By Lana
In the Caribbean, stories are not just for telling; they are for singing and dancing too. This is a traditional story of trickery from Trinidad and Tobago. Most Caribbean folktales come from Africa, where storytelling often includes chanting and singing, acting and dancing. The following describes the story of Quaka Raja, one of those old folktales.
Glossary of Caribbean words
Arepa: a cornmeal pancake with spicy meat filling
Dasheen: a root vegetable
Dey: there
Foreday: the crack of dawn
Sapodilla: a small tropical fruit
Quaka Raja
At the edge of he forest in a hut, lived a poor widow with her four children: three daughters (Minnie Minnie, Minnie Bitani and Philambo) and a son, (Quaka Raja). Although she loved her three daughters, she did not show much concern for her son, who worked hard in the vegetable garden.
Note that sapodilla in Trinidad and Tobago was referred to as exotic fruit.
trinidad and tobago fruits and vegetables – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/456059899741297769/Pinterest
The three sisters always quarreled with each other, and made fun of Quaka Raja for looking after and feeding the birds and animals. On Fridays, the widow sold, from her basket the dasheen, yams, sweet potatoes, mangoes, sapodillas, peas, and beans at the market. She used the money to buy food like, arepa, molasses balls, cakes, black pudding, and other things for her children. So that her children knew she had returned home, she would sing:
“Minnie Minnie, come here,
Minnie Bitana, come here
Philambo, come here,
Leave Quaka Raja one dey”
The girls always ran to unlock the door pushing their brother aside to get a bigger share of the food. “Quaka Raja’s portion was always the smallest.”
Zobolak, who the whole village was scared of, lived in the forest. “He was hideous, with a deeply scarred face, fiery red eyes, and claw-like hands and feet”. Should a child disappear, the villagers accused Zobolak of stealing the child.
Zobolak tried hard to steal the three sisters by imitating the widow returning home, and singing her refrain:
“Minnie Minnie, come here,
Minnie Minnie, come here
Minnie Minnie, come here,
Leave Quaka Raja one dey”
Street market, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago.
http://www.fotosearch.com/UNS082/u13135480/Fotosearch
The first time he tried, the three daughters ran to open the door but Quaka Raja knew Zobolok had got the words wrong and stopped his sisters saying that was not their mother’s voice. Standing by the front door and blocking them, Quaka Raja was successful one more time, as Zabolak sang:
“Minnie Minnie, come here,
Minnie Minnie, come here
Philambo, come here,
Leave Quaka Raja one dey”
Quaka Raja once again told his sisters that Zobolak had sung the wrong words, but on the third attempt, Zobolak was successful as he finally got the words right:
“Minnie Minnie, come here,
Minnie Bitana, come here
Philambo, come here,
Leave Quaka Raja one dey”
Quaka Raja’s sisters, who this time really believed it was their mother returning, knocked Quaka Raja unconscious and opened the door. Zobolak threw the sisters into his sack over his shoulder, and took them to his cabin in the forest.
On waking, Quaka Raja tried to look for Zobolak and his sisters
Nariva Swamp boathouse Trinidad Tobago
http://www.ttnaturelink.com/ttnaturetrips/bush-bush-3
“Quaka Raja walked long and far. He walked all day, and as night fell he saw a light in the distance. Then he came to a hut half-hidden by trees and creepers. Inside he could hear his sisters crying. What to do now? He could not rescue them without help. As he stood thinking, and owl hooted overhead. At that moment he thought of a plan. He would ask his friends, the birds and animals of the forest, to help him.”
“Later that night, the stillness of the forest was shattered by a terrible noise. Zobolak was startled out of his sleep as the sounds grew louder and nearer, like the shrieks of a hundred demons.” Quaka Raja had enlisted the help of all his animal and bird friends to scare Zobolak away. The plan worked and Zobolak was last seen running deep into the forest.
Quaka Raja rescued his sisters and returned home. His mother was so proud of him that she spoilt him terribly from that time onward. Last we heard of Zobolak, he was still running!
Cool cats of the forest | The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper – Trinidad Guardian
Did you know, Ocelot is the Mexican name for jaguar.
Scarlet Ibis / Trinidad and Tobago
http://footage.framepool.com/en/shot/938162047-scarlet-ibis-mangrove-landscape-trinidad-and-tobago-deciduous-forest
Story Source: Sing me a Story. Song-and-Dance Tales from the Caribbean. Hallworth, Grace and Clemenston, John.