ANANZI or Ahnansi (Ah-nahn-see) "the trickster" is a cunning and
intelligent spider and is one of the most important characters of West
African and Caribbean folklore. The Anansi tales are believed to have
originated in the Ashanti tribe in Ghana. The word Anansi is Akan and
means, simply, spider. They later spread to other Akan groups and
then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On
Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi
Maria. He is also known as Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the
Southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy.
He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man. The story of Anansi
is can be compared to the Coyote or Raven the trickster found in many Native
American cultures.
The thriteen stories in this short volume were originally, and unusually, an
appendix to Popular Tales from the Norse translated by Sir George Webbe
Dasent. Why he chose to include folklore from West Africa and the Caribbean
within folklore of the Norse has been forgotten in the sands of time.
Abela Publishing has elected to republish these as a volume in their
own right as an aide to Edgbarrow School's fundraising campaign
supporting the SOS Children's Village in Asiakwa, Ghana. Edgbarrow
School is located in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England.
33% of the publisher's profit from the sale of this book will be donated to
this worthy cause.
For more information, a table of contents or to view a sample of the interior,
go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/ananzi.html
To see all the books in the African Tales collection, follow this link
http://www.abelapublishing.com/AfricanTales.html
Published by Abela Publishing http://www.AbelaPublishing.com
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