The tale of the boy who tricked a tyrant - Paschal Kyiiripuo Kyoore

Translator: Ananda Daffa Elkaazu Reviewer: Ezy Wiranda

Shock seized the West African Dagara village as word traveled of a new decree.

Berita tentang dekret baru mengejutkan desa Dagara di Afrika Barat.

Completely disregarding time-honored naming rituals,

Mengabaikan tradisi ritual pemberian nama,

the tyrannical chief declared that, going forward,

kepala suku yang tiran itu menyatakan, ke depannya,

he alone would name the village’s children.

dia sendiri yang akan memberi nama anak-anak desa.

But an unlikely challenger eventually appeared...

Namun, seorang penantang yang tidak terduga pun muncul...

One day, a mother was taking her newborn to the chief’s house to be named

Suatu hari, seorang ibu membawa bayinya ke rumah kepala suku untuk diberi nama

when her baby asked where they were going from his crib.

ketika bayinya bertanya ke mana mereka akan pergi.

She told him, and he responded that they could return home

Sang ibu memberitahunya, dan si bayi mengajaknya untuk pulang

because he already had a name and it was Yagangnaa,

karena dia sudah punya nama, yaitu Yagangnaa,

meaning “wiser than the chief.”

artinya, “lebih bijak dari kepala suku.” Maka, mereka pun pulang.

So, they did just that.

Bertahun-tahun kemudian, saat berburu kadal di dekat rumah kepala suku,

Years later, while hunting lizards near the chief's house,

a friend called Yagangnaa’s name, which caught the chief’s attention.

seorang teman memanggil nama Yagangnaa, yang menarik perhatian kepala suku.

He knew he hadn't given any child a name that insulted his own authority.

Dia tahu dia tidak pernah memberi anak nama yang menghina otoritasnya sendiri.

When he asked Yagangnaa who named him, and the boy replied that he named himself

Saat bertanya siapa yang menamainya,

Yagangnaa menjawab dia sendiri.

the chief grew furious.

Kepala suku marah.

He committed himself to proving his superiority—

Dia berkomitmen membuktikan kekuasaannya

and punishing Yagangnaa’s family.

dengan menghukum keluarga Yagangnaa.

First, he called on Yagangnaa and gave him a huge basket full of millet and pebbles.

Pertama, dia memanggil Yagangnaa

dan memberinya sekeranjang jawawut dan kerikil.

He told Yagangnaa to have his mother brew “pito,” or millet beer,

Dia menyuruh Yagangnaa untuk meminta ibunya menyeduh “Pito” atau bir jawawut,

by the end of the day, so the chief could entertain his farm workers.

di penghujung hari, sehingga kepala suku dapat menghibur para pekerja pertaniannya.

Upon hearing the chief’s orders, Yagangnaa’s mother wept.

Setelah mendengar perintah kepala suku, ibu Yagangnaa menangis.

It was impossible to separate the millet from the pebbles.

Tidak mungkin memisahkan jawawut dari kerikil.

And everyone knew it took weeks to make pito:

Dan semua orang tahu butuh berminggu-minggu untuk membuat pito:

the millet had to be soaked, dried, ground, boiled, then fermented

jawawut harus direndam, dikeringkan, digiling, direbus, lalu difermentasi

in days-long stages.

selama beberapa hari.

So, Yagangnaa decided to retaliate with another insurmountable task.

Yagangnaa pun memutuskan untuk membalas dengan memberikan tugas yang berat.

He sent the chief gourd seeds and asked him to prepare calabash cups

Ia mengirim biji labu kepada kepala suku dan memintanya menyiapkan cangkir labu

that same day to hold the pito his mother was making.

hari itu juga untuk wadah pito yang dibuat ibunya.

The chief would have to wait for the seeds to germinate

Kepala suku harus menunggu benih berkecambah

and the plants to bear fruit, then harvest, carve, and dry them—

dan tanaman tersebut berbuah, kemudian memanen, mengukir, dan mengeringkannya—

the work of an entire farming season all in one day.

pekerjaan selama satu musim tanam dalam satu hari.

Realizing Yagangnaa was onto him— and one step ahead—

Menyadari Yagangnaa mengincarnya— dan selangkah lebih maju—

the chief ordered him to return the millet.

kepala suku memerintahkannya untuk mengembalikan jawawut tadi.

Next, he instructed Yagangnaa to look after his bull

Selanjutnya, dia menginstruksikan Yagangnaa untuk merawat sapi jantanya

hingga menghasilkan cukup banyak ternak untuk memenuhi kandangnya

until it produced enough cattle to fill his kraal

and pay his sons’ bridewealths.

dan dapat membayar biaya maskawin putranya.

Without protesting that he’d need a cow, not a bull, to do this,

Tanpa protes bahwa dia butuh sapi betina, bukan pejantan, untuk melakukannya,

Yagangnaa agreed.

Yagangnaa setuju.

The next day, he began cutting dry wood near the chief's house.

Keesokan harinya, dia mulai memotong kayu kering di dekat rumah kepala suku.

Ketika kepala suku bertanya apa yang dia lakukan,

When the chief asked what he was doing,

Yagangnaa said he needed wood to cook and warm his house

Yagangnaa menjawab dia butuh kayu untuk memasak dan menghangatkan rumahnya

because his father had just delivered a baby.

karena ayahnya baru saja melahirkan bayi.

The chief laughed and said that was impossible,

Kepala suku tertawa dan mengatakan itu tidak mungkin,

to which Yagangnaa asked why it should be impossible

dan Yagangnaa bertanya mengapa tidak mungkin

for his father to deliver a child

bagi ayahnya untuk melahirkan anak

if the chief thought his bull was going to produce cattle.

padahal kepala suku mengira sapi jantan dapat menghasilkan ternak.

One-upped once again, the chief ordered Yagangnaa to return the bull—

Dikalahkan sekali lagi,

kepala suku memerintahkan Yagangnaa untuk mengembalikan sapi itu-

and decided to take extreme measures.

dan memutuskan untuk mengambil tindakan ekstrem.

Dia memerintahkan Yagangnaa untuk menemani putranya dalam suatu tugas

He told Yagangnaa to accompany his son on an errand

and provided him a beautiful horse and expensive clothes.

serta memberikan Yagangnaa kuda yang indah dan pakaian mahal.

Meanwhile, the chief's own son wore tattered clothing and rode a weak horse.

Sementara, putra kepala suku mengenakan pakaian lusuh dan menunggangi kuda lemah.

Sensing the chief's new trick brewing,

Merasakan trik baru kepala suku,

Yagangnaa offered to trade with the chief’s son, who agreed.

Yagangnaa menawarkan untuk barter dengan putra kepala suku, yang setuju.

But the chief had given his men grisly orders.

Namun, kepala suku telah memberi orang-orangnya perintah mengerikan.

And moments later, a poisoned arrow flew towards the well-dressed boy

Sesaat kemudian, panah beracun terbang ke arah anak laki-laki berpakaian bagus

on the beautiful white horse,

di atas kuda putih yang cantik,

striking and killing the chief’s son while Yagangnaa escaped.

menyerang dan membunuh putra kepala suku sementara Yagangnaa melarikan diri.

Ever fixated on eliminating Yagangnaa, the defiant boy who named himself,

Terus berusaha melenyapkan Yagangnaa, anak pemberani yang menamai diri sendiri,

the chief invited him over for a pito drinking spree.

kepala suku mengundangnya untuk minum pito.

Dia menggali sumur dan menutupinya dengan kulit sapi

He dug a well and covered it with a cowskin

to create a deceitfully decorative seat.

untuk membuat tempat duduk dekoratif yang menipu.

But, by now, Yagangnaa knew the chief’s plans,

Namun, sekarang, Yagangnaa tahu rencana kepala suku,

and dug a tunnel connecting his house with the chief’s well.

dan menggali terowongan yang menghubungkan rumahnya dengan sumur kepala suku.

Later, when Yagangnaa arrived and graciously took his seat,

Kemudian, ketika Yagangnaa tiba dan dengan anggun mengambil tempat duduknya,

he fell into the pit.

dia jatuh ke dalam lubang.

The chief ordered his wives to pour hot pito into the hole.

Kepala suku memerintahkan istrinya menuangkan pito panas ke dalam lubang.

Namun, Yagangnaa gesit melarikan diri melalui terowongan

But Yagangnaa swiftly escaped through the tunnel

and asked his mother to collect the pito that soon followed.

dan meminta ibunya untuk mengumpulkan pito yang segera menyusul.

The chief thought he’d finally succeeded—

Kepala suku mengira dia akhirnya berhasil—

until receiving a message from Yagangnaa the next day

sampai menerima pesan dari Yagangnaa keesokan harinya

asking to reciprocate the chief’s generosity,

yang meminta untuk membalas kemurahan hati kepala suku,

inviting him for pito.

mengundangnya untuk minum pito.

Menyadari bahwa Yagangnaa telah mengalahkannya lagi,

Realizing that Yagangnaa had outwitted him again,

the chief conceded.

kepala suku menyerah.

And finally he abolished his decree

Akhirnya dia menghapus dekretnya

and returned the power of naming back to his people,

dan mengembalikan kuasa penamaan kembali kepada rakyatnya,

where it belonged.

sebagaimana seharusnya.