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
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
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."
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*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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