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symbolism in the secret lion
symbolism in the secret lion
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Africana Folklore lives on today! One may question how important Africana folklore is. Africana folklore has been around for longer than you and me. Many things has been learned from this. We all have seen or used Africana folklore tradition, dance or music just you may not realize it. As Africana folklore has been around for centuries and passed downed from generation to generation and preserved, for creating stories, teaching lessons for kids, teaching history for future generations to view upon information that may not be addressed in their history textbooks, and their fashion, dancing, and music sense still exist till this day, thus allowing us to continue preserving their cultures and following their beliefs and learning! Folklore has …show more content…
Story telling has been around for generations, people are told folklore at a really young age whether they hear it from school, their parents read them it, or they research it themselves. Africana folklore has always told a story which may be to entertain or teach a lesson. The African folklore story called Anansi the Spider, which was about a spider that had 8 legs and loved food, this story taught a lesson. The spider was offered food from many different animals and he agreed to take all the food and told the animals to let him know when the food was ready by tugging on his leg which he tied up to each of them. At one point all the animals tugged and well the rest is self-explanatory.(“Why Anasi Has Eight Thin leg” ) This taught a lesson of learning not to be greedy. Another story is called The Lion’s …show more content…
(Prahlad, p256) As folklore itself has been around for generation’s it allows us to use facts as a cross reference. For example in a book Silencing the Past by Michel Rolph Trouillot, the first story was called “The three faces of San Souci”, which was about how the name came to be and where it came from as different places argued different things. (p. 67-68) There is times when you look into a history book that has one side of the story only. For example if there was a fight between two sides and only one side could write of course they would write all the good stuff about themselves and portray the other side in a negative way. But with the help of folklore people can go back and ask about stories, and go back to where the place was and ask people. (Trouillot. P67) They may not all be facts however it creates a start and allows for reference checks and a different side and point of view. Another way African folklore teaches history is with their myths such as the myth on how the world was created and where people went after death. There is a belief or myth of a guardian and trickster whom speak all languages and has the power to remove obstacles and give opportunities. It was the belief that all gods must consult with him first. (African
In order to understand how myth and history work to explain things and recover identity it is important to understand their similarities and differences. Myth and history are similar in that they both explain, instruct, give origin, and shape the world. Their differences lie in the use of the supernatural. Whereas myth deals with "supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes," and explains "aspects of the natural world," history is "A chronological record of events, as of the development of a people....A formal written account of related natural phenomena" (College Dictionary 903, 644). Myth relies on faith for belief, while recorded history relies on documentation or proof. Though they differ in these ways, myth and history are both equally reliable sources of explanation and guidance. Whereas one event may be documented to have taken place and another event may not have such proof, both happenings offer the same end: what is to be learned from the story. Northrop Frye writes in "The Koine of Myth" that there are stories that "may be asserted to have really happened, but what is important about them is not that, but that they are stories which it is particularly urgent for the community to...
Myth… legend or fable? Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a myth as, “A story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence.” Children, often sit around, listening to their elders speak of myths. These myths have existed throughout American culture for many centuries and will continue for many centuries to come. These myths, legends, and fables provide the elders with enjoyment, as they observe the children, listening so intensely, believing every detail, amazed at the unimaginable adventures told in each story. Myths reflect experience but go beyond limitations. Indeed the children enjoy the excitement of the fantasy a myth creates. As we grow, we need to realize that these myths, tell an imaginary story and only contain a kernel of truth. Myths serve as a mental escape, stories with few actual facts embellished with many fantasy details. Although, used to entertain, these myths can hurt or even destroy the individuals that believe them.
From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art of the cuisine so treasured and carefully transmitted to their daughters has become part of the great culinary classics of these lands. But seldom are the African blacks given that recognition.
When one thinks of African American spirituals, images of a church service with a choir singing in beautiful harmony swaying in rhythm to the music usually ensue. Spirituals are far more significant than hymns sung by Christians in a church setting, as we shall soon see.
Storytelling has a special importance in culture throughout the African continent; Anansi the spider in Ghana, is one great example of an African fable that teaches children important lessons including respect for elders, the importance of wisdom, and the importance of culture. These stories have been retained and perpetuated by oral tradition, despite the western emphasis on written records; African tribes have preserved history and culture well thorough oral historians. The translator, D.T. Niane, explains the validity of oral history well by stating that written text can contain inaccuracies as well (xv). The importance of the oral aspect of djelis method relays the information in a personal manner, as Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate states, “writing lacks the warmth of the human voice,” therefore by creating a written text of an oral story it “does violence” to it (xvi). I was raised in an African community, here in DC and was lucky enough to attend Djeli performances by family friend, Djimo Kouyate, and later his son Amadou. Although I do not speak Manding, Djeli Djimo Koyate, performed the music in such a way that I was able to relate and...
African- American folklore is arguably the basis for most African- American literature. In a country where as late as the 1860's there were laws prohibiting the teaching of slaves, it was necessary for the oral tradition to carry the values the group considered significant. Transition by the word of mouth took the place of pamphlets, poems, and novels. Themes such as the quest for freedom, the nature of evil, and the powerful verses the powerless became the themes of African- American literature. In a book called Fiction and Folklore: the novels of Toni Morrision author Trudier Harris explains that "Early folk beliefs were so powerful a force in the lives of slaves that their masters sought to co-opt that power. Slave masters used such beliefs in an attempt to control the behavior of their slaves"(Harris 2).
Five myths from throughout Africa will be mentioned throughout this essay. They are from the Boshongo, Mande, Shilluk, Egyptian, and Yoruba peoples. For a brief description of these myths please see the appendix. Please remember that these myths do not represent the beliefs and stories of all of Africa.
Folklore is very important on a culture relating to legends, myths and fairy tales. The generations will keep telling the legends, myths and fairytales to the next
A common aspect of African culture is our mediating of deities, ancestors, and spirits, by performing rituals and contacting ancestors or historical ideals. This spiritual combination creates a non-Western idea of movement in art. I enjoy this part of our culture, where we create a less static environment. We become other beings, through our usage of art, dance, and costume with mask and headwear. Our artistic creators are forgotten. Our original artwork are eventually forgotten. The work goes back to the Earth, for the only true matter is how the spirits are manifested in the objects at the current time; eventually even this wears out. At the time of the spiritual manifestation in the objects, they are some of the most powerful aspects in our society.
It is essential in representing the strong african heritage and it 's importance can be seen in many aspects of culture (Gaines 1).
I am writing this paper because I was assigned to write it as a class project. Along the way I realized the importance of sharing the real meanings of all these stories. Stories are important because in the society we live in things are constantly changing. Fairytales change but the base of the story always remain the same no matter how many times it has been retold. It’s important to reveal the true meanings of these stories, even with its dark characteristics, because the world is dark .Children need to know that there are people that have told stories relatable to what they are going through. Fairytales help the development of children; it helps their maturity as they confront someone else’s tough situations, instilling hope of a more positive ou...
Throughout time, mankind has forged stories and legends to explain the unknown. As years went along the stories and tall tales were passed down to each generation. Each recount of the inherited stories are always told differently, how the story was told usually depended on the person and their particular region of habitance. Thus leading to hundreds of different versions of a single story told throughout the world, written and told by different people. Not only are these stories told as pure entertainment, they serve as wise life lessons and set examples for children when they were eventually introduced to society. These stories are so prominent in human history that even to this day the same stories that were told to children centuries ago
There are many similarities among most African creation stories. Likewise certain differences are also noticeable. For example, I chose four creation stories to make the comparisons between them. The first one is "An African Cosmogony." Here, Bumba is the creator. He created nine living creatures, after vomiting the sun and the moon, from which all other animals emerged. The second one, "An African story of the Creation of Man", is a story among the Shilluks of the White Nile which basically explains the different complexions among the various races on Earth. They believed Juok molded all men of earth while he wandered the earth creating the rest of the world. White men were created from white sand which Juok found in the land of the white. Red or brown men were created out of the mud of the Nile in Egypt. Black men were created from black earth found in the land of the Shilluck. According to this creation story, man was given all necessary parts to function. Each part had a reason for being. For example, Juok gave man arms in order for man to work. The third one, "God and the Five women" states the myth of the origin of earth, fire, water and woman, from the Thompson Indians of North Pacific Coast. This creation story states that Earth was created by Old One or Chief. He came down from the upper world in a cloud and created five Perfectly formed young women. To each of them he asked what they wished to be. The first one wished to be "bad". The second one wanted to be "good". The third one wanted to become Earth. The fourth one wanted to become Fire. And the fifth one became water. Finally, the fourth story, "Creation by Thought" states that man was created out of a thinking process by which he first created the Earth and then created man in resemblance of himself. The Earthcreator designed man out of clay. He gave man mind and thought, tongue, soul, and the ability to talk. All of these features came about out of a thought process.
A fable is a narrative that teaches a moral through the use of animals as the main character. Fables toy with the idea of human vanity. Fables are very popular in children’s literature as it teaches children lessons while keeping them interested with the animal characters. Fables were westernized through the help of Aesop. It is unknown whether or not Aesop was a real person but is viewed as one of the fathers of fables. Modern editions contain up to 200 fables and are growing.
Traditional African Religion The Religious Sphere There is widespread belief in a supreme God, unique and transcendent. Africans have a sense of the sacred and a sense of mystery; there is high reverence for sacred places, persons and objects; sacred times are celebrated. Belief in the afterlife is incorporated in myths and in funeral ceremonies. Religion enfolds the whole of life; there is a difference between life and religion.