What is a Folk Tale?
A folk tale is a story or legend handed down from generation to generation
usually by oral retelling. Folk tales often explain something that happens in
nature or convey a certain truth about life.
- The beginning of the story starts with "Once
upon a time . . . "
or a similar phrase.
- Magic events, characters, and objects are part of
the story
- One character is someone of royalty (king, queen,
prince, princess, etc.)
- One character is wicked.
- One character is good.
- Goodness is rewarded in the story.
- Certain numbers like three and seven are in the
story (three eggs, seven sisters, etc.)
- The story ends with ". . .they lived happily
ever after."
African talesy
Way of
Communicating
There is a rich, fertile legacy
of folklore from Africa. On this vast continent, folk tales and myths serve as
a means of handing down traditions and customs from one generation to the next.
The storytelling tradition has thrived for generations because of the absence
of printed material. Folk tales prepare young people for life, as there are
many lessons to be learned from the tales. Because of the history of this large
continent, which includes the forceful transplanting of the people into slavery
on other continents, many of the same folk tales exist in North America, South
America, and the West Indies. These are told with little variation, for the
tales were spread by word of mouth and were kept among the African population.
In addition to the folk tales,
there are myths, legends, many proverbs, tongue twisters, and riddles.
Anansi
Anansi, the Spider, is one of
the major trickster figures in African folk tales. This spider can be wise,
foolish, amusing, or even lazy--but always there is a lesson to be learned from
Anansi. The spider tales have traveled from Africa to the Caribbean Islands.
Sometimes the spelling is changed from Anansi to Ananse. In Haiti the spider is
called Ti Malice. Anansi stories came into the United Stated through South
Carolina. The Anansi spider tales are told as "Aunt Nancy" stories by
the Gullah of the southeastern part of the U.S.
Use of Nature
In the African folk tales, the
stories reflect the culture where animals abound; consequently, the monkey,
elephant, giraffe, lion, zebra, crocodile, and rhinoceros appear frequently
along with a wide variety of birds such as the ostrich, the secretary bird, and
the eagle. The animals and birds take on human characteristics of greed,
jealousy, honesty, loneliness, etc. Through their behavior, many valuable
lessons are learned. Also, the surroundings in which the tales take place
reveal the vastness of the land and educate the reader about the climate, such
as the dry season when it hasn't rained for several years, or the rainy season
when the hills are slick with mud. The acacia trees swaying in a gentle breeze,
muddy streams that are home to fish, hippos and crocodiles, moss covered rocks,
and giant ant hills that serve as a "back scratcher" for huge
elephants, give the reader a sense of the variety of life in this parched or
lush land in this part of the world.
Types of African Folk Tales
UNCLE REMUS TALES
These are very well-known folk
tales from Africa. In the Uncle Remus stories, Bre'r Rabbit is the outstanding
trickster figure. Hare, or Little Hare, appears in this role in the eastern
part of Africa. The tortoise is a primary trickster figure in the Nigerian
tales. Bre'r Rabbit and the Tar Baby is similar to Anansi and the Gum Doll of
West Africa. The Tar Baby motif has been traced from India to America through
Africa, Europe, and Spain.
TORTOISE AND THE HARE
In African versions of this
tale, the tortoise wins because he uses his wits. In the European versions, on
the other hand, the tortoise wins through sheer endurance and grit. The triumph
of brain over physical strength is a common thread that runs through the
trickster tales from Africa. The trickster figure is clever, witty, and
unscrupulous, as are trickster figures all over the world, but the African
trickster almost always wins out because of his brilliance.
A WEALTH OF PROVERBS
There are many thousands of
proverbs from African folk tales. A single tribe may have as many as a
thousand--or even several thousand--of their own. So there are proverbs in
abundance from this continent. Many times, a proverb is spoken in a tale by a
character, rather than being left for the end of the story. Some of the more
familiar proverbs do not need a story context in order to figure out the
meaning. For example, "Do not set the roof on fire and then go to
bed"; "He who runs and hides in the bushes does not do it for
nothing; if he is not doing the chasing, we know that something is chasing
him"; and "Chicken says: We follow the one who has something."
DILEMMA TALES
Many stories are deliberately
left without an ending. This leaves the ending wide open for audience
discussion and participation. The ending of the tale would be determined by the
group of people involved in the exercise. The ending, therefore, is flexible
and might change depending upon who is participating.
STRING STORIES
Making a simple loop from
string and telling a tale with the string by twisting and turning the string to
represent different parts of the story, is one of the oldest forms of
storytelling in the world. In parts of Africa, the native children who cannot
speak a word of English can often communicate with an English-speaking foreign
visitor via a string story. It is a way of getting acquainted without words, and is a form of
communication as different cultures share string stories. Some of the
African string figures are the same as those of Pacific Ocean islanders or
Eskimos of the far north.
THE
ROLE OF THE AUDIENCE IN STORYTELLING
Many of the folk tales have
musical participation by the audience that adds much to the tale. It is common
for the audience to answer questions aloud, to clap their hands in rhythm to
word repetition (chorus), and to join in the chorus. The audience participation
cannot be cut short, or the audience will let the storyteller know it. Some of the
tales have a repetitive quality to them (such as, the same chorus may be used
repeatedly) because the audience wants to enjoy the story and participate in
the experience for as long as possible.
CROCODILE TALES
There are a wealth of crocodile tales from Africa. In parts of West Africa,
a person attacked by a crocodile is said to be the victim of the vengeance of
someone he has harmed. It is said that he who kills a crocodile becomes a
crocodile. A South African Vandau proverb reminds us that: "The strength
of the crocodile is in the water." In another tale, the fox claims to have
the answer to killer-crocodiles who terrorize the people. He says the solution
is simple. He eats their eggs. The ending proverb is, "Get rid of your
enemy before he is Language can be conveyed by stronger than you."
THE VOICE OF THE DRUM
drums. The Ashanti and other West African tribes, just by the rhythms and
intervals in beating their drums by their fingers, the flat of their hand, or
the thumb, can convey messages and be understood over long distances. Many
different tones can be made by the pressure of the arm under which a drum is
held. The stick for beating the drum came later. We still refer to a turkey leg
as the "drum stick."
THE KIND LION
This type of tale is from Africa, where lions live in the wild. It is the
idea that the Lion, King of the Beasts, lets his victims go for one reason or
another, and then this good deed is rewarded in the end by the victim saving
the life of the lion. It is the "one good turn deserves another"
motif. This kindly lion theme spread from Africa to Europe.
THE SACRED VULTURE
"Opete" is the Twi term for the vulture. This bird is believed to
be an instrument of the gods by the Ashanti and other West African peoples.
This feeling of the sacred bird has survived in the New World and in the
Caribbean.
LATINAMERICAN
What is a folktale? (folk
tale)
A folktale is a story or legend forming part of an oral tradition. Folktales possess many or all of the characteristics listed below.
A folktale is a story or legend forming part of an oral tradition. Folktales possess many or all of the characteristics listed below.
- Are generally part of the oral tradition of a
group.
- Are more frequently told than read
- Are passed down from one generation to another
- Take on the characteristics of the time and place
in which they are told
- Sometimes take on the personality of the
storyteller
- Speak to universal and timeless themes.
- Try to make sense of our existence, help humans
cope with the world in which they live, or explain the origin of
something.
- Are often about the common person
- May contain supernatural
elements
- Function to validate certain aspects of culture
ASIAN TALES
This tales are told in their local dialects (Japanese
folktales for example) which may be difficult to understand because of
intonation and pronunciations differences, conjugations and vocabulary.
The animals or creatures are known by their abilities, foxes are mentioned frequently for instance. Another characteristic that these tales contain is marriages between humans and non-humans.
The Asian tales allow children to experience the culture and heritage or tradition.
The animals or creatures are known by their abilities, foxes are mentioned frequently for instance. Another characteristic that these tales contain is marriages between humans and non-humans.
The Asian tales allow children to experience the culture and heritage or tradition.
AUSTRALIAN TALES
Australia
traditional storytelling, handed down from generation to generation, has always
been part of the landscape. Since the beginning of time (the Dreaming) storytelling played a vital role in Australian Aboriginal culture, one of the world’s oldest cultures. Aboriginal children were
told stories from a very early age; stories that helped them understand the
air, the land, the universe, their people, their culture and their history.
Elders told stories of their journeys and their accomplishments. As the
children grew into adults they took on the responsibility of passing on the
stories. These stories are as much a cultural necessity as they are entertainment
and are still passed on orally though many are now recorded in print, audio and
video.
What is a Tall Tale?
A tale tale is an extravagant, fanciful or greatly exaggerated story.
Usually focuses on the achievements of the ultimate hero. The folktale is a story, passed down verbally from generation to
generation. Each storyteller told the stories a little differently, making them
more interesting and fascinating as the ages passed. Different folktales bear
the characteristics of the culture, folklore and customs of the people from
which they originated.
What is a Myth?
Myths are traditional,
typically ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or
heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people. The
purpose of myths is to account for the origins of something, explain aspects of
the natural world or delineate the psychology, customs, or ideals of society.
In many myths, the main characters are gods or demi-gods and the story may have
some religious meaning or background.
In the Inuit tale of the” First Tears” retold by S.E. Schlosser, we discover how Man learned to cry.
In the Inuit tale of the” First Tears” retold by S.E. Schlosser, we discover how Man learned to cry.
Excerpt: "Once
long ago, Man went hunting along the water's edge for seals. To Man's delight,
many seals were crowded together along the seashore. He would certainly bring
home a great feast for Woman and Son. He crept cautiously towards the seals.
The seals grew restless. Man slowed down. Suddenly, the seals began to slip
into the water. Man was frantic. His feast was getting away."
What is a Legend?
A legend is a traditional tale handed down from earlier times and believed
to have an historical basis.
Example”Jesee
James and the Widow”
Urban Legends are apocryphal stories involving rather fantastic
contemporary incidents which have a tantalizing bit of plausibility to them.
Urban legends contain many folkloric elements and are disseminated through mass
media.
Example “The
Dance”
A fable is a short narrative making a moral point. Often employs animals
with human characteristics (powers of speech, etc.) as the main characters of
the story.
Example: “The
ant and the Grasshopper”
A fairy tale is a fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures,
usually intended for children.
Example:”Rapunzel
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