A Treasury Of Afro American Folklore

Highlights the diverse oral traditions of the African American cultures of the New World.

In A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore, esteemed novelist and folklorist Harold Courlander brings together another extensive and unique collection of tales, recollections, epics, traditions, beliefs, myths, historical chronicles, and songs, this time from the numerous black cultures of the New World. This remarkable exploration, which covers the unwritten traditions and literature of the Spanish-, French-, and English-speaking islands of the Caribbean, the areas of Central and South America inhabited by people of African descent, and the black communities of the United States, brings to light amazing tales of scoundrels, heroes, rollicking adventures, and friendship, descriptions of cult life around which many traditions and beliefs flowed, insight into the social scene in places where black and white ideas intermingled and became Afro-American, and much more. With a focus on the interconnectedness of cultural inheritances throughout the Afro-American region as well as the local divergences, A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore eloquently demonstrates the powerful cultural influence of Africa on this side of the Atlantic. Book jacket.

Before the innovative work of Zora Neale Hurston, folklorists from the Hampton Institute collected, studied, and wrote about African American folklore. Like Hurston, these folklorists worked within but also beyond the bounds of white mainstream institutions. They often called into question the meaning of the very folklore projects in which they were engaged. Shirley Moody-Turner analyzes this output, along with the contributions of a disparate group of African American authors and scholars. She explores how black authors and folklorists were active participants—rather than passive observers—in conversations about the politics of representing black folklore. Examining literary texts, folklore documents, cultural performances, legal discourse, and political rhetoric, Black Folklore and the Politics of Racial Representation demonstrates how folklore studies became a battleground across which issues of racial identity and difference were asserted and debated at the turn of the twentieth century. The study is framed by two questions of historical and continuing import. What role have representations of black folklore played in constructing racial identity? And, how have those ideas impacted the way African Americans think about and creatively engage black traditions? Moody-Turner renders established historical facts in a new light and context, taking figures we thought we knew—such as Charles Chesnutt, Anna Julia Cooper, and Paul Laurence Dunbar—and recasting their place in African American intellectual and cultural history.

A wide and varied selection of myths from various African tribes south of the Sahara.

African American folklore dates back 240 years and has had a significant impact on American culture from the slavery period to the modern day. This encyclopedia provides accessible entries on key elements of this long history, including folklore originally derived from African cultures that have survived here and those that originated in the United States. Inspired by the author's passion for African American culture and vernacular traditions, African American Folklore: An Encyclopedia for Students thoroughly addresses key elements and motifs in black American folklore-especially those that have influenced American culture. With its alphabetically organized entries that cover a wide range of subjects from the word "conjure" to the dance style of "twerking," this book provides readers with a deeper comprehension of American culture through a greater understanding of the contributions of African American culture and black folk traditions. This book will be useful to general readers as well as students or researchers whose interests include African American culture and folklore or American culture. It offers insight into the histories of African American folklore motifs, their importance within African American groups, and their relevance to the evolution of American culture. The work also provides original materials, such as excepts from folktales and folksongs, and a comprehensive compilation of sources for further research that includes bibliographical citations as well as lists of websites and cultural centers.

Contains over seven hundred entries on African American folklore, including music, art, foodways, spiritual beliefs, and proverbs.