Oluwagbemiga Ogboro-Cole - Mami Wata

Pidgin English for Naija today, we no fit dey write about am make we no call di name of di papa dem all wey make di language watin e bi today.

Pipul like Baba Abami eda »Fela Anikulapo« wey dey use di Pidgin dey write im music wey dem dey call Afro Beat wey come dey popular today for Naija and di world, we mus not forget pipul like Bola Johnson wey bi di first person wey come write Naija Pidgin Newspaper for Naija.

»Mami Wata« na human fish wey dem dey call »Mama of all river« wey bi say for all Yoruba stori dem dey use Mami Wata as God of river dem wey dey give anybody wey see am or ask for anitin like richness and all di fine fine tin wey person want.

Mami wata today na like God like di Christian and Muslim religion, for Naija e get pipul wey dey worship am as dem God and e dey gif dem watin dem want from im.

Some pipul dey call »Mami Wata« Yeye Osun »Mama Osun river« wey be also di history for Yoruba Land wey come from history of how we di Yoruba come for di world, and all di worior dem wey don help Yoruba land and im pipul.

Osun river dey for Osun state for Naija till today wey mani mani pipul from all di world dey come worship.

Mani mani Yoruba stori wey dem dey use animal for inside, dem dey take am talk to small small pikin dem. Dem dey use am mak dem for no why animal bi dis or dat.

After I come look wel well for inside di stori wey dem dey tell small pikin dem for Yoruba land, I come see say dem jus use different animal for di stori dem to fit describe how animal dey clever and how im bodi or how e dey run or slow. So na all dis tin dem naim dem dey talk with small pikin dem make dem for know watin dey good and bad.

Tortis na one of di animal wey be say e day for almost di stori for Yoruba land, and tortis for Yoruba stori e dey do good and e day do bad, so everi pikin dey use mak e no watin good and bad.

Yoruba stori na from generation to generation wey be say e most continue to go from one person to other and our pikin pikin wey bi Yoruba pikin.

Di stori wey dey inside »Mami Wata« na for mai pikin time wey mai mama tell me wen I dey small. Mai mama tells me di stori for Yoruba, I come retell am for Naija Pidgin English.

For mani mani years wen our gran gran papa bi di first person wey come land for Yoruba land

For deer, one king dey live deer wey dem dey call Oba jekiludun (king Let the town bi sweet).

Dis king come get one pikin wey dey fine well well dis pikin fine no bi small.

Wen di fine pikin come reach dat age wey e go come get husband, im papa Oba Jekiludun no no who e go gif im pikin for, for di sake of say im pikin fine too much.

As una no Yoruba pipul, dem like Fine fine fine woman na im mak mani mani jung man dem come go ask for im papa Oba Jekiludun say dem wan marri im fine pikin. But Oba Jekiludun no wan gif ani man wey come ask for im fine pikin.

One day Oba jekiludun come tell im town cryer say make im go tell everi man for town say time don reach wey e wan gif im fine pikin to any man wey fit get di wesidom and cleverness say eni man wey get di answer say in go gif di person half from im richness and im land and na that man im go gif im fine pikin for.

Oba jekiludun come says« enibodi wey fit bring am animal wey get up to one hundred and twentyfive tail naim go marri im pikin and get all dat richness wey im promise«.

Wen all hunter dem ear dis news dem come dey veri veri joyful say na dem go get king im fine pikin.

E get one hunter wey everi bodi no for di town im name Na Majekobaje (don’t let it spoil). Naim Majekobaje come think well well say dis kind animal in never see am for im life since e don dey go hunt, but since Oba Jekiludun don talk am say di bel must dey.

Quick, quick, Majeobaje come run go fin one Ifa man (Ifa Prist) wey go help am fin out say if dat kind animal dey for dem land.

Wen Majekobaje reach for di ifa man, Majeobaje come gif ifa small present so dat ifa go tell am wetin im come ask for, ifa man come talk to all god, ifa come say e go take five day befor e go fit give am answer.

Wen di five day reach Ifa man come call Majekobaje say make in come ear watin Ifa fin out for am, Ifa man come say« di animal wey you dey fin, dey far well well for one hole wey dey for hill but im no no if eni bodi fit come reach deer onli if di person dey dream. Ifa man comes tell am say if e dream di animal for night say wen im wake up say make e do scarifies for Ifa, Say dat na di tin wey Ifa tell am bi dat«.

As Ifa man tell am finish, na so e jus dey take head dey tink wer e fit fin di hole wey di Ifa man say di animal wey get one hundred and twenty-five tail dey live.

Quick, quick Majekobaje don finish im plan e come call all im friend and di hunter too say »im dey go for journey wey go take am three mont to come back to im village« bifore e start im journey e come carri all im hunter thing dem like arrow, bow, chams, e come put am for bodi beging dey go for im journey.

After plenty day wey Majekobaje dey waka for insi tick tick bush dey fin di hole wey di ifa man say, as e no see any animal na him e remember say e no wer bad bad animal dem dey.

E beging look all di hole wey dey for all di hill for inside tick tick bush.

Majekobaje come dey tayer, naim e say make im rest small for di sake of say im wan do like say im don dei, e come lay down come put im bag like pilo and in bow and arrow for im foot. E come lay for there quiet wey bi say if person or animal see am dem go tink say im done dei. As e lay there one veri small bat come fly come where Majekobaje dey lay wit im shape eye we dey light like fire. Majekobaje dey look di bat from far away, Majekobaje come close im eye come do like say im don dei, na so dis bat come fly where Majekobaje dey lay but Majekobaje no all animal but him never see dis kind of bat befor since him don dey bear hunter.

Quick quick Majekobaje don bigen dey use im hunter cham, dey call am, na so di bat come dey sing e dey sing like e dey call di rest animal dem, di bat dey call all of dem say di best hunter wey dey worri dem for bush don dei, as di bat dey call na so gorilla too come ear watin di bat dey tell dem, na so all di animal wey dey for di tick bush come come until di place come full wit diferent diferent kind of animal even di small small animal like insects, and bell con come dey happi say Majekobaje di best hunter don dei even all di animal don see am bigen tell di rest say e don dei say make dem come see im body wer e lay, until di news come reach di animal wit one hundred and twenty-five tail for im hole wey di bell dem come tell am about di news. As di one hundred and twenty-five tail animal ear dis e come call one of the bell say make e tell again di tin wey e ear, di bell come tell am say na true even sef e see am too say all di rest animal still dey wer di bodi for di hunter dey.

Quick, quick di one hundred and twenty-five tail animal say e too go go see am by imsef e come tell di bell say make e go tell di rest animal say e dey come too, so di bell fly go meet di rest animal say one hundred and twenty-five tail animal dey come see e wan see am wit im own eye. As di bell come back e come tell di rest animal wetin one hundred and twenty-five tail animal talk.

As one hundred and twenty-five tail come all di or animal come dey very happi dem dey greet am as King of all animal as im come see am naim e begin talk say« dis hunter Majekobaje is di strongest hunter in di world, and na mai friend na becose of am I come dey live for hole in di hill now wey e don dei to show say I respect am I go come out now begin to fly outside and live wit una« as one hundred and twenty-five tail finish im talk wey everi bodi dey helle am like king dem come say make dem bring am to dei ad bodi of Majekobaje where im body dey. Because e dey so arrogant one hundred and twenty-five tail say make dem bring am come for im hole say im go keep am there for di rest of im life. As Majekobaje ear dis quick quick e open im eye come point im arrow for di one hundred and twenty-five tail as im wann shot am wit arrow, as all di animal see say Majekobaje wake up they all run away non of dem even want to save dem king.