Specimens Of Bushmen Folklore

This new edition of the long-out-of print classic collection of Bushman tales provides a fascinating look into the life of these little-known people. As Megan Biesele writes in her Foreword: The fact that a family of trained linguists and their associates sat down between 1870 and 1884 with a group of /Xam people who had been temporarily sprung free of imprisonment in Cape Town's Breakwater Prison has immense potential consequences. San people today, like indigenous peoples all over the world, are quietly organizing educational futures for themselves which will make fine use of this record of the intellectual history of their culture. This edition reproduces the English text of the 1911 edition and is richly illustrated with photographs.

Specimens of Bushman Folk-lore was published by Dr. W.H.I. Bleek only after he'd overcome many great difficulties (and great they were in late 1800s South Africa). So complete is this volume that Dr. Bleek even provides explanations on how to make the many click sounds that are endemic to the Bushman language. Good luck wrapping your tongue around them! This 260 page volume contains 84 stories about Bushman myths and legends, including interpretations of the natural world, animal fables, the story of the first man, and customs, superstitions, and more. There are stories about girls and frogs, hyenas that seek revenge, the wind, and the making of arrows. There are also stories about the origin of the stars Sirius and Canopus, the treatment of bones, prayers to the moon, and a man who mistakenly ordered his wife to cut off his ears. Of special interest is the story of one Bushman's first ride on the train from Mowbray to Cape Town, which describes his treatment at the hands of the local police and the imposition of the white man's laws upon him and his people. The old adage "Everything changes, everything stays the same," comes to mind. So curl up with this treasure of ancient Africa, this documentation of a changing world, and engross yourself in a culture that has no place for MP3 players, video games, or television. A percentage of every book sold will help fund the education of an underprivileged person in South Africa. SPECIAL NOTE: Rock art and archaeological evidence indicates that the San Bushmen once occupied countries as far north as Libya, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, with some evidence of occupation in Kenya. Over time, environmental conditions and the negroid races pushed the Bushmen further and further south-today, they can now only be found in the countries of Southern Africa. Even now, the Bushmen's traditional way of life is further threatened by government regulations and policies that seek to restrict their nomadic tradition and "encourage" them to assume a more pastoral lifestyle.

Specimens of Bushman Folklore is a book by the linguist Wilhelm H. I. Bleek and Lucy C. Lloyd, which was published in 1911. The book records eighty-seven legends, myths and other traditional stories of the ǀXam Bushmen in their now-extinct language.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.