African Folktales at Internet Archive: Why the Crab Has No Head

Continuing with the stories from Central Africa (see this week's posts on one page), I wanted to feature a really beautiful children's book written and illustrated by Barbara Knutson: Why the Crab Has No Head: An African Tale. It's just a click away at the Internet Archive!

Barbara Knutson was born in South Africa in 1959 where her parents were missionaries, and she then lived and worked in other African countries before settling in the United States where she worked primarily as both an author and illustrator; she died in 2005. You can find out more at her website.

The book alternates between beautiful full-page illustrations like this:

Plus text pages that are framed with illustrations:

This particular story comes from the Bakongo people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). In the story, Knutson refers to a creator goddess with the name Nzambi Mpungu. Usually Nzambi Mpungu is gendered as a male divinity; see Wikipedia, for example, although even that is complicated (more about the meaning of mpungu here: N’zambi Ampûngu Tulêndo). Nzambi, on the other hand, is gendered as a female divinity. In Dennett's Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort, he discusses both Nzambi Mpungu (whom he takes to be a male god) and also Nzambi, and he provides a version of this crab story which I am assuming is Knutson's source (she does not cite a specific source in her book, but I am guessing that Dennett was the source, directly or indirectly). Here is Dennett's version of the story:

Nzambi had already given the crab a body and legs, and promised on the next day to give him a head. Then the crab sent invitations to all around to come and see Nzambi place his head on. And when they had all arrived, he was so proud that he could hardly walk straight. But Nzambi rebuked him for his great pride, and told those who were present that as a warning to them not to be self-glorious she would not give the crab a head. And thus it happens that when the crab wants to see where he is going, he has to lift his eyes out of his body.

If that is indeed Knutson's source, you can see what a great job she did of developing the story with some more details, as well as finding some beautiful artwork to add. Enjoy!

Why the Crab Has No Head:

An African Tale

by Barbara Knutson