West Indian Folk-talesAs a child, Philip Sherlock loved to listen to folk tales. Since then he has made a significant contribution to Caribbean folklore by recording many of them in print for the first time. Here are fables of the birds and animals of the West Indies: jaguar, snake, crested curassow, wild pig, parrot, wise owl, and of Anansi--the spider who can assume human form. These twenty-one stories are a wonderful mixture of early tales from the Arawak and the Carib people, the original inhabitants of the Caribbean, and from the Ashanti people of West Africa. Read together they help to provide a background to the history of the West Indies. The stories are retold here in a warm, rich style--some tales gentle and philosophical, some humorous and full of action. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION I | 1 |
IRRAWEKA MISCHIEFMAKER | 21 |
THE DOGS NOSE IS COLD | 34 |
Copyright | |
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Abeyu Anansi saw Anansi Stories animals Arawaks Arawidi arrows asked avocado bamboo bananas Blackbird branch Brother Blacksmith brown monkey calabash called Candlefly Cantinny Capuchin Monkey Caribs catch Snake cats climbed Crab crested curassow cried dark divi-divi door Dry-Bone earth eggs empty gourd eyes feathers fell Finger Quashy flew forest giant sloth girl Goat Guinea-Pig heard hole honey hurried Irraweka jaguar Kikushie knew laughed Leah little monkeys lived looked love eggs Mancrow Mapuri Miss Selina morning mother Mount Roraima night Okonorote old riding-horse Old Woman Crim Parrot Peafowl postman powis bird Puss Queen Bee Rabbit replied Anansi river roaring rope Roraima sang sapodillas Sea-Mammy shot shouted sing Sister Hen Soliday song stream tell Tiger Tiger's stew told tree trumpeter bird voice waited walked Warau whip wild hogs wild pig Wise Owl Work-let-me-see