For many long months, famine had wrapped the land in its merciless grip. Hunger prowled through every village, and meat became such a rare luxury that only the wealthiest chiefs could afford even a morsel. The common folk grew thin and weary, their bellies empty and their spirits heavy. Among the starving was the family of Anansi the Spider, who, despite his clever mind and endless tricks, could find nothing to feed his household.
But hope came in an unexpected way. One day, Anansi’s eldest son, Kweku Tsin, made a joyful discovery deep within the forest: a secret place where animals still roamed in abundance. Day after day, he ventured there, returning home with fresh meat. Quietly, he sold it to the desperate villagers, earning good money and keeping his family alive.
Kweku, however, knew his father too well. Anansi was famous for his sly, greedy ways, and his son feared that if he learned the secret, he would ruin everything. So Kweku kept his discovery hidden.
But secrets rarely last long in the presence of Anansi.
The Trail of Ashes
Anansi soon noticed that Kweku returned each day with heavy bags of meat. Suspicion gnawed at him. “Where is this boy getting all this food while the rest of us starve?” he thought. His curiosity became unbearable. Determined to uncover the secret, he devised one of his infamous tricks.
Late one night, when Kweku lay fast asleep, Anansi crept quietly into his son’s room. Moving as silently as a shadow, he cut a tiny hole in the bottom of the bag Kweku always carried into the forest. Into this bag, he carefully poured a quantity of ashes. Then, with great care, he placed the bag back in its spot and tiptoed away.
The next morning, unaware of his father’s scheme, Kweku slung the bag over his shoulder and set off. With each step, a fine trail of ashes sprinkled onto the forest path. An hour later, Anansi followed. The faint grey line guided him like a map straight into the heart of the forest. There, to his satisfaction, he found the animals’ hiding place, and Kweku already hard at work.
Greedy and shameless, Anansi drove his son away, declaring loudly:
“By the law of the land, this place now belongs to me!”
Kweku saw at once how he had been tricked. Though anger burned within him, he remained calm. “If my father thinks he has won, he will soon learn otherwise,” he resolved.
The Image with Bells
Back at home, Kweku crafted a tiny figure, an image with bells tied around its neck. Then, fastening a long thread to its head, he carried it back toward the forest. Halfway along the path, he hung the little image from a tree branch, hiding himself in the bushes with the other end of the thread in his hand.
Meanwhile, Anansi was busy killing every animal he could find. His eyes gleamed with thoughts of riches, for he planned to skin the animals, carry the meat to nearby villages, and sell it for a high price. At last, with a heavy load of meat tied upon his back, he began his journey home.
Halfway down the path, he stopped. Before him dangled the strange little image, its bells chiming softly in the breeze. To Anansi’s mind, this could be none other than a god.
Cautiously, he approached. Suddenly, the image shook its head, Kweku, hidden in the bushes, tugged the thread.
Anansi froze. “Ah, the gods are displeased,” he whispered nervously. Desperate to appease the spirit, he asked:
“May I give you a little of this meat?”
The head shook again.
“Then… may I give you half?”
Again, the head shook.
“Do you want all of it?” Anansi cried, fear and anger twisting inside him.
This time, the image nodded vigorously.
“No! I will not give you all my meat!” shouted Anansi, trembling. At once the image shook in every limb, rattling its bells furiously as though in divine rage. Terrified, Anansi dropped the entire load to the ground and fled, calling out behind him:
“Tomorrow I shall go to Ekubon, you will not take my meat there, you thief!”
But Kweku had overheard everything.
The Repeated Trick
The very next day, Anansi set out again for Ekubon with another heavy load of meat. Yet once more, halfway along the path, the strange image appeared hanging from a tree. And once more, Anansi, believing it a god, abandoned all his meat in terror.
The same thing happened the following day, and the next, until every last animal in the forest was gone. By then, Kweku Tsin had grown wealthy, selling all the meat his father had so foolishly surrendered.
Anansi, on the other hand, had nothing. Poor and ashamed, he was forced to go to Kweku’s house each day to beg for food.
The Feast and the Lesson
At last, when the famine ended, Kweku Tsin prepared a great feast and invited the entire village. There, before the laughter of friends and neighbors, he told the whole story, how his father’s cunning had been turned against him.
The villagers roared with merriment, pointing at the embarrassed Anansi. In that moment, Anansi promised his son that he would abandon his wicked tricks once and for all. But, as those who know Anansi well can guess, that promise did not last long.
Moral of the Story
Greed and deceit may win in the short run, but they eventually lead to shame and downfall. True cleverness lies in honesty, patience, and fairness, not in selfish schemes.
Knowledge Check
1. Who is the main trickster in the folktale “Tit for Tat”?
The main trickster is Anansi the Spider, a famous figure in Ashanti folklore.
2. How did Anansi discover his son’s secret hunting place?
He cut a hole in Kweku Tsin’s bag, filled it with ashes, and followed the trail.
3. What was the purpose of the image with bells in the story?
It was Kweku’s clever trick to scare his father into surrendering his meat.
4. What lesson does the Ashanti folktale “Tit for Tat” teach?
It warns against greed and dishonesty, showing that deceit leads to downfall.
5. Why did the villagers laugh at Anansi during the feast?
Because Kweku revealed how he had cleverly turned his father’s tricks against him.
6. What is the cultural origin of the “Tit for Tat” folktale?
The story originates from the Ashanti people of Ghana.
Source: Ghanaian Folktale
