### 5. The Fall*

Unumbotte (God) had made a human being. The human being was Unele (man). Then Unumbotte made Opel (antelope; plural: Jpel, a term used for any antelope). Then Unumbotte made Ukow (plural: Jkow, that is, snake; the term is used for any snake). When these three had been made, there were at first no other trees except a single Bubauw (plural: Jbafe, that is, an oil palm). At that time the earth had not yet been pounded. (This refers to the way of beating clay in which Bassari women pound the floor of the hut and the ground around it.) The three (creatures) sat on the rough earth. Unumbotte said to the three: “The ground has not yet been pounded. You must pound the ground where you are sitting.” Then Unumbotte gave the three all kinds of seeds and said: “Plant these!” Unumbotte went away.

Unumbotte came back. He saw that the people had not yet pounded the ground, but had indeed planted the seeds. One seed had germinated and grown. It was a tree that had grown tall and bore fruit. The fruits were red. (The Bassari say that they no longer know the tree.) Unumbotte now came every seventh day and picked some of the red fruits.

One day the snake said: “We want to eat some of the red fruits too. Why should we go hungry?!” The antelope said: “But we do not know the fruit!” Then the man and his wife (she now appears all of a sudden. “At first,” the narrators say, “she was not there.” Despite all their reflection, they do not know how she suddenly came to join them!) took some of the fruits and ate them. Then Unumbotte came from heaven. Unumbotte said: “Who ate the fruit?” The man and the woman said: “We ate it.” Unumbotte asked: “Who told you that you should eat it?” The man and the woman said: “The snake told us.” Unumbotte asked: “Why did you follow the snake?” The man and the woman said: “We were hungry.”

Unumbotte asked the antelope: “Are you hungry too?” The antelope said: “Yes, I am hungry too; I would like to eat grass.” Ever since then, the antelope has lived in the bush and eaten grass.

But Unumbotte gave the humans Idi (the Tim’s Mela, Guinea corn), Demure (yams), and Jjo (the Tim’s Adalla, a kind of Pennisetum). Afterwards, the humans formed distinct eating groups (this is expressed in Bassari by the words “Tokokoa-koafe-kadjiu to-bo-bantir”) and always ate together from the same bowl, but not from other people’s bowls. From this arose the diversity of languages. Ever since then, people have cultivated the land. But the snake received from God a medicine (Njojo), so that it might bite the human being.

### Frobenius’s source notes

*Page 75 footnote:* It is very important to establish that, according to our historical knowledge, missionaries have never yet penetrated as far as Bassari!

*Page 76 note:* (NB: I have taken great pains to investigate the origin of this legend. Several Bassari from the hamlets surrounding the Sinnhof knew this story, and it was always described to me as an old possession of the tribe. I had the story told to me by several people at different times and was never able to find substantial differences. I must therefore firmly reject the idea that either modern or older missionary influence might be involved here. Nor does it seem to come from a neighboring people.

Nevertheless, Nege Dambele told me that this story was also known to the Soninke, and the Marka accompanying us confirmed this. Unfortunately, both knew only its general outlines, not the details. See also Binger II (where he speaks of the Fofana).

The heading “Der Sündenfall” (“The Fall”) is the heading in Frobenius’s edition. Its biblical terminology does not itself prove that the story derives from Genesis.