African Diaspora at Internet Archive: Jamaican Song and Story

It's Caribbean stories this week, going back now to a classic of Jamaican folklore: Jamaican Song and Story: Annancy Stories, Digging Sings, Ring Tunes, and Dancing Tunes by Walter Jekyll, published in 1907.

There are 51 stories in the book, plus songs... and some of the stories also contains songs, as you can see in this Anansi story:

Here is a list of the titles of the stories: Annancy and Brother Tiger ~ Yung-Kyum-Pyung ~ King Daniel ~ Tomby ~ How Monkey manage Annancy ~ Blackbird and Woss-woss ~ The Three Sisters ~ William Tell ~ Brother Annancy and Brother Death ~ MrBluebeard ~ Annancy, Puss and Ratta ~ Toad and Donkey ~ Snake the Postman ~ Doba ~ Dry-Bone ~ Annancy and the Old Lady's Field ~ Man-Crow ~ Saylan ~ Annancy and Screech-Owl ~ Annancy and Cow ~ Tacoma and the Old-Witch Girl ~ Devil's Honey-Dram ~ Annancy in Crab Country ~ Gaulin ~ Annancy, Monkey and Tiger ~ The Three Pigs ~ Dummy ~ Annancy and Candlefly ~ Parson Puss and Parson Dog ~ Chicken-Hawk ~ Pretty Poll ~ Annancy and Hog ~ Dry-River ~ Yellow Snake ~ Cow and Annancy ~ Leah and Tiger ~ Timmolimmo ~ Calcutta Monkey and Annancy ~ Open Sesame ~ Sea-Mahmy ~ Crab and his Corn-piece ~ Dry-Grass and Fire ~ John Crow ~ Tiger's Death ~ The Old Lady and the Jar ~ John Crow and Fowl-Hawk ~ Finger Quashy ~ Annancy and his Fish-Pot ~ Hog and Dog ~ Devil and the Princess ~ Wheeler.

Walter Jekyll was a former clergyman who moved to Jamaican in 1894 and began farming there; he collected the stories and songs in this book from the men who worked for him. He died in Jamaica in 1929. You can read more about his life and career at Wikipedia.

Jekyll also encouraged the young Claude McKay to write his poems, Songs of Jamaica, in patois, and he supplied the preface to the book. Jekyll may also have written the notes to the poems; for more about that, see the Digital Edition of Songs of Jamaica. Claude McKay went on to become a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance; you can find out more at Wikipedia.

There's also an introduction from Alice Werner, a scholar of African languages and cultures, who puts a special emphasis on the African heritage in Jamaican storytelling traditions. (More about Alice Werner.)

So, if you want to find out about African Anansi in Jamaica, this book is a great resource, just a click away at the Internet Archive. I'll be back with more Caribbean stories tomorrow!

Jamaican Song and Story:

Annancy Stories, Digging Sings,

Ring Tunes, and Dancing Tunes

by Walter Jekyll