A unique collection of stories that spans the centuries and ranges across the entire continent, from Ancient Egypt and Ethiopia through the Sahara to Zimbabwe
Gathering a wide range of traditional African myths, this compelling new collection offers tales of heroes battling mighty serpents and monstrous birds, brutal family conflict and vengeance, and desperate migrations across vast and alien lands. From impassioned descriptions of animal-creators to dramatic stories of communities forced to flee monstrous crocodiles, all the narratives found here concern origins - whether of the universe, peoples or families. Together, they create a kaleidoscopic picture of the rich and varied oral traditions that have shaped the culture and society of successive generations of Africans for thousands of years, throughout the long struggle to survive and explore this massive and environmentally diverse continent.
By:
Stephen Belcher
Introduction by:
Stephen Belcher
Edited by:
Stephen Belcher
Retold by:
Stephen Belcher
Imprint: Penguin Classics
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 129mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 372g
ISBN: 9780140449457
ISBN 10: 0140449450
Pages: 544
Publication Date: 10 January 2006
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
African Myths of OriginIntroduction A Note on the Text List of Maps Part I. Some General Themes Stories About Hunters 1. The San Peoples of Southern Africa 2. Pygmies of The Central African Forests 3. The Songhay Hunters of the Niger River 4. The Origin of Hunters' Associations: Sanen and Kontron of the Manden 5. How Hunters Learned about Magic 6. The Animal Bride I: The Changed Skin 7. The Animal Bride II: Sirankomi The Cattle-Herders 8. Khoi-Khoi Cattle Stories 9. Fulbe Stories of Cattle 10. The Maasai of East Africa 11. The Great Lakes I: The Origin of Cattle (Rwanda) 12. The Great Lakes II: The Story of Wamara (BaHaya) 13. The Chagga of East Africa: Murile Tricksters 14. Uthlakanyana, the Zulu Child Trickster 15. Stories of Moni-Mambu of the BaKongo 16. Ture, the Zande Trickster 17. Eshu of the Yoruba 18. Legba of the Fon 19. Ananse the Spider, of the Ashanti Part II. Stories of Kingdoms and Peoples Ancient Africa 20. Egyptian Stories 21. Ethiopia Peoples of the Upper Nile and East Africa 22. The Oromo of Southern Ethiopia 23. The Shilluk of Southern Sudan 24. The Luo of Sudan and Uganda 25. The Gikuyu of Kenya 26. The Swahili of the Coast Kingdoms of the Great Lakes 27. The Kingdom of Bunyoro 28. The Kingdom of Buganda 29. The Kingdom of Rwanda 30. The Kingdom of Burundi Central East Africa 31. Nsong'a Lianja, Hero of the Mongo 32. The Kuba Kingdom of the Bushoong: Mboom and Woot 33. The First Kings of the Luba 34. The Kingdoms of the Lunda 35. The Bemba of Zambia The Peoples of Southern Africa 36. The Shona of Zimbabwe 37. The Nguni Peoples of Southern Africa: Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi 38. The Khoi-Khoi: Stories of Heitsi-Eibib The Central Atlantic 39. The Yaka of the Kwango River 40. The Kingdom of Kongo 41. The Fang of Gabon and Cameroon 42. Jeki la Njambe of the Duala 43. The Bamun Kingdom of Cameroon From the Forest to the Niger 44. The Igbo 45. The Kingdom of the Nupe: Tsoede 46. The Jukun Kingdom of the Kororofa 47. The Bachana and Bata of the Upper Benue The Peoples of the Coast 48. The City of Benin 49. The Yoruba of South-western Nigeria 50. Borgu and the Legend of Kisra 51. The Fon and the Kingdom of Dahomey 52. The Akan-Ashanti and the Baule of the Forest The Mossi Plateau 53. The Founding of Gonja 54. A Dagomba Hero 55. The Mossi of Burkina Faso 56. The Dogon of the Bandiagara Escarpment Lake Chad and the Central Sudan 57. The Sara and Sow of Lake Chad 58. The Kingdom of Bagirmi 59. The Kingdoms of Kanem and Bornu 60. The Hausa The Kingdoms of the Western Sudan 61. The Songhay Peoples of the Middle Niger 62. The City of Djenne 63. The Soninke 64. The Maninka and the Empire of Mali 65. The Bamana of the Middle Niger The Peoples of Senegambia 66. The Mandinka of Senegambia 67. The Sereer of Senegal 68. Njaajaan Njaay and the Wolof 69. The Futa Tooro 70. Malick Sy and Bondu 71. The Tuareg of the Sahara Sources and Further Reading Index
Stephen Belcher was born in Cairo, Egypt, and spent much of his childhood in Africa and Europe. He holds a doctorate in Comparative Literature from Brown University and has taught in the history department at Pennsylvania State University. He is the co-editor (with John W. Johnson and Thomas Hale) of Voices from a Vast Continent: Oral Epics from Africa, and the author of Epic Traditions of Africa. He is currently teaching at the University of Kankan in the Republic of Guinea.
