m		become-dist
	He tells his friend to go back home again and to come back in three days.

(21)	shàghlò	tàat-i	ʔìn	yàa	ʔìn	mè-rù	tà	Kèrfòtaghà
	day	three-def	suj	do	suj	return-dist	in	Kerfotagha

	ʔìn	wàrù	wèey		Shòmì
	suj	come	find		Shomi
	After three days, he comes back again and meets with Shomi.

(22)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	pèemò	fòn-nà	yàa	mòo	Kèrfòtaghà	yà-ji	fòn-nà,
	let	Shomi	say	log3m	reach-dist	say	let	Kerfotagha	say-log3m	reach-dist
	Shomi asks him if he has come back and Kerfotagha says that he is back.

(23)	ʔìn	per	khù	dami	tà	shini,
	suj	go	head	field	in	s3pl
	Then they go the field (and stand).

(24)	Shòmì	ʔìn	yàllò	shìk-ni	huu huu,	shìi	là-nò	fòn-nì,
	Shomi	suj	shout	body-pos3m	huu huu	s3m	son-gen	father-pos3m

	shìi	là-nò là-nò		gènnò-nì,	shìi	là-nò		nòn-nì,
	s3m	son-gen son-gen		uncle-pos3m	s3m	son-gen		mother-pos3m
	Shomi start shouting to himself, (saying that) he is the son of his father, he is the son of his uncle and of his mother,

(25)	shìnì	tà	yàa	kùkkuwà	bwòy,
	s3pl	fut	do	wrestling	today
	and that today they are going to fight.

(26)	ʔàshee	Shòmì	shìrìnà	wè-nì	kagh,
	what!	Shomi	prepare	thing-pos3m	all
	But then, what a surprise! (Kerfotagha doesn’t know that) Shomi has played one of his tricks.

(27)	yàa-nà	mà	ʔÀmùrmùlùm	kàn	Tàràngriwèt,
	call-dist	2pl	Amurmulum	and	Tarangriwet
	He has called Amurmulum and Tarangriwet (his sons),

(28)	mà	ʔÀmùrmùlùm		kàn	Tàràngriwèt	wàrù	ʔòppò	jwal
	s2pl	Amurmulum		and	Tarangriwet	come	dig	hole

	tì	khù	dami	kàn	jòori
	on	head	field	with	depth
	and they came to dig a deep hole in the ground.

(29)	ʔìn	shàrù	shòjàk	kàn	shibo	bìrò	ʔìn	màrìn	tì	fò	jwal-i
	suj	take	dry grass	with	children	tree	suj	line	on	mouth	hole-def
	They have brought waste grass, a small stick and a stone and placed these things near the hole,

(30)

ʔìn

pàl

ɓùk

ʔìn

màn

khù

daidai

kerero

sai

kàn

suj

collect

sand

suj

push on

head

exactly

enough

only

with

sai

kàn

fò

ɓùk-i

only

with

mouth

sand-def

then they have levelled the ground with some sand in the correct way.

(31)	tóò	daga	yè	yika	yà	nèy
	yes	from	rel	started	do	fight
	When the two friends come to the field and start fighting,

(32)	Shòmì	ʔìn	yìw	shènnù		Kèrfòtaghà	tì	fò-r		pirenna
	Shomi	suj	do	push		Kerfotagha	on	mouth-gen		there

	yè	kàn	fò	jwal	tèere,	Kèrfòtaghà	waa	kòon	tì	tày	karaw,
	rel	with	mouth	hole	there	Kerfotagha	want	go	on	inside	fall
	Shomi starts pushing Kerfotagha towards the edge of the hole so that, after a while, his friend falls into it.

(33)	dàgà	yè	kokan	tì	tày	jwal
	from	rel	fall	on	inside	hole
	When Kerfotagha falls into the hole,

(34)	Shòmì	ʔìn	kùman	shàr	ʔànkwàràmì-nì	ʔìn	ɓìrìn	ʔàɗò.
	Shomi	suj	immediately	take	stick-pos3m	suj	beat	eye
	quickly Shomi grabs his stick and beats his friend’s eye.

(35)	ʔàɗò	ʔìn	ʔòwòò-ro,
	eye	suj	swollen-icp3f
	Kerfotagha’s eyes swell,

(36)	Shòmì	ʔìn	tèwìn	ʔàɗò-nì	tì	tà	jwal-i,
	Shomi	suj	tell	eye-pos3m	on	inside	hole-def
	then Shomi asks what happens with his eyes.

(37)	yàa	duma	yùwa	ʔàɗò	pèemòn	Kèrfòtaghà	wènè	yàa	màa	yùwa,
	say	that	do.perf	eye	log3m	Kerfotagha	what	say	when	do.perf
	Shomi starts (mocking his friend) asking him what is happening to his face

(38)	yàa	pèemè	tà	wàra	gàsshà	nìyò	kà	fara,
	say	log3m	fut	go	find.vn	person	with	he goat
	and saying that he will go to find another person with a he-goat to fight with.

(39)	yàa	mòo	pèemòn	Kèrfòtaghà	pè-rù-n	tì	tà	jwal-i,
	say	let	log3m	Kerfotagha	get out-dist	on	in	hole-def
	Kerfotagha tell Shomi to let him come out from the hole

(40)	màa	yùwa,	yàa	pèemò	tà	gàsshò	ʔàn	nèy	khù-nò
	when	do.perf	say	log3m	fut	find	person	fight	head-gen

	pèemò	ka	khù	shìila
	log3m	like	head	stone
	and that he will look for another fighter (because) his head is like a stone.

(41)	yànzu	màa	yè	pèemò	tà	pèrànì	pèemòn	wàra	gàsshù-rò	fò	pèrù
	now	when	rel	log3m	will	go out	log3m	go	find-dist	mouth	outside
	Now he looks where to come out

(42)	ʔà	wa	koyo	pèrù-m
	neg	get	way	outside-neg
	but doesn’t find a way out,

(43)	ʔìn	mùrìn	tì	fò	tèerè.
	suj	die	on	mouth	there
	so he dies there in the hole.

(44)	saʔannan	dàràŋ	non	ɗok
	after	sun	of	some
	After some time,

(45)	ʔAnkarkenshey	ʔìn	yì-rù	gwé	gokh-ni
	Viper	suj	catch-dist	big	rooster-pos3m
	Viper catches a big rooster.

(46)	tà	wàra	gàsshò	mòo	shìi	tà	munin
	fut	go	find	let	s3m	fut	give
	He wants to find somebody to give the rooster to

(47)	dum	shìi-n	yèrì,
	because	s3m-suj	bite
	and then bite him,

(48)	dun	tun	lookòci	yè	nòn-nò	kàn	fòn-nò	pàttà-nin
	because	since	time	rel	mother-gen	and	father-gen	beget-obj3m.perf
	because since he was born – from his father and his mother –

(49)	shìi	taɓà	yèr	nìyò-m,
	s3m	never	bite.perf	person-neg
	he has never bitten anybody.

(50)	àmma	màa	mòo	yìghù	shìi-n	yèrì,
	but	when	let	receive	s3m-suj	bite
	Hence, whoever will take the cock, he will bite him.

(51)	sânnan	ʔìn	wàrìn	fò	mìnà-no	Shòmì,
	after	suj	go	mouth	house-gen	Shomi
	He follows the road to Shomi’s house.

(52)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	duma	pèemò	wàn-nà	tòghnè	ka	tèy,
	let	Shòmì	say	that	log3m	come-dist	where	like	this
	Shomi asks Viper where he goes like that,

(53)

yàa

mòo

ʔAnkarkenshey

yàa

shìi

wànna

gàsshò

tà

say

let

Viper

say

s3m

come-dist

find

who

fut

yìw

gbe

gòkh-nì

shìi

tèy.

get

big

rooster-pos3m

this

and Viper says that he is looking for somebody willing to accept his big rooster,

(54)	màa	mòo	yìwa	shìi-n	yèrì	shìi,
	when	let	get	s3m-suj	bite	pos3m
	since he will bite the person who gets the animal.

(55)	mòo	Shòmì	ɓara	paroy	tèy	yàa,
	let	Shomi	only	talk	thìs	say
	Shomi asks if this is the only thing that has brought him there.

(56)	mòo	ʔAnkarkenshey	yàa	Uuo!	tóò
	let	Viper	say	Uuo!	well
	Viper says yes,

(57)	Shòmì	ʔìn	yìwì	gbe	gokh-i.
	Shomi	suj	get	big	cock-def
	then Shomi gets the rooster

(58)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	pèemòn	ʔAnkarkenshey	mòo	pèemò	wànnò,	pèemò,
	let	Shomi	say	log3m	Viper	let	log3m	go	log3m
	and tells Viper to go (home)

(59)	màa	yùwa	shàghlò	tàat	pèemòn	shìrù,
	when	do.perf	day	three	log3m	return
	and come back in three days

(60)	pèemò	màa	pèemòn	wàrù	yèr-nì
	log3m	when	log3m	come	bite-pos3m
	to bite him.

(61)	ʔAnkarkenshey	ʔìn	kòonì
	Viper	suj	go
	So Viper leaves,

(62)	ʔìn	wàn-ni	mìnà-ni,
	suj	go-icp3m	house-pos3m
	returns to his house

(63)	ʔìn	yù-rù	shàghlò	tàat
	suj	do-dist	day	three
	and, when three days have passed,

(64)	ʔìn	shìrù,	wàrù	Shòmì	wèey	Shòmì	tì	mìnà-ni,
	suj	return	come	Shomi	see	Shomi	on	house-pos3m
	he comes back to meet with Shomi in his house.

(65)	yàa	pèemò	Shòmì,	yà-ji	fòn-nà	wàra	yèr	pèemò,
	say	log3m	Shomi	say-log3m	reach-dist	go	bite	log3m
	(So he meets Shomi in the house) and says that he has returned to bite him.

(66)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	shìbò-ni	wàràa-ju	dòoŋ,
	let	Shomi	say	children-pos3m	go-icp3p	farm
	Then Shomi tells him that his children have gone to farm,

(67)		yàa	mòo	pèemò	meno	pèemò	sai	shàghlò	tàat	bìràŋ,
		say	let	log3m	go back	log3m	until	day	three	again
	so that it’s better if he comes back in three days.

(68)	kàfin	pèemò	mara	wàrù,
	before	log3m	when	come
	When his children are back,

(69)	shìi-n	tèw	tì	shibo-ni	ʔà	rà	war	mànnì	piri-m,
	s3m-suj	tell	on	children-pos3m	neg	fut	go	another	place-neg
	he will tell them not to go anywhere that day,

(70)	dun	kawoo	ghè	fò	mùrù-nì,
	because	bring	looking	mouth	death-pos3m
	so they will see the day of their father’s death.

(71)	ʔAnkarkenshey	ʔìn	mèrì-ni	mina	bìràŋ,
	Viper	suj	return-icp3m	house	again
	Viper returns to his house

(72)	shàghlò	tàat	ʔìn	yàa,	ʔAnkarkenshey	ʔìn	kon	mèyàa-ni
	day	three	suj	do	Viper	suj	leave	return-icp3m
	and after three days (– as he was told –), he is back again.

(73)	lookòci	yè	tà	mèn,
	time	rel	fut	return
	The same day Viper is supposed to come,

(74)	Shòmì	ʔìn	shìwòo-ni	là	tòghmè	tì	kìrà-no	mànnà-ni	tà	Firit,	tóò
	Shomi	suj	turn-icp3m	child	baby	on	hand-gen	wife-pos3m	in	Firit	well
	Shomi transforms himself into a baby boy on the hand of his wife Firit.

(75)	yàa	pèen	mànnà-ni	tà	Firit
	say	log3f	wife- pos3m	in	Firit
	he tells his wife Firit to say to Viper,

(76)	yàa	màa	fon-na,
	say	when	reach-dist
	when he comes,

(77)	yàa	mòo	pèe	tèwò	yà-ji	wàròo-ni	ƙauyè	koo	kuma	shèkì	mina,
	say	let	s3f	tell	say-log3m	go-icp3m	village	or	also	between	house
	that he has gone to the village or to his friend’s house.

(78)	ʔAnkarkenshey	ʔìn	fòn-tù
	Viper	suj	reach-dist
	Viper comes (and asks for Shomi),

(79)	mòo	Firit	yàa	pèemò,	yàa	mànnà-ro	wàrànì	shekì	mina,
	let	Firit	say	log3m	say	husband-pos3f	go.vn	between	house
	then Firit tells him that her husband has gone to visit his friend.

(80)	mòo	pèemò	yìw	là-i,
	let	log3m	get	child-def
	Let him have the baby boy (she says),

(81)	mòo-rò	wàr	tèllù	pèrì	tì	gùn	bìrò	fò	nèsshò-ju,
	let-pos3f	go	ask	place	on	under	tree	mouth	rest-pos3p
	so she goes to check the baby under the tree where they usually rest.

(82)	ʔìn	mùnìn	là-i	tì	kira-i,	ʔìn	kòo-ro	wàra	yè-rù	mànnà-ro
	suj	give	son-def	on	arm-def	suj	go-icp3f	go	call-dist	husband-pos3f
	She gives the baby boy to Viper and leaves to call her husband.

(83)	shimo	Shòmì,	yè	Firit	kònàa-ro	wàra	gàsshò	bìrò	mànnà-ro,
	3m	Shomi	rel	Firit	leave-icp3f	go	find	tree	husband-pos3f
	As soon as Firit leaves to check on her husband,

(84)	sai	là-i	ʔìn	yàa	shappàn	tì	shìk-nò	ʔAnkarkenshey,
	then	son-def	suj	do	diarrhoea	on	body-gen	Viper
	the baby discharges a flow of diarrhoea on Viper’s body.

(85)	ʔAnkarkenshey	ʔìn	ràsshò	wè-i	tèghlànì,
	Viper	suj	lack	thing-def	clean.vn
	Viper doesn’t have anything to clean (himself).

(86)	yà-ji	tègh	làa	tèerè
	say-log3m	clean	stool	that
	Eventually he manages to clean his body,

(87)	ʔìn	yuwun	manni	bìràŋ,	Ankarkenshey	ʔìn	dàmìnà	sòsai,
	suj	do	another	again	Viper	suj	worry	very much
	but then the child discharges another flow and Viper becomes really worried.

(88)	ʔìn	shàr	là-i	ʔìn	wà	lì-rù	tì	khù	fò	shàghlò
	suj	take	child-def	suj	go	put-dist	on	head	mouth	sleep
	So he takes the baby and puts him in a place for sleeping,

(89)	ʔìn	pèr-ni	gàsshò	wè-i	tèghò	làa	là-i.
	suj	come out-icp3m	find	thing-def	clean	stool	child-def
	then he goes out to look for something to clean the stools discharged by the child.

(90)	ʔìn	pè-rù	ʔìn	gàsshìnà	ʔà	wèey	wè-i	fò	teghlònù-m
	suj	come out-dist	suj	find	neg	find	thing-def	mouth	clean-neg
	But when he goes out he doesn’t find anything

(91)	ʔìn	kòo	mèn	mina-i	yà-ji	mèya	tà	mina-i
	suj	go	return	house-def	say-log3m	return	inside	house-def
	and when he goes back inside

(92)	ʔà	wèey	wè-i	shìk	là-i	tì	pèrè	lìya-nì-m	tì	fò	shàghlò
	neg	find	thing-def	body	child-def	on	where	put-pos3m-neg.perf	on	mouth	sleep.
	the child is not where he has left him, that is in the sleeping place.

(93)	là-i	ʔìllìi-ni	ʔìn	pèrè-ni	fòn-nà,
	child-def	stand-icp3m	suj	go out-icp3m	reach out-dist
	The baby boy has stood up and gone out,

(94)	ʔìn	yìw	gàsshò	bì	là-i
	suj	start	find	back	child-def
	and Viper keeps looking where he has gone,

(95)	ʔà	wà-m,	har	Firit	ʔìn	mèrìn	tì	yòl	mànnà-rò-i,
	neg	get-neg	up to	Firit	suj	return	on	call	husband-pos3f-def
	but without success.

(96)	yàa	duma	pèemòn	ʔAnkarkenshey	yàa	là-i	tòghnè,
	say	that	log3m	Viper	say	child-def	where
	After a while Firit comes back home. She asks Viper where her child is.

(97)	mòo	ʔAnkarkenshey		yà-ji	lìya	là-i	tì	fò
	let	Viper		say-log3m	put	child-def	on	mouth

	shàghlò	yè	maghna-ni	shappàn	tì	shìk-nì
	sleep	rel	pass to-pos3m	diarrhoea	on	body-pos3m
	Viper answers that he has put the child in the place for sleeping

(98)	yyùnzù	yà-ji	wàra	gèe	là-i,	là-i,
	now	say-log3m	go	see	child-def	child-def
	but now he has just gone to see the baby (106) and cannot find him anywhere.

(99)	ʔà	wàa-m	tì	fò	shàghlò-m.
	neg	find-neg	on	mouth	sleep-neg
	and cannot find him anywhere.

(100)	màa	tì	gàsshò	bì	là-i,	tà	shìnì,	shìnì	mànnà-no	Shòmì.
	when	on	find	back	child-def	in	s3pl	s3pl	wife-pos1m	Shomi
	Whilst Viper and Firit are looking for the baby boy,

(101)	Shòmì	tì	rìi,
	Shomi	on	enter
	Shomi comes in

(102)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	pèemò	ʔAnkarkenshey	fòn-nà	yàa?
	let	Shomi	say	log3m	Viper	reach-dist	say
	and immediately asks if Viper has come.

(103)	yàa	Uuh!	yà-ji	fònnò,
	say	Uuh!	say-log3m	reach.perf
	Yes, Viper says.

(104)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa,	tóò	bari	mòo-ji	shàr	là-nì
	let	Shomi	say	well	leave	let-pos3m	take	child-pos3m
	Shomi says to bring him his child,

(105)	shìi-n	shùmmò	fòk-i	kàfin	pèemòn	tàgh	yèr-nì,
	s3m-suj	kiss	mouth-def	before	log3m	start	bite-pos3m
	so that he could kiss the baby before Viper bites him.

(106)	yà-ji	pàmma	yàa	bwòy	dàràŋ	mùròo-ni,
	say-log3m	thank	say	today	sun	die-icp3m
	He thanks (God) for his death today.

(107)	ʔìn	tèl	mànnà-ni	tà	Firit	yàa	mòo	pèe	shàr-nì	là-nì
	suj	ask	wife-pos3m	in	Firit	say	let	s3f	take-pos3m	child-pos3m
	Shomi asks his wife Firit to bring the child

(108)	mòo-ji	shùmmò	fòk-ni	kawa	tàgh	mùròo-ni.
	let-pos3m	kiss	mouth-pos3m	for	start	die-icp3m
	(because he wants) to kiss him on the mouth before (the moment of) his death.

(109)	sânnan	mòo	Firit	yàa	jèrè-nò	pèemò	fòo-na
	after	let	Firit	say	friend-gen	log3m	reach-dist
	Then his wife tells him that his friend has come

(110)	ʔìn	tèl	pin-no	pèemò,	tè-n	tèwòn
	suj	ask	place-gen	log3m	s3f-suj	tell
	and has asked for him and that she has told him

(111)	tara	pèemò	wara-no	pèemò	shekì	mina	tèn	shàr	là-i
	that	log3m	go.off	log3m	between	house	tell	take	child-def
	that he had gone to the village, so she has taken the child

(112)	tèn	mùnìn	tara	mòo-rò	wà	yè-rù	pèemò,	yanzu	tèn	wàrù.
	tell	give	that	let-obj3m	go	call-dist	log3m	now	tell	come
	and given him to Viper, and then she has left to call him. And now she is back.

(113)	te	wan	là-i	tì	kira-m,	kere	waran	là-i	manni	pirey
	s3f	find	child-def	on	hand-neg	maybe	go	child-def	another	place
	(But now) she doesn’t find the child, maybe he has gone somewhere,

(114)	te	peno-m,	Firit	ʔìn	tèl	ʔAnkarkenshey	yàa	duma	là-i	tòghnè,
	s3f	know-neg	Firit	suj	ask	Viper	say	that	child-def	where
	Firit asks Viper where her child is.

(115)	mòo	ʔAnkarkenshey	yàa	là-i	mangha-ni	làa	tì	shik-ni
	let	Viper	say	child-def	pass to-pos3m	stool	on	body-pos3m
	Viper says that the baby has discharged a flow of diarrhoea over his body

(116)	shìi-n	lì	là-i	tì	khù	fò-r	shàghlò,
	s3m-suj	put	child-def	on	head	mouth-of	sleep
	and that he has put him in the sleeping place

(117)	shìi-n	wàn-ni	shìɗɗò	làa	là-i,
	s3m-suj	go-icp3m	clean	stool	child-def
	and then he has gone out to clean himself,

(118)	saja	shìi	wan-na	ʔaɗo	là-i	tì	fò	shàghlò-m.
	before	s3m	come-dist	neg	child-def	on	mouth	sleep-neg
	but once he was back the child was not there.

(119)	mòo	Shòmì	yàa	pèemò	ʔAnkarkenshey
	let	Shomi	say	log3m	Viper
	Then Shomi tells Viper

(120)	mòo	pèemò	gàsshù-rù-ni	bì	là-nì	maza-maza
	let	log3m	find-dist-pos3m	back	child-pos3m	quick-quick
	to find his child quickly,

(121)	nènà	bwòy	dàràŋ	mùrò-nì	yàa.
	because	today	sun	death-pos3m	say
	for today is the day of his death.

(122)	ʔàdò	paro	yè	ʔAnkarkenshey	tà	tèwànì-m,
	nothing	talk	rel	Viper	fut	tell.vn-neg
	Since Viper is not saying anything,

(123)	mòo	Shòmì	mòo	pèemòn	ʔÀnmùrùmùlùm	shàr-nì	bàràmtàm-nì	maza
	let	Shomi	let	log3m	Red Lizard	take-pos3m	gariyo-pos3m	quick
	Shomi asks (his son) Anmurumulum to bring him his gariyo [4] rapidly.

(124)	ʔÀnmùrùmùlùm		wana		ʔìn		wà	shàrìn	bàràmtàm-nì
	Red Lizard		go		suj		go	bring	gariyo-pos3m

	ʔìn	pèrìn	tì	Shòmì,	tóò	ʔAnkarkenshey			dama	sòsai.
	suj	come out	on	Shomi	well	Viper			worry	very much
	Anmurumulum brings him his gariyo and now Viper is really worried:

(125)	màa	wàra	fò	she,	ʔìn	wàr	fò	she	tà	gàsshò
	when	go	mouth	here	suj	go	mouth	here	in	find

	fò	shòw	khù-nì
	mouth	put	head-pos3m
	he goes right, he goes left, he looks for a way of escape,

(126)	ʔà	rà	wèeyànì-m,	yà-ji	wèeya	gùn	tèkkì	shìila
	neg	fut	see.vn-neg	say-log3m	see	under	line	stone
	but he can’t find one. Then he finds a hole under a stone

(127)	yà-ji	tà	shòwìn	khù-ni,
	say-log3m	fut	put	head-pos3m
	and tries to put his head there.

(128)	Shòmì	ʔìn	shàr	baramtam-ni	ʔìn	kànnì	khù	maza.
	Shomi	suj	take	gariyo-pos3m	suj	cut	head	quick
	Shomi takes his gariyo and quickly cuts Viper’s head.

(129)	Shòmì	ʔìn	wàn-ni	kàwak-nò	ʔAnkarkenshey
	Shomi	suj	go-icp3m	abuse-gen	Viper
	Shomi starts abusing Viper (for the foolishness he has done),

(130)	yàa	gbe	gònò	pèemò	ka	luru	shèl	jə̀ə.
	say	big	stomach	log3m	like	bag	put	beans
	saying that his stomach is like a bag of beans,

(131)	màa	Firit	yàa	shùllàn	fòk-nò	pèemò	ka	fò	kuret	tà	dòo-i,
	when	Firit	say	pointed	mouth-gen	log3m	like	mouth	snake	in	water-def
	while his wife Firit says that his mouth is like that of a water snake.

(132)	ʔìn	tòllù-rù	kùmà-no	ʔAnkarkenshey
	suj	pull-dist	corpse-gen	Viper
	Shomi pulls out the dead body of Viper

(133)	ʔìn	wàrùn	pippino	kàn	dèet	ʔìn	lìnà	tà	telàŋ
	suj	bring	burn	with	fire	suj	put	in	pot
	and brings it (home): he burns it with fire, cuts it, puts it in the pot,

(134)	ʔìn	dìnghì-na	ʔìn	ʔàɗɗìnà	shìn	kàmà	shibo-nì	shìn	ɗiŋ.
	suj	cook-dist	suj	eat	s3pl	incl	children-pos3m	3pl	all
	and they all eat it together.

References

Abraham, Roy Clive 1962

Dictionary of the Hausa Language. London: University of London Press.

Adelberger, Jörg, Karsten Brunk, and Ulrich Kleinewillinghöfer 1993

‘Natural environment and settlement in Chonge distict, eastern Muri mountains, northeastern Nigeria. An interdisciplinary case study.' In Nagel, Günter. (ed.), Berichte des Sonderforschungsbereichs 268, Vol. 2, pp. 13-42. Frankfurt/Main: Goethe University.

Dinslage, Sabine and Rudolf Leger 1996

‘Language and migration: the impact of the Jukun on Chadic speaking groups in the Benue-Gongola Basin’. In Berichte des Sonderforschungsbereichs 268, Vol. 8, pp. 67-75. Frankfurt/Main: Goethe University.

Jungraithmayr Herrmann and Rudolf Leger 1993

‘The Benue-Gongola-Chad Basin – Zone of Ethnic and Linguistic Compression’. In Nagel, Günter. (ed.), Berichte des Sonderforschungsbereichs 268, Vol. 2, pp. 161-172. Frankfurt/Main: Goethe University.

Jungraithmayr Herrmann and Rudolf Leger 2006

‘Loss, shift and growth in Southern BoleTangale languages: The interplay of internal and external factors in language development’. In Nicolaï, Robert and Petr Zima (eds.), Lexical and structural diffusion, pp. 79-89. Nice: Publications de la Faculté des Lettres de Nice.

Leger, Rudolf 1993

‘A Kushi war song.’ Annals of Borno 8/9: 234-238

Leger, Rudolf 1998

‘Grammatical gender in some southern Bole-Tangale langauges: Kwami, Kupto, Kushi and Piya’. In Institute of African Studies (ed.), Africa: Society, culture and language, pp. 204-216. Moscow: IAS.

Leger, Rudolf 2014

‘Some observations on typological features in languages of the Bole-Tangale group’. In Storch, Anne, Johannes Harnischfeger, and Rudolf Leger (eds.), Fading Delimitations. Multilingual Settlements in a Convergence Area – Case studies from Nigeria, pp. 229-262. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe

Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.)

Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 18th edition, SIL International, Dallas 2015. Online version: http://ethnologue.com/18/ (27.10.2017)

[1] A full account of the environment of the Kushi, Burak, and Bangwinji settlements can be found in Adelberger et al. (1993).

[2] I am very much indebted to Dr Rudolf Leger for having granted me full access to the Kushi-related material collected under the framework of the

Sonderforschungsbereich 268 (Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main).

[3] One of the closest literary cognates of Shomi (and his partner-in-crime Firit) can be identified in Gizo and his wife Ƙoƙi, the tricksters of Hausa folklore.

[4] Hausa word designating the double-bladed Barebari throwing-weapon (Abraham 1962).

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‘Shinni ma Shomi kan Kerfotagha’, a Kushi story

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