níŋ ám kà d͡ʒuljos ɡiɾò filip ɗēŋlě k͡páʃàm āsã̀m

My name is Julius Giroh Philip from the Dengle clan of Kpasham in the sandy region.

fūb ɗǎm ɓò ɓāwú mõ̌k ɗéòŋ nbāɰā

This is a story about an Antilope an a hunter

mók ɗwè bā̃wã́ mɔ̃̀kpē kâm ɓə̀ bẫŋ kùrùmàn

The antilope moves in the bush looking for something to eat and satisfy his hunger until his stomach becomes big

ɓèlá mɔ́ŋínā ɓɪ̀áŋ dījègè bīèbè ɗɪ̀ŋ mí: ɓò bwáh

It feels thirst, it goes moving in order to find water in the bush

(ɓɔ̀) bwǎ máŋ mí: bèswāŋ ɗə wū mī:

it finds water and drinks it

ɓɔ̀ wú mí: bè swāŋ dɪ̄kíé wūmēnà bàmì kjāmɗáŋ ɓàmī

while it drinks it, it looks at its own head in the water

ɓɪ̀ kjáŋ máŋ kjám djáŋ, ʔáì bɪ̀ gápká lwǐ ɡ̄irí zwē

looking at the image it says: ah! god made me good (beautiful).

?ɔ̀ árɛ́ zwéá zwē

good, so good!

kà ɡ͡ba-́é sém (ha!́) kà ɡ͡bá-é páè páé pá nwāɰā mè - mé:l

saying that its long horns are what make it look so beautiful

làɰə̄ díé kátã̄ẽ́ zètāé līblīb

that its only problem is because its little legs are very short

bóro pèà làɾé

...that is the problem...

kā á zēé taé sémé kā ná ɡ͡ba-ə kə mò wāɾè mēnēā tàmɛ̀

had it been that my legs were long, I would be very happy.

ɓè swaŋ ɗikie wú men-aŋ [bá] ɗikie kiam djaŋ ɓa mí:

It stood looking at its image in the water

ɲa᷄ ɓə má: kà:

it did not know

ǹɗweã́ w̃ã́ ɗɪ̀ bésa nene sane noŋ nohàʔ`

the bush hunter with the dog were approaching, they were coming

ʔēā kō ɡjáb ā kūbòŋ

he squat close to it, hiding

ā táp ɗə̀ k͡pwẽ̀ mē séb mēn-āŋ ā ʃéé bézā nētə̀mə̀ŋ ʃáá

then he shoots an arrow from his bow and it pearces its body, he sh! (onomatopeic order) for the dog to go after it, shaa!

beza maŋ ɗo bamlaŋ mok joŋ ɗjaŋ

Now the dog goes pursuing the antelope

mā móak dūk k͡pīé má ók

while the antelope runs trying to escape

kāŋ ásámà jé bāzā k͡pã̄ŋ

(like) from Kpasham towards the eastern side

ók kpjē mé́l

running good

nū máŋ dōnājòŋ, nū máŋ dōnājòŋ, nū máŋ dōnājòŋ

All of them running

moak je maŋ ɗɪk ɓa wuloŋ si-ə

The antelope enters inside the forest of trees (oh!)

ɡ͡baŋʔa kena ɓɪ gap ka wane zwera-a

with the same horns it said in the past that they were good...

taŋ o-ʔe, ɓo ɓɪ ja bezare di jale

its legs run fast, so fast they left the dog behind

ɓɪ kjebe kwaɾe ɓɪ lie

it saw itself at rest, safe.

ka maŋ ɓɪ je-a gbaŋ-a kena bibal, je tabaŋ ɓa wuloŋ si:

Left alone, it goes on praising its horns, when it gets hooked into a tree of the forest

tabaŋ ɓawuloŋ si: ɓɪ wuri gbaŋ ke, iʔe wurə ɗe ɓɪ lubi

hooked into the tree it pulls its horns trying to come out

alaŋ ɓɪ swe kaj, alaŋ ɓɪ tabaŋ kaj

turning and struggling it stood hooked between the branches.

nwe baɰa awa maŋ-ʔe

The hunter master comes

ka ɓwa moak ɗe swe ɓa wuloŋ si -o

he met the antelope standing in the forest

(ok!) ka moak sie kpe men-aŋ

(sound!) the antelope is pearced with another arrow through its body

(zue!) ɓeza...

(sound) the dog....

beza ma ɗei moak ma jap sie

the dog catches the antelope and hits it to the ground

jip muak ne ɓa wobe tuo sei ɗie

kill the antelope and they carry its meat home

fubo-o, apere ɓa habloro?

this story, what does it teach us?

ɓo hablo-rok a giro lwi giruŋ-e, ne dalaŋ-a ɗeko ɓaŋ

it teaches us that god created the world we live in

ɓaŋ ke: lwi giriuŋ ɓe ta-e lab lab

don't look at the fact that god has created your legs too short

n-ga: ii, ɲa ma ze ɓɪ giruŋ, a-sem kana wa ɗo n-kioŋ wa

and say: yes!, god should have created me tall like that person you are seeing somewhere else

ko ɓo giruŋ ɗe, ɗeon ma ɲa awa giruŋ

no matter how he created you, you should know he is the one with the power to create

n-pauŋ usoko

say: thank you!

zwera lwi giroŋ da wona

the goodness god created in others

ɓo ne ɗegaŋ mene dalaŋ, ɓo ɓwaŋ swa gele

sometimes comes to the world and is missused

ɓə ɗe lablaŋ mene-oŋ ka:m

it brings many problems

lwi giru ɗe bi:li

god created the blacks

giri ɓe nɗwena kana ɓeswe a ɗo-ʔe

it created the whites, like this lady who came now

kwab morok ɲa ɓə elaŋ-a

our skin does not look the same

gire ɗe lwi wo kat

it is all god's creation

a pea lwi mogorok ɗe [yanda] lwi girorok

what god gave us is [how] god created us

ɓawon kwo gap ka (ah!) ka lwi paɗe ma giri kaneaŋ-a

nobody should say: ah!, why has god created me like that?

ɓo-o pea fuɓo-o, tabro na menaŋ... fub ɗam gbere-e

this is what a story like this teaches us. My story is over.

pane pasihm

eɗe nekpei ɗapɗe

PBN_EV_ST_170324_JG-ANTILOPE.EAF