West African Folk-Tales — William H. Barker
West African folk-tales You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : West African Folk-Tales Compiler : W. H. Barker Cecilia Sinclair Release date : December 11, 2021 [eBook #66923] Most recently updated: October 18, 2024 Language : English Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66923 Credits : Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) *** START OF H. BARKER B.Sc. FORMERLY PRINCIPAL OF THE GOVERNMENT INSTITUTION ACCRA AND CECILIA SINCLAIR WITH FRONTISPIECE & TWENTY-THREE DRAWINGS BY CECILIA SINCLAIR LONDON GEORGE G. HARRAP & COMPANY 2 & 3 PORTSMOUTH STREET KINGSWAY W.C. MCMXVII [ 4 ] [ Contents ] PRINTED AT THE COMPLETE PRESS, WEST NORWOOD LONDON, ENGLAND [ 5 ] [ Contents ] CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 11 I. ANANSI, OR SPIDER, TALES I. HOW WE GOT THE NAME ‘SPIDER TALES’ 29 II. HOW WISDOM BECAME THE PROPERTY OF THE HUMAN RACE 33 III. ANANSI AND NOTHING 35 IV. THUNDER AND ANANSI 39 V. WHY THE LIZARD CONTINUALLY MOVES HIS HEAD UP AND DOWN 45 VI. TIT FOR TAT 51 VII. WHY WHITE ANTS ALWAYS HARM MAN’S PROPERTY 55 VIII. THE SQUIRREL AND THE SPIDER 59 IX. WHY WE SEE ANTS CARRYING BUNDLES AS BIG AS THEMSELVES 63 X. WHY SPIDERS ARE ALWAYS FOUND IN THE CORNERS OF CEILINGS 69 XI. ANANSI THE BLIND FISHERMAN 73 XII. ADZANUMEE AND HER MOTHER [ 6 ] 77 XIII. THE GRINDING-STONE THAT GROUND FLOUR BY ITSELF 81 XIV. “MORNING SUNRISE” 85 XV. WHY THE SEA-TURTLE WHEN CAUGHT BEATS ITS BREAST WITH ITS FORE-LEGS 87 XVI. HOW BEASTS AND SERPENTS FIRST CAME INTO THE WORLD 89 XVII. HONOURABLE MINŪ 95 XVIII. WHY THE MOON AND THE STARS RECEIVE THEIR LIGHT FROM THE SUN 97 II. MISCELLANEOUS TALES XIX. OHIA AND THE THIEVING DEER 105 XX. HOW THE TORTOISE GOT ITS SHELL 115 XXI. THE HUNTER AND THE TORTOISE 119 XXII. THE TAIL OF THE PRINCESS ELEPHANT 123 XXIII. KWOFI AND THE GODS 129 XXIV. THE LION AND THE WOLF 131 XXV. MAKU MAWU AND MAKU FIA 133 XXVI. THE ROBBER AND THE OLD MAN 139 XXVII. THE LEOPARD AND THE RAM 141 XXVIII. WHY THE LEOPARD CAN ONLY CATCH PREY ON ITS LEFT SIDE [ 7 ] 145 XXIX. QUARCOO BAH-BONI 147 XXX. KING CHAMELEON AND THE ANIMALS 155 XXXI. TO LOSE AN ELEPHANT FOR THE SAKE OF A WREN IS A VERY FOOLISH THING TO DO 159 XXXII. THE UNGRATEFUL MAN 163 XXXIII. WHY TIGERS NEVER ATTACK MEN UNLESS THEY ARE PROVOKED 167 XXXIV. THE OMANHENE WHO LIKED RIDDLES 171 XXXV. HOW MUSHROOMS FIRST GREW 177 XXXVI. FARMER MYBROW AND THE FAIRIES 181 [ 9 ] [ Contents ] ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Native Children ready for a Story Frontispiece The Bees flying into the Jar 30 Again and again Anansi tried to climb the Tree 34 A great Wave dashed Anansi back on the Beach 40 The Princess picked up the Fruit 46 “ May I give you a little of this meat? ” 52 Wolf and Leopard discover the Flesh of the Antelope 56 Mr Ant takes the Box from Anansi 66 Egya Anansi built himself a very comfortable Hut 70 The Bird calls to Adzanumee 78 The wonderful Grinding-stone 82 Anansi saw, rushing toward him, Beasts and Serpents of all Kinds 92 Kweku Tsin played on the wonderful Fiddle 100 Ohia cut down the Trees and prepared them 106 The Hunter and the Tortoise 120 The Princess changed into an Elephant 126 Each received a large Helping except Kwofi 130 Maku Mawu catches a Fish 136 Young Leopard sprang toward the Stem and tore it [ 10 ] 142 They scattered in all Directions 152 The Hunter and the Serpent 164 He threw half the Cake to the Vulture 172 How the Ants paid the Debt 178 Mybrow’s Wife plucked one of the Yams 182 [ 11 ] [ Contents ] INTRODUCTION In presenting to the public these stories based on the folk-lore of the Gold Coast peoples, it seems necessary to say something in general terms of the economic and social development of the colony in so far as that development is affecting the ‘lore’ of the folk. Not until the civilization and industrialism of Europe began to penetrate into the districts of the Guinea Coast was any great attempt made to study the folk-lore of these peoples. It is obvious, therefore, that the student must find considerable admixture from outside sources which the absence of a native system of writing and consequent literature makes exceedingly difficult to detect. The difficulties increase with time, for we are getting farther and farther from the genuine folk-lore. Each year, from towns like Accra, Seccondee, and Cape Coast the tentacles of European civilization are slowly extending in all directions. Railways and roads are creeping [ 12 ] out, old-fashioned crudity is giving way to simpler and more expeditious methods; new industries, as rubber and cocoa, are being established. 1 All this must be borne in mind in studying the folk-lore as told by the native to-day. What is happening is, unfortunately, not an awakening, but a transformation. The negro is discarding his native cloth for a European suit of clothes. “On all sides it is reported that the demand for European provisions, luxuries, and apparel is large and greatly increasing. The large imports of tinned provisions, flour, etc., is in part due to the scarcity of native food-stuffs in certain districts, but there is no doubt that the standard of living is changing and rising. “There is a general desire not only in the colony, but in Ashanti, for better roads, better houses, cleaner villages, and the desire has been prompted by the example of the great sanitary improvements in the larger towns.… “It can be observed that the people take a growing pride in the institutions and traditions of their country, that the chiefs are realizing the duties and [ 13 ] influence of their position, and that public opinion, among the educated classes, at any rate, is beginning to rec