The Meaning Of "Jack Mandora Me Nuh Choose None" (Ending Statement For Jamaican Anansi Stories)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information and opinions about the origin and meaning of the "Jack Mandora Me Nuh Choose None" ending statement for Anansi stories in Jamaica.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric. cultural, and educational purposes. 

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/01/anansi-and-birds-folktale-with.html for a closely related pancocojams post for more information about Anansi as well as two renditions of the folklore "Anansi And The Birds". 

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "JACK MANDORA" ENDING STATEMENT FOR ANANSI STORIES IN JAMAICA

These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
 
Excerpt #1
From https://www.facebook.com/JISVoice/videos/did-you-know-that-jack-mandora-me-nuh-choose-none-means-no-blame-should-be-attri/10156399145336457/ Jamaica Information Service, April 24, 2018  ·
"Did you know that “Jack Mandora me nuh choose none” means no blame should be attributed to listener, storyteller or writer of an Anancy story? Learn more about this and other interesting Anancy story facts in this video.

If you like Anancy stories comment and tell us “Jack Mandora me nuh choose none.” "

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Excerpt #2
From http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/01/who-is-jack-mandora.html

The Phoenix in a Gas House,  January 29, 2009
"Who is Jack Mandora?

Jack Mandora me no choose none. If you have ever heard an Anancy story, as many Jamaican children have had for so many years, this is the statement made to signal the end of the story. But who is Jack Mandora and why is it necessary to constantly inform him of choices in such simple things as a story? So much of who we are collectively as a people tends to be ignored because it is already so ubiquitous in our psyche. It is easy for us to forget when we live in an age of instant gratification and microwave knowledge, that stories were never just stories. Forgive me for I have strayed a little but I promise you I will deal with that topic in another piece.

There are many tales as to who this Jack Mandora is. In many African tribes, stories were told and to a great extent still are told as an object. Words do not escape the lips for the mere enjoyment of the sound of one’s voice. Instead they acted as parables that manifested in a cunningly constructed story directed at an individual that needed to learn something or be warned, et cetera. For the village the innuendo would be exceedingly hard to miss. Jack Mandora in this case could be interpreted as the individual and his/her combolo (friends). Now in the event, a story was told for the fun of it, as a mere diversion of thought, it was thought only good manners to say “This story is not aimed at you or anyone else, nor am I wishing the same fate on you.” Hence Jack Mandora me no choose none.

In many West African tribes Anancy was more than just a lazy ginnal (trickster) with a funny sounding lisp. In fact among such tribes as the Ashanti, the Akan and other persons who spoke the Twi language, Anancy was the god of knowledge, and for some tribes Jack Mandora the keeper of heaven’s gate. In essence, the early Samuel L. Jackson version of St. Peter. Part of the process of gaining entrance to a pleasant hereafter was to tell an Anancy story to prove that one had a wise existence in the time spent on earth. Souls who could not would be turned away and forced to watch reality T.V. for eternity.

Now Anancy has been cunning long before Nicolò Machiavelli ever thought of writing the Prince. Sometimes in Anancy stories he would do very ‘Wicked things’ the statement then acted as a disclaimer of sorts. It did two things:

It absconded the storyteller from any blame, that is any trick performed by the cunning spider which was immoral this made it clear it was not the same position of the storyteller.

Should parts of the story be exaggerated then the storyteller could never be viewed as a liar so when his day came to stand before Jack Mandora, such stories told would not be part of the judgement.

An alternate position on this issue is provided by linguist Frederic G. Cassidy who believes the story of Jack Mandora is nothing as exotic as an African Gilly Priest, "The Original Gateman" (gatekeeper). In fact he believed it to be nothing more than a bastardized English Nursery rhyme which went something like this:

‘Jackanory
I’ll tell you a story
And this is how it’s began
I’ll tell you another
Of Jack and his brother and now my story’s done.’

Personally I prefer the idea of the gatekeeper. And while the version put forward by Mr. Cassidy seem plausible in my mind its just doesn’t add up to what we know from those of us who actually paid attention in West African History classes. To me Cassidy’s version feels much like clinging to colonialism and the idea that nothing of value could come about without the direct or indirect influence of Colonial masters. Anancy acted as a symbol of hope for oppressed people that the small and crafty could out manoeuvre the great and powerful. Why then would they knowingly associate in the end to those who were the oppressors? To me that just don’t add up, but so mi get it, so mi sell it, mi nuh add nor subtract it."
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Pancocojams Editor's Note [rewritten on June 11, 2025 to clarify what I originally wrote.] 
I disagree with that writer's statement that the ending statement "Jack Mandora" me nuh choose none" in Jamaican Anansi stories has nothing to do with "Jackanory" in the English nursery rhymes.
 
Instead, I believe that the name "Jack Mandora" is either a purposeful or accidental folk processed form of  "Jackanory". The Jamaican "Jack Mandora" statement has a different meaning than the "Jackanory" statement, but those names and the use of those statements to end  stories are clearly similar. Here's a quote from an online page about "Jackanory" https://allnurseryrhymes.com/jack-a-nory/
"Jack A Nory

Traditional nursery rhymes

The thyme was first recorded around 1760 in “The Top Book of All For Little Masters and Misses” collection.

Those of us with children will know how persistent they can be when they want something! This rhyme is sometimes used to discourage the demand for a story.

Many UK residents of a certain age will remember this as being a popular children’s show from the 60’s continuing until 1996, when celebrities of the day would read stories in a twenty minute program timed to start just after most children arrived home from school."
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In that article 'traditional nursery rhymes" means rhymes that are traditional in the United Kingdom. 
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Click https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35410/35410-h/35410-h.htm for a digital copy of   "Jamaican Song and Story: Annancy stories, digging sings, ring tunes, and dancing tunes" by Walter Jekyll. Part I of that 1904* book is labeled "Annancy Stories". All of those stories end with the saying "Jack Mantora me no choose none." 

The release date for the Gutenberg digital copy of that book is February 26, 2011 [EBook #35410]. The original book has the dates 1904, 1906 and 1907. I'm not aware of any earlier documentation of the use of the statement "Jack Mantora" or "Jack Mandora") me no choose none".

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Excerpt #3
From https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/17/books/l-me-nuh-chose-none-117687.html letter to the editor from Daryl Cumber Dance, Santa Barbara, Calif
"To the Editor:

I wish to respond to Noel J. MacCarry's inquiry in his letter (April 19) about the traditional closing line of Jamaican folktales, ''Jack Mandora me no chose one'' (a query motivated by Beverly Lyon Clark's Jan. 25 review of Jane Yolen's ''Favorite Folktales From Around the World'').

The addressee has been variously interpreted as ''Jack, man of the door,'' ''Jack, heaven's doorkeeper'' and ''Jack, Dora's man.'' ''Me nuh chose none'' means that ''I did not choose this story''; that is, do not hold me responsible or accountable for it. The meaning of this line is discussed in Louise Bennett's ''Anancy and Miss Lou,'' Leonard E. Barrett's book ''The Sun and the Drum: African Roots in the Jamaican Folk Tradition'' and my ''Folklore From Contemporary Jamaicans.''.

A version of this article appears in print on May 17, 1987, Section 7, Page 55 of the National edition with the headline: 'Me Nuh Chose None'."

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Excerpt #4
From https://www.real-jamaica-vacations.com/anansi-stories.html
Jamaican Folk Tales

Anansi Stories

"Anansi Stories originated in West Africa. They were brought to Jamaica and other parts of the New World by Ashanti slaves, and were handed down orally through generations. Anansi exists as a spider, a man, or a combination of the two. His name is sometimes spelt Anancy, and his stories called Anancy stories.

Anansi is no goody-two-shoes hero. He is a greedy, lazy, inventive trickster, cunning and smart in the extreme. Anansi loves a joke, and when he's not sleeping, is always up to something.

[This post continues with a rendition of the folktale "Anansi and the snake.]

This is one of the best known Anansi stories, showing up Anansi's tricky, clever side. Compared to others, it shows Anansi in quite a positive light, as the underdog using his brains to triumph in a hopeless situation. Other Anansi stories show up his lazy, greedy side as well, and some tell us of Anansi being too smart for his own good!

Anansi was an important character to generations of slaves, as he demonstrated the ability of the weak and the downtrodden to use brains, wit and cunning to triumph over the oppressor.

The phrase "Jack Mandora, mi nuh choose none" is usually said at the end of Anansi stories and other Jamaican folk tales. It is believed to be a disclaimer, in which the storyteller is informing heaven's gatekeeper (Jack Mandora) that the story is merely being passed on as it was heard, with nothing added to or omitted from it. This is a safeguard, as some of Anansi's activities do not take the moral highground, so to speak, and the storyteller does not want to seem to be in agreement with them!”

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"Anansi And The Birds" folktale (with information about the Ghanaian & Caribbean folk character Anansi)

Kevin Sorenson, April 1, 2020

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the traditional Ghanaian and Caribbean folk character Anansi.

This post also presents two different renditions of the folktale "Anansi And The Birds".

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, entertainment, and educational purposes 

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are associated with these renditions of this Anansi story.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-meaning-of-jack-mandora-me-nuh.html for a closely related pancocojams post for more information about Anansi as well as information about the "Jack Mandora" ending statement for Anansi stories in Jamaica.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLKTALE CHARACTER "ANANSI"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi
"Anansi (/əˈnɑːnsi/ ə-NAHN-see; literally translates to spider) is an Akan folktale character and the Akan God of Stories, Wisdom, Knowledge, and trickery. The form of a spider is the most common depiction of Anansi.[1] He is also, sometimes considered to be God of all knowledge of stories. Taking the role of trickster, he is also one of the most important characters of West African, African American and West Indian folklore. Originating in Ghana, West Africa, these spider tales were transmitted to the Caribbean by way of the transatlantic slave trade.[2] Anansi is best known for his ability to outsmart and triumph over more powerful opponents through his use of cunning, creativity and wit.[3] Despite taking on the role of the trickster, Anansi's actions and parables often carry him as protagonist due to his ability to transform his apparent weaknesses into virtues.[3] He is among several West African tricksters including Br'er Rabbit and Leuk Rabbit, who have persisted in popular culture globally.

Origin

Spider tales are found extensively throughout West Africa,[2] but the Anansi tales originating from Ghana are among the best-known, as Anansi's name comes from the word in the Akan language for "spider".[4] They later spread to West Indies, Suriname, Sierra Leone (where they were introduced by Jamaican Maroons) and the Netherlands Antilles; also Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire.

Anansi is depicted in many different ways and with different names, from "Ananse", "Kwaku Ananse", and "Anancy," to his New World iterations, such as "Ba Anansi",[5]: 102–123  "Kompa Nanzi" and/or "Nanzi",[6] "Nancy", "Aunt Nancy", and "Sis' Nancy".[7] While often depicted as an animal, Anansi has many representations, not only acting as a man but appearing as one. In others, Anansi is an anthropomorphized spider with a human face, or conversely, a human with spider-like features, such as eight legs"...

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Excerpt #2
From https://jamaicans.com/anancy_intro/  Culture

Anancy Introduction, 2003

by Marcia "Ackeegiel" Davidson
"The Ashanti handed down to us brilliant folktales about the trickster Anancy, the spider-man, as the hare is the chief character in the Yoruba folktales and the tortoise in the stories of the Ibo people. Songs often accompany the stories and have inspired many Jamaican folksongs.

Anancy the Spiderman was brought from the west coast of Africa by the first slaves and went into business as the only therapy for three centuries of hideousness. He took on the trappings of the tribal oral historian, with an interpretive addition. As Jamaicans are wont to do, they added innumerable prodigy – Brer Tacoma, Brer Tiger and others to the Anancy folktales.

Anancy is quick-witted and intelligent surviving the odds and tricking those around him. He personifies the quality of survival so admired by Jamaicans. You may see his name spelled in a variety of ways; Anancy, Anance, Anansi (‘Nansi) or even Brer Nansi.

Bra ‘Nansi filled the role of storyteller hero or villain. He was great at disguises, omniscient but nonetheless willing to be chopped to prove a moral. He was something to everyone: his indestructibility, knowledge and wit were an investment in hope. The stories were usually satirical and cynical. They never had a live-happily-ever-after ending. Anancy’s devotees were always on the lookout for the unexpected; everywhere were challenges that must be faced lest they come in at the back of the neck.

The tradition of oral folklore however, is alive and well on the island of Jamaica, and preserved in the pages of children’s storybooks. Children’s folklore and literature thrives in the stories of Anancy. Nearly all Jamaicans tell bedtime ‘Nansi stories to their children, making them up as they go along. But the big storytellers invariably village matriarchs, are much sought after and are always warmly welcomed to the guest seat on the coffee-drying limestone terrace behind the footlights of fireflies. The Anancy stories belong to “evening time.”

As in the West African stories Anancyi is “craven” (greedy) and, being small and weak, he wins by guile not by strength. It is Anancy “who mek wasp sting, who mek dog belly come hollow, who mek Jackass bray.”

Anancy is an indestructible and irresistible spider who is both, “fooler and fool, maker and unmade, wily and stupid, subtle and gross, the High Gods accomplice and his rival.” Anancy is generally a figure of admiration whose cunning and scheming nature reflects the indirection and subtleties necessary for survival and occasionally victory for the Black man in a racist society.

In Jamaica, Anancy, the descendant of a West African deity takes on special significance in a society, which has its roots in a system of slavery. It is as though every slave strove to be Anancy and he who achieved the Spider-form became a kind of hero. Anancy’s greatest attributes however, are his character flaws. Anancy is far from a perfect folk hero, and many of his characteristics are egotistical, selfish, and ignorant. Regardless of the wealth of character flaws he possesses, Anancy has an irresistibility that has been preserved in its most uncorrupted form.

[...]

As Rex Nettleford states in his introduction to Walter Jekylls, Jamaican Song and Story, “in order to cope with an unstraight and crooked world, one needs unstraight and crooked paths.” As a child, playwright and author, Louise Bennett recalls that everything that happened in the world was caused by Anancy.” As a child Louise Bennett, at the end of each Anancy story, would have to say, “Jack Mandora, me no chose none.” This was because Anancy sometimes did very wicked things in his stories, and the children would have to let Jack Mandora, the doorman at Heaven’s door, know that they were not in favor of Anancy’s wicked ways.

[…]

In Jamaica, Anancy, the descendant of a West African deity takes on special significance in a society, which has its roots in a system of slavery. It is as though every slave strove to be Anancy and he who achieved the Spider-form became a kind of hero. Anancy’s greatest attributes however, are his character flaws. Anancy is far from a perfect folk hero, and many of his characteristics are egotistical, selfish, and ignorant. Regardless of the wealth of character flaws he possesses, Anancy has an irresistibility that has been preserved in its most uncorrupted form.

[…]

Anancy takes many shapes; at times, he seems to be a man, and at other times, he is an insect, running his web and taking refuge in the ceiling, as author Louise Bennett describes it. What this represents for children is that even though the Anancy Stories are filled with animal characters, their characteristics are so human like that at many times when reading or listening to his stories you begin to feel as though the characters are the same people who are part of your lives and history. The effect of these stories on children was not only morally fulfilling, but pure enjoyment as well. As one interview with a Jamaica youth states: ”But the way I learnt Anancy, I knew Anancy as a child, and it was a joy-y-y! We loved to listen to the stories, we loved to hear about this little trickify man, and you know, and one thing we knew, that this man was magic, and we could never be like him. You know he is a magic man. He could spin a web and become a spider whenever he wanted to [laughter]. You cant do that, so you better not try the Anancy’s tricks, you know, but it was fun!” ”...

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THE STORY "ANANSI AND THE BIRDS"*
From https://www.mheducation.com/unitas/school/explore/sites/california/samples/wonders/wonders-literature-anthology-grade-4.pdf

"Anansi always welcomed a challenge. His attempts to fool merchants out of their riches and lions from their jungle thrones made for exciting adventures. Today he would show those haughty birds that he could fly with the best of them.

He begged a feather from every bird he could find to create his own pair of wings, and then he began to practice flying. Anansi’s wings camouflaged him well, and he looked just like a bird.

“Hoot!” the old owl chided under the moon. “A spider is not meant for the sky. Why do you try to be something you are not?”

“Mind your business, owl,” Anansi replied angrily. “You are a predator, so go hunt some mice!”

Anansi followed the birds to their feast on the top of a mountain peak. He helped himself to their fare, shoving birds aside to get his fill. When he was full, he fell into a deep sleep.

Angrily, the birds took back the feathers from his wings and then left, all except for one crow. When Anansi awoke, he realized what had happened and begged the crow to help him get down the mountain.

“Of course,” the crow replied slyly as he shoved Anansi over a cliff.

“Aaaayeeee!” shouted Anansi. Unable to fly, he tumbled helplessly through the air.

The old owl appeared before him, asking, “Why didn’t you listen, Anansi? You are not a bird!”

“Please help me, owl!” pleaded Anansi.

The owl urged Anansi, “Push in your belly!” When he did, threads of silk shot out behind him. The owl caught them and tied them to a high branch.

Dangling by threads, Anansi realized the owl was right. From that day on, he stuck to spinning webs instead of trying to be something he was not."

-snip-
*This is a different rendition of  that story than the one told in the video above. That pdf has scientific information about spiders and drawings of spiders.

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Four Jamaican Anancy Stories That Include John Crow

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents four Anancy folk tales from Jamaica that include the character John Crow.

This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on the folk character/symbol John Crow in Jamaica.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/more-information-about-what-john-crow.html for an overview of John Crow in Jamaica. Links to other pancocojams posts on this subject are included in that post.

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BACKGROUND: INFORMATION ABOUT ANANSI (ANANCY) FOLKTALES
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi
"Anansi (/əˈnɑːnsi/ ə-NAHN-see) is an African folktale character. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories. He is also one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore.

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 Anansi tales originated from the Ashanti people of present-day Ghana. The word Ananse is Akan and means "spider". They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, Sierra Leone (where they were introduced by Jamaican Maroons) and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria.

Anansi is depicted in many different ways. Sometimes he looks like an ordinary spider, sometimes he is a spider wearing clothes or with a human face and sometimes he looks much more like a human with spider elements, such as eight legs."

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From http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/jas
Quoting from Martha Warren Beckwith's now classic 1924 collection of Jamaican folklore entitled Jamaica Anansi Stories:
"The trickster Anansi, originally a West African spider-god...Anansi is the spirit of rebellion; he is able to overturn the social order; he can marry the Kings' daughter, create wealth out of thin air; baffle the Devil and cheat Death. Even if Anansi loses in one story, you know that he will overcome in the next. For an oppressed people Anansi conveyed a simple message from one generation to the next:--that freedom and dignity are worth fighting for, at any odds."

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FOUR ANANCY FOLKTALES THAT INCLUDE JOHN CROW
John Crow is a character in numerous Jamaican Anancy stories. The stories in this post are given in no particular order. I've assigned the numbers for referencing purposes only. In these Anancy stories Anancy and John Crown are anthropomorphic characters (characters who act like humans). I don't recognize any negative attitudes toward John Crow that that bird has in Jamaica today.

FOLKTALES:

1. & 2.
From https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Jamaica_Anansi_Stories/Why_John-crow_has_a_Bald_Head Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith
Animal Stories (Why John-crow has a Bald Head)
"47. Why John-crow has a Bald Head.
a. The Baptism.
Margaret Brown, St. Anne's Bay.

Anansi always has a grudge wid John-crow; he say whenever he make his nest, de Crow fly on it an' catch it up an' he never can make his nest, so he have a hatred for Crow. He say he was going to married and he was going to invite no one but Crow. An' he have a big dinner an' no one was at de table but Crow. So after de eat an' drink done, he said he was going to have a baptism but he don't baptize wid not'ing but boiling water. So after de water's boiling, he took it off an' order Crow to sit round de copper an' so he dip ev'ry one head into de water, an' dat why Crow have bald-head to-day.

b. The Dance.
Henry Spence, Bog, Westmoreland.

Anansi and John Crow had a ball one night, so dey fin' dinner de night fe all de dancer. John Crow a great 'tepper, can 'tep better'n Anansi. So as Anansi fin' John Crow can dance neater dan him, he get bex. So after de dinner de pop was hot, so he said to John Crow him mus' dance up to de pop. So jus' to get rid of John Crow de night, he got a ladle an' dash on John Crow wid de hot pop right up on de head, an' all John Crow head 'trip off. All de John Crow in dis worl' never have ne feder upon i' head heah; Anansi bu'n 'em off wid hot pop."

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3. From Google Book Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans
By Daryl Cumber Dance, (1985) page 22-23
"15. Bredda Anancy and Bredda John Crow
Once upon a time there was Bredda Anancy and Bredda John Crow. Bredda Anancy and Bredda John Crow were mouthin' each oder, said which one can stay the longest without eating, you know. Anyway, Bredda John Crow said he can stay longer than Bredda Anancy. Bredda Anancy say he can stay longer than Bredda John Crow. So they both get together got two rooms. Bredda John Crow went into one room, and Bredda Anancy went into the oder. Bredda John Crow, everytime he would go inside he would call out "Bredda Anancy, are you there?" Bredda Anancy say "Yes". Bredda John Crow said "Yes, I am here still."

Keep up for long time. They calling each other, they answering, answering Anyway, Bredda Anancy said to Bredda John Crow, "Bredda John Crow, I am tired to answer now, man. Gon' tek a nap of sleep, so anytime you call me, I no goin' bother say 'yes'. I now say 'pup'; that mean you know I am alive still. Right?". Bredda John Crow say 'yes'. Meanwhile Bredda Anancy get a goalie, pour a hole, and put some water in it. By this time Bredda Anancy waan' to go and look food because Bredda Anancy a man can't stand hungry, but he want to get food and outlast Bredda John Crow. Bredda Anancy put the water in the gourd, bore a hole, and get a piece of string and -and tie it upon on the ceiling. Meanwhile Bredda John Crow say "Bredda Anancy!" The water drop out of the gourd on the floor and say "pup!". So Bredda John Crow know say Bredda Anancy is still around. That time Bredda Anancy gone to get food. Bredda John Crow call Bredda Anancy hear "pup". Anyway bredda Anancy go out and look for food for a long while, full him belly and him come back. Him come, him say "Bredda John Crow!" "Bredda John Crow!" Him don't hear no sound. Him say "Bredda John Crow, Bredda John Crow are you there still?" [Pause] he hear no sound. Bredda Anancy go round and bus' down the door and go inside. When he look, Bredda John Crow stone dead. So him take a stock. Bredda John Crow only have one tripe, only wha could a las' him for a day. That's why we know say John crow only have one tripe. Yeah, one tripe Bredda John Crow have, man.

[Notes from that book] Collected in Kingston, 1978
See K81.4 "Contest; Who will eat least", in Baughman, Type and Motif Index
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"Bredda" = brother
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This folk tale is an example of a story that may not make sense to people unless they live in that culture and know the folk saying that the story is meant to explain. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tripe gives these definitions for the word "tripe"
: the stomach of an animal (such as a cow or ox) that is eaten as food
2
: something that is worthless, unimportant, or of poor quality
-end of definition-
Could the folk saying "John Crow only have one tripe" be a play on the first and the second definition of that word? Does it mean that a John Crow type person is only given one chance to do something dumb?

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4. [My summary of this folktale: Anancy is hungry, but instead of working, he tricks others so they will fall down dead and he will eat them. So he makes a law that no one can talk to anyone else and then he starts digging at a rock. When one by one the characters ask Anancy what he is doing, they fall down dead and Anancy eats them. But Anancy is tricked by John Crow and ends up dying himself.]

Quoted portion from http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/02/pastor-john-crow-tricks-anansi-pa-john.html
"Once up on a time Bra Anansi mek a law that no body in the country should chat one anada. If dem chat people dem go drop down dead. So one day hungry bite him and him nuh know what to do so him tek up him pickax and drill an went up on a high stony hill...

Again craving Anansi gone back pon de same rock gone wait fi somebody else fi come along. But Pa John (John Crow) a fly round and him see what Bra Anansi was doing so him ketch the rake (saw what Anansi was up to). Anyway Pa John say to himself well mi a go see what Anansi getting off a dah rock de so. So him fly down wit him walking stick and slam it against the rock.
BOW! BOW! BOW! (Loudly)

“Mawnin Bra Nansi.”

“Mawnin Pa John.”

But before Bra Anansi could say anything else is Pa John dat (speaking very sternly and quickly):
“I jus seein what I can get off here fe de comin year.”

Pa John:
“Anyway Bra Nansi I goin down to de barber to get a trim, so I will see yu.”

An Pa John fly off and gawn around de corna, an Bra Anansi look up an say to himself:
“Masha Gawd shee an know shee mi no talk people business, but. Wha Pa John ave pon fi im ead fi trim off?”

An Bra Anansi drop down an dead. Pa John did expect it. Im neva talk so him turn back and see Bra Anansi stiff dead so im eat im up an all de other people dat Anansi did et before.

Jack Mandora mi nuh choose none."
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The sentence "Jack Mandora mi nuh choose none" is used at the end of a number of Jamaican folkltales. Click http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/01/who-is-jack-mandora.html for theories about the meaning of that sentence.
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I don't know when this folk tale was collected.

"Bra" = "brother". Notice that in this story John Crow is given the title "Pa" (Pastor).

The author of the web page http://wisejamaican.com/jack-mandora-mi-nuh-choose-none/ indicates that one of the traditional endings for Jamaican stories "Jack Mandora mi nuh choose none." (Jack Mandora I did not choose any) means "I have told it the way I received it; used when recounting a story"

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More Information About What John Crow (Jancro) Means In Jamaica

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information about the traditional and contemporary Jamaican meanings of "John Crow" (Jancro).

This is a continuation of a pancocojams post about John Crow that I originally published in 2012. That post is part of a three part series on John Crow. The second post in that series showcases two Jamaican Mento songs that mention John Crow and the third post in that series showcases a Reggae song about John Crow. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-crow-part-i-what-john-crow-means.html "What John Crow Means In Jamaica" for the first post in that 2012 series. That post provides links to the other two posts in that series.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/10/derrick-morgan-john-crow-skank-example.html for a 2014 pancocojams post on the Ska song "John Crow Skank".

And click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/10/examples-of-john-crow-say-him-naah-wuk.html for the pancocojams post that showcases a recording of the traditional Jamaican Mento "John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" (John Crow Says He Doesn't Work On Sunday"). "

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The content of this post is presented for historical & folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

DISCLAIMER:
This post isn't meant to provide complete information about the character/symbol John Crow (also known as Jancro).

I'm by no means an expert on Jamaican culture. I'm just learning about the John Crow character/symbol in Jamaica.

Additions and corrections are very welcome.

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INFORMATION ABOUT JOHN CROW
From http://www.golocaljamaica.com/readarticle.php?ArticleID=784 "The John Crow - Graceful or Disgraceful Bird"
(Apr-22-2003)
"John Crow, the common Jamaican vulture, was once widely known as a carrion crow or turkey vulture. In towns and throughout the countryside, these birds can be seen tearing at carcasses in the streets. Sometimes they circle in the sky or simply perch in trees or on housetops, often with outspread wings...

The John Crow is a bird of great symbolic importance. In the Jamaican setting it is associated with ugliness, blackness, evil and disgrace. In abusive arguments people will call each other names such as "dirty John Crow, black John Crow or heng man John Crow". The John Crow is also an omen of death. It is believed that if the John Crow perches on a housetop, someone inside will die. It is also believed that if a John Crow appears in an individual's dream, it signifies death or some other form of destruction in the person's family."...

Source: Jamaica: The Fairest Isle by Phillip Sherlock and Barbara Preston (1992) Plants, Spirits and the Meaning of John in Jamaica: Article Written in Jamaica Journal by John Rashford (May 1984)"
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"John Crow" is a folk symbol. Folk symbols evolve. What a folk symbol means now may not have been what –or only what- it previously meant and may not be what the folk symbol will mean in the future. The connections of John Crow with the spirit world and jumbie (as discussed in those documents whose titles are given above) may explain the traditional association of John Crow with death and with the color black. However, death wasn't always considered something negative in traditional West African societies, and the color "black" wasn't always and/or wasn't only associated with death. For those reasons, it's possible that the very negative image of John Crow is an old development in Jamaican culture (which is heavily influenced by West African cultures). But John Crow may have originally or early on had a deeper meaning which wasn't negative.
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It's important to note that the Jamaican "John Crow" (Janco) doesn't have the same meanings in Jamaica that the similarly named "jim crow" does in the United States.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/john-crow-part-i-what-john-crow-means.html "What John Crow Means In Jamaica" for more discussion about the traditional depictions of and attitudes toward John Crow (Jancro), and for information about the meaning of "jim crow" in the United States.

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UPDATE: UPDATE March 15, 2016
With regard to my comment "John Crow may have originally or early on had a deeper meaning which wasn't negative", here's information about the meaning of the "vulture" in Ashanti (Asanti, Asante) culture in Ghana, West Africa:
From Symbolizing the Past: Reading Sankofa, Daughters of the Dust, & Eve's Bayou by Sandra M. Grayson (University Press of America, 2000), Page 36
"Among the Akan, the scarab and the vulture symbolize self-begetting, self-creation, and self-birth. An Akan maxim says of Odomankoma [the infinite, the interminable, absolute being], ‘The animal that symbolizes Odomankoma who created the world is the vulture.’ “Odomankoma a oboadee ne kyeneboa ne opete. (Meyerowitz . The Divine Kingship in Ghana and Ancient Egypt. See also Danquan, The Akan Doctrine of God"
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Notes from that book:
6. "After Nunu was killed later in the film [Haile Geima’s Sankofa] no one could find her body. Shola says that the people believed that Nunu did not die; rather that a buzzard swopped down and took her back to Africa.
7. Opete is the Akan word for vulture"
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Here's information about Nunu in the film Sankofa:
"Nunu ....an African-born field hand who went about her day-to-day life with Africa still living in her heart and was characterized as a “strong motherly slave with a rebel mindset” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankofa_(film)
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Also, read http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/very-old-reference-to-john-canoe-aunt.html. That post includes an excerpt of an April 11, 1886 New York Times article that includes a reference to West Indian ceremonies that include John Canoe and Aunt Sally stuffed figures which were treated with a great deal of respect.

End of March 15, 2016 Update
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JOHN CROW IN JAMAICAN FOLKLORE
Martha Warren Beckwith's now classic 1924 collection of Jamaican folklore entitled Jamaica Anansi Stories contains at least two folktales that include John Crow. Those folktales will be featured in an upcoming pancocojams post.

As background, quoting from http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/jas/, "The trickster Anansi, originally a West African spider-god...Anansi is the spirit of rebellion; he is able to overturn the social order; he can marry the Kings' daughter, create wealth out of thin air; baffle the Devil and cheat Death. Even if Anansi loses in one story, you know that he will overcome in the next. For an oppressed people Anansi conveyed a simple message from one generation to the next:--that freedom and dignity are worth fighting for, at any odds."
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/four-jamaican-anancy-stories-that.html for a pancocojams post that featured four Anancy stories that include John Crow.

I find interesting that John Crow isn't associated with death in any of these stories. Instead, John Crow appears to be an anthropomorphic character like Anancy and all the other birds and animals in those folktales. It's also interesting that the name "John Crow" isn't given in Patois as "Jancro" or any other spelling. I wonder when this spelling of John Crow's name began and when John Crow became such a villainous or insulting character in Jamaican culture.

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JOHN CROW IN JAMAICAN FOLK SONGS
The Jamaican Mento songs that I've showcased on pancocojams to date-"John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday", "Long Time Gal" which mentions "peel head John, and "One Solja Man" - may have been lifted from Jamaican stories about Anancy.

UPDATE: January 30, 2016
The song "John Crow Say I'm Wan' Decent Woman" is a version of the John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" family of songs. An example of that song is included in the 1981 Folkways Record album entitled "John Crow Say..: Jamaican Music of Faith, Work and Play".
The song begins with the verse
John Crow say "I wan' decent woman
Can't work can't work can't work on Sunday.
John Crow say "I wan' decent woman
Can't work can't work can't work on Sunday."

http://www.folkways.si.edu/john-crow-say-jamaican-music-of-faith-work-and-play/caribbean-world/album/smithsonian

Instead of being a despised symbol, in this Mento song John Crow is shown upholding the rules of society - that Sunday should be honored as God's day and no work should be done on Sunday.

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JANCRO AND THE CHANGING DEPICTION OF JOHN CROW IN JAMAICAN CULTURE
Here are a few quotes and editorial comments about the term "Jancro"
"Jancro" and "Kiangkro" are Jamaican Patois (Patwah) way of spelling "John Crow". I don't know how old (or how new) those spellings are.

From http://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/Jancro/1019#.VquA0-Twtv4 gives this definition for "Jancro":
"Jancro (Noun)
English Translation: John Crow

Definition:
Someone that is the lowest form of human life. Usually doesn’t have any redeeming qualities . To be called a “jancro” is one the most demeaning insults and would signify that this person is worthless as a life form and doesn’t serve much purpose on the planet.

Example Sentences
(patois) Him a jancro!
(english) He’s a scum!"

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From https://www.pinterest.com/pin/500040364847757844/
"Ted Lee Eubanks' Fermata
John Crow, or "Kiangkro." This is the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), and the bird figures into many Jamaican sayings. For example, "every John Crow tink him pickney white."
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Every [person called a] John Crow thinks his child is white [better than other (Black) children].

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From
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7niNckrXa70 "Talk Jamaican - John Crow (Jangcro) -Peter Grant
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This unfortunately visually poor quality video log was uploaded to YouTube on Jan 22, 2011. The summary to that vlog indicates that "Peter from WirelesSolutions.net shares how the term jangcro which is used to describe a vulture is also used to address people."
-snip-
Peter shares that "John Crow" is an insulting reference used by Jamaicans for males and females, including children.
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Insulting someone by calling him or her "Jancro" derives from the negative depictions of and negative attitudes about the black John Crow buzzard vulture. Given those "traditional" Jamaican depictions, I find it interesting that a contemporary description of Jancro is of an albino bird.
http://www.speakjamaican.com/jamaican-slang-glossary.htmlhttp://www.speakjamaican.com/jamaican-slang-glossary.html
Glossary of Jamaican Reggae-Rasta words, expressions, and slang.
“Jancro- John Crow, which is the name for the hated albino buzzard/vulture; also an expression of hate.”
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John Crow is hated and feared because it is a symbol of death and people hate death. Death is commonly associated with the color black. But it appears that Rastas have turned that traditional symbolism upside down by depicting the buzzard as albino. Does the albino buzzard represents White institutional power and/or White people? If that is the case, then perhaps Rastas are saying that instead of Black people hating themselves, they should hate what (or who?) hates them (oppresses them).

Although I know very little about Rastas-I don't believe that hating White people is a tenet of Rasta culture. That hate would be incongruent with the "One Love" sentiment that has become a worldwide concept thanks to the Rasta Bob Marley. Yet, all of Bob Marley's Reggae songs aren't "kumbaya". Some of them are quite revolutionary.

I'd love to know whether the depiction of John Crow (Jancro) as an albino bird is relatively recent.

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From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jancro
jancro
Jancro- John Crow, which is the name for the hated albino buzzard/vulture; also an expression of hate.
He's a jancro
That yard full of jancro's
by KC!! June 02, 2006

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Here's a comment that I wrote for the pancocojams post on the Mento song "John Crow Say Him Naah Wuk Pan Sunday" whose link is given above:
"Although John Crow is almost always a despised character, in Beenie Man's [Reggae Song] "John Crow" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOMBNQXWR60) when the (black?) motorcycle is referred to as "John Crown" it's a compliment. My guess is that like John Crow (the vulture), that motorcycle is seen as "intimidating" and "fierce" in the vernacular sense of those words."
-snip-
Having said that, my sense is that most contemporary Jamaicans don't consider John Crow to be a complimentary figure or symbol.

UPDATE: January 30, 2016
This news article serves as an example of how "John Crow" is still considered negatively in Jamaica:
"Opposition Leader Andrew Holness wants National Security Minister Peter Bunting to go beyond the apology he made for likening members of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to john crows, saying the minister should pledge not to make such utterances in future.

"While we received in Parliament the statement from the minister of national security, which acknowledges the error of his statement, we must have a commitment that such statements will never be made again," Holness declared in the House of Representatives yesterday.

Bunting, who in the past has called for divine intervention in tackling the serious crime problem locally, yesterday backpedalled on his 'john crow' comment, which was made at a constituency conference in Eastern St Andrew last Sunday."...

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20150715/john-crow-comments-must-never-happen-again-says-holness

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UPDATE: January 31, 2016
Here's a link to Jimmy Cliff's 1990 Reggae song entitled "John Crow" which is part of the sound track for the Stephen Segal movie Marked For Death https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2paeZozCZk
Here's part of the lyrics to that song:
...Jancro a go nyam your supper soon, boy
Jancro a go lead the children astray
Jancro a go meet the retribution
Justice has finally find it's way
Still, oh yes, you know that your time has come
You don't do right you gonna dead tonight
So now a go take you down the road to doom
The jancro a go nyam all your supper soon
Jancro a go nyam your supper soon, boy
Jancro a go lead the children astray
Jancro a go meet the retribution
Justice has finally find a way
Are you worried, says the wolf in sheep's clothing
Try to lead the children astray
But don't we know (?) a who fe frighten
Take my hands I will show you the way
Jancro......Jancro

Source: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/jimmy+cliff/john+crow_20224183.html
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"nyam" - jamaican Patois word from Wolof (West African language) meaning "eat". The name of the vegetable "yam" also comes from this Wolof word. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jamaican_Patois_words_of_African_origin

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This concludes this post.

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Additions and corrections to this post are very welcome.

Cromanti Cudjoe (Beg Pardon) - Carriacou Big Drum Song & Dance

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of two part series on Carriacou Big Drum songs and dances. This post showcases the Cromanti Cudjoe (Beg Pardon) song and dance. This post also provides information about Carriacou and its Big Drum tradition with particular emphasis on the Cromanti Cudjoe drum song and dance tradition.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/temne-and-ibo-igbo-nation-dances-songs.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases videos of the Temne and Ibo (Igbo) nations (ethnic groups) Big Drum Song & Dances. That post will be published ASAP.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all the ancestors who are honored by these ritual drum calls and dances. Thanks also to all those featured in these videos, thanks to the publishers of those videos on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT CARRIACOU AND THE BIG DRUM DANCES
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carriacou
"Carriacou is an island of the Grenadine Islands located in the Southeastern Caribbean Sea, Northeast of Grenada...

It's the largest in the Grenadines and in the Grenada Grenadines. It is the 3rd largest island in the Grenadine Islands (Vincentian and Grenadian Grenadines)...

It's part of the Carriacou and Petite Martinique Constituency and also Carriacou is a dependency of Grenada...

The inhabitants of Carriacou perform the "Big Drum" or "Nation" dance which celebrates their West African ancestors that were brought to the island during slavery. These Big Drum dances are usually performed at "Maroons" village festivals or fetes, where food and drink are prepared. They can also be danced at wakes and tombstone feasts in honor of dead relatives. The Quadrille dance is also performed on the island of Carriacou during festivals and historic events."...

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From http://www.lameca.org/dossiers/bigdrum/musiq_eng.html
"The Big Drum or Nation Dance (also at one time called called Gwa Tambu) is a traditional religious and social ritual that has been sustained on Carriacou, Grenada since the slave era and the early importation of Cromanti people. It teaches history and reinforces knowledge, family lineage, and tradition in our time.

The Big Drum ritual survives as a community event hosted by any family that wishes to celebrate or toast good luck in the dedication of a new house, the launching of a new boat, a wedding, a memorial or any event that improves the social status of the host family. With food, rum, ritual behavior, the Big Drum performance holds religious and social meaning in the songs, drumming, and dances."
-snip-
A longer excerpt of that article is included in Part II. Included in that excerpt is a list of the nine African nations (ethnic groups) that are part of Carricacou's Big Drum rituals.

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THE EYTMOLOGY OF THE NAME "CROMANTI CUDJOE"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coromantee
"Coromantee (derived from the name of the Ghanaian coastal town "Kormantse"), also called Coromantins, Coromanti or Kormantine was the English name given to Akan slaves from the Gold Coast or modern-day Ghana. The term Coromantee is now considered archaic as it simply refers to Akan people, and was primarily used in the Caribbean. Coromantins actually came from several Akan ethnic groups – Ashanti, Fanti, Akyem, etc. – presumably taken as war captives.

Owing to their militaristic background and common Akan language, Coromantins organized dozens of slave rebellions in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Their fierce, rebellious nature became so notorious among white plantation owners in the 18th century that an Act was proposed to ban the importation of people from the Gold Coast despite their reputation as strong workers. The Akans had the single largest African cultural influence on Jamaica, including Jamaican Maroons whose culture and language was seen as a derivation of Akan. Names of some notable Coromantee leaders such as Cudjoe, Quamin, Cuffy, and Quamina correspond to Akan day names Kojo, Kwame, Kofi, and Kwamina, respectively."...
-snip-
This excerpt was reformatted for this post for increased reading clarity.

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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cudjoe
"Cudjoe, or Captain Cudjoe (c. 1680 – 1744),[1] sometimes spelled Cudjo - corresponding to the Akan day name Kojo or Kwadwo - was a Maroon leader in Jamaica, and the brother of Nanny of the Maroons. He has been described as "the greatest of the Maroon leaders."

The Jamaican Maroons are descended from runaway slaves who established free communities in the mountains of Jamaica during the long era of slavery in the island. African slaves imported during the Spanish period may have provided the first runaways, apparently mixing with the Native American Taino or Arawak[citation needed] people that remained in the country. Some may have gained liberty when the English attacked Jamaica and took it in 1655, and subsequently. For about 52 years, until the 1737 peace treaty with the British rulers of the island - which is still in force - the Maroons stubbornly resisted conquest.

Cudjoe is believed (according to Maroon oral tradition) to have been the son of Naquan, a chief of the Akan people or Coromantee people from what is modern-day Ghana.[citation needed] Naquan was taken captive and sold into slavery in Spanish Jamaica in the 1640s but he initiated a revolt and led his tribesmen into the mountainous interior of the island, establishing the first community of Maroons,[3] as the runaway slaves were called, after the Spanish word cimarron, meaning "wild".

The two main Maroon groups in the 18th century were the Leeward and the Windward tribes, the former led by Cudjoe in Trelawny Town and the latter led by his sister Queen Nanny (and later by Quao).[citation needed] Captain Cudjoe had endless energy and was greatly motivated to stay a free man. He was strong, courageous and relentless. Cudjoe was also a very skilful, tactical field commander and a remarkable leader"...

Cudjoe Day is celebrated in Jamaica on the first Monday in January...

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From http://www.afropedea.org/kromanti
"Kromanti is one of three languages of Jamaica. It is related to the Akan language group, especially Fante, Asante, and broader Twi family. The lexicon is based on archaic English forms. Kromanti is similiar to the creole languages of Suriname. It is spoken by the Eastern Maroons of Moore Town, in Eastern Jamaica. Maroons were run-away slaves who formed independent communities, after the 17th century. The Maroons kept the language thriving until it began to diminish in the early 20th century, spoken only by the elderly population...

The language is under threat of vanishing because of the secretive nature of Maroon society. The young is slowly losing knowledge of the tongue. The language is mainly used in special ceremonies called Kromanti Play, which invokes the ancestor spirits and addresses the ancestors.

Many Kromanti leaders had names originating from Akan culture Cudjoe, Qauo, Cuffee , Quashie, and Queen Nanny-- Cudjoe refer to Kojo meaning a son born on Monday; Qauo refers to Kwau meaning a son born on Thursday, Cuffee refers to Kofi, a son born on Friday. Queen Nanny comes from the title nana given to chiefs."

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Anansi-O Sari Baba (Kromanti beg-pardon song)



Cultural Equity Published on Jul 24, 2013

Winston Fleary: "This is an Akan song for transubstantiation and communion, the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection. Anancy is the God of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, king of gods, the Creator. He feeds you with the food of the Gods. The throwing of rice is to beg for the continuous regeneration of children in the family. The other old lady throws sweet water to beg for harmonious living among the family. The rum is thrown 'spirit to spirit.' Water salutes life created from water." In Hausa "Tsari Baba" means the father's pardon, the ultimate protection. (From L. McDaniel, The Big Drum Ritual of Carriacou, University of Florida Press, 1998.)

Boula, James "Laka" Moses; kòt drum, Winston Fleary; foule, David Gibbs
Chantwèl: Winston Fleary

Dancing in a line that becomes a circle (=unity):

Anthony "Sugar Patch" Douglas pours water in the ring

Mrs. Duncan Lang (Lucian's cousin) pours rum in the ring

Suzanne Duncan throws rice in the ring

Another of Lucian's granddaughters in pink pants throws corn

Bontin Scott sprinkles water

Denise Scott follows

When this is done, the dances turn each other, two by two
Anansi o, e
Anansi o sari baba
Anansi o, e
Anansi o sari baba

This would continue:
Fennwa kontre, Nenen
Si mwennn merit, Nenen
Pardonnen mwennn
Si mwennn merit
Tine tine mwennn

If I have done anything wrong, Godmother
We beg your pardon
If I deserve it, Godmother
Pardon me
I'm sorry, sorry

Director/camera: John Melville Bishop; Sound/camera: John Horace Terry; Line producer: Naomi Hawes Bishop; Cultural liaisons: Geoffrey Clarfield, Mireille Charles; Producer: Anna Lomax Wood; Executive Producer, Kimberly Green; Transcriptions: Ronald Kephart; Comments and translations: Winston Fleary.

Friends from Carriacou! Please add to the experience by sharing your knowledge and leaving a comment. Corrections? Send us an e-mail through the channel.
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Extraplating from these notes about this Big Drum song, the term "Anansi-O Sari Baba" comes from two different West African cultures: "Anansi" from the Akan [Ghana/Ivory Coast] and "O Sari Baba" from the Hausa [Nigeria].

"Anansi" is best known in the Caribbean as a wily, triskster spider/man. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi
"Anansi (/əˈnɑːnsi/ ə-NAHN-see) [is] the trickster is a West African god. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the god of all knowledge of stories. He is also one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore.

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 Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti people 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."
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A "chantwell" is the leader of group chanting because he or she "chants well" (very good).

In American English "I beg your pardon" is usually only used when asking someone to excuse them for some small offense such as accidentally stepping on that person's toes. However, I think that in the context of this Big Drum song "beg pardon" means asking for forgiveness for bigger things. In that sense, "beg pardon" is like Christians asking God for forgiveness and mercy.

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Example #2: Kromanti Cudjoe (Invocation to awaken the Ancestors)

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Cultural Equity Published on Jul 29, 2013

A salute to Kromanti Cudjoe, the Maroon drummer who is considered the great ancestral drummer, and father of the Big Drum Nation Dance celebrations that brought all the nations together.

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Anansi The Spider Man

Posted by Azizi Powell

Editor: This post is mostly comprised of quotes from this Wikipedia page (assessed on 9/2/2011) Anansi

"Anansi the trickster is a spider, and is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore.

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 akin to the tricksters Coyote, Raven or Iktomi found in many Native American cultures.

The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti people 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…

Stories of Ananse became such a prominent and familiar part of Ashanti oral culture that the word Anansesem — "spider tales" — came to embrace all kinds of fables. Peggy Appiah, who collected Ananse tales in Ghana and published many books of his stories, wrote: "So well known is he that he has given his name to the whole rich tradition of tales on which so many Ghanaian children are brought up — anansesem — or spider tales."[4] Elsewhere they have other names, for instance Ananse-Tori in Suriname, Nansi in Guyana, and Kuent'i Nanzi in Curaçao…

One of the times Anansi himself was tricked was when he tried to fight a tar baby after trying to steal food, but became stuck to it instead. It is a tale well known from a version involving Br'er Rabbit, found in the Uncle Remus stories and adapted and used in the 1946 live-action/animated Walt Disney movie Song of the South. These were derived from African-American folktales in the Southern United States, that had part of their origin in African folktales preserved in oral storytelling by African-Americans. Elements of the African Anansi tale were combined by African-American storytellers with elements from Native American tales, such as the Cherokee story of the "Tar Wolf",[15] which had a similar theme, but often had a trickster rabbit as a protagonist…

-snip-

[Editorial Note: trickster rabbit are also familiar characters in Nigerian and other African cultures, as well as in various South African cultures].

"Anansi is a culture hero, who acts on behalf of Nyame, his father and the sky god. He brings rain to stop fires and performs other duties for him. His mother is Asase Ya. There are several mentions of Anansi's children, the first son often being named as Ntikuma. According to some stories his wife is known as Miss Anansi or Mistress Anansi but most commonly as Aso. He is depicted as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof.

In some beliefs, Anansi is responsible for creating the sun, the stars and the moon, as well as teaching mankind the techniques of agriculture…

Other names:
Annancy or Anancy (Jamaica, Grenada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Nicaragua)
Anansi Drew (The Bahamas)
Aunt Nancy (In South Carolina, Aunt Nancy is sometimes used as folk name for the spider, because the term is the Americanized version of Anansi).
Cha Nanzi (Aruba)"

-snip-

Additional meanings of Anansi & other trickster "animals": the ability of a less physically powerful being to use his mind (wit) and thus win out over one who is more physically powerful.

In the Caribbean (and among the Akan?) Anansi stories also demonstrated the intermingling of stories, song, riddles, and games.

Other online resources:
Cynthia James (2004) (Word Document). Searching for Ananse: From Orature to Literature in the West Indian Children’s Folk Tradition--Jamaican and Trinidadian Trends Trinidad University of the West Indes. University of West Indies June 30, 2011
Retrieved 2008-12-16. Still available 9/3/2011 [hyperlinked on Wikipedia page]

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http://www.angelfire.com/planet/mythguide/anansi.html
[about the marvel comic book character]

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http://bythegods.tumblr.com/post/754205837/anansi-anansi-is-a-very-popular-trickster
Includes cover photos of Anansi and one Anansi stories

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE OF ANANSI (ANANCY) FOLKTALESThere are a nuq Numerous YouTube videos including
Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom



Jigvideo111's channel, Uploaded on Mar 3, 2011

West African Fable produced by J.I.G. Video Productions in Milton ON Canada

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This example was added on April 19, 2016 because the previously embedded example is no longer available.
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