Africa at the Internet Archive: Spreadsheet (4)

As promised, here is this Friday's update about the spreadsheet listing African folktales with links to their Internet Active pages (previous updates): there are now 6393 stories listed from 224 different books and articles! You can access the spreadsheet here: African Tales Spreadsheet. I've also added a link to the horizontal navigation bar across the top of this blog so that you can access these Spreadsheet posts easily.

Each week I try to make some kind of improvement to the sheet in addition to the new items, and something new this week is that I'm now including links to my longer versions of stories, in addition to the 100-word versions. So if you look in the far-right column, you'll see the links to my 100-word story blog which are in yellow, along with a few links to my OER story blog; those longer stories are a darker gold color, while the 100-word stories are a lighter yellow. 

So far, there are just a few of the longer stories, but I'm writing one new story every day which means, slowly but surely, they will accumulate. After all, this whole project started from just one book recommendation back in May. I am a big believer in projects that start small and then grow and grow. :-)

As I've explained in earlier posts, you can use all the regular Google Sheets features here, sorting, searching, and filtering. For example, I created a filter view of "hyenas" for my friend Hector who studies hyena folklore, and there are over 200 stories with hyena in the title! Of course, there are more hyenas in there too, but even just being able to filter for the hyenas in the titles is a great start. That is already a LOT of hyenas!

this is especially for @MagisterTapia: HYENAS. over 200 hyena stories from Africa! I'm prepping my African story links spreadsheet for an update blog post tomorrow and I applied a "hyena" filter. look: so many hyenas!
more about the spreadsheet/links here:https://t.co/fzTdQFOmq4 pic.twitter.com/O4hPRBjiPu

— Laura Gibbs (@OnlineCrsLady) December 9, 2021

Over time I hope to add more information that will assist people in sorting and searching, but for now the main goal is just this: linking to the story pages at the Internet Archive, all of which are just a click away thanks to Controlled Digital Lending.

If you are a teacher reading this, maybe there is a spreadsheet you can create for your students too, linking to useful materials at the Internet Archive: you can link to books or you can link directly to specific pages in those books, helping your students get exactly to where they need to go to find the stories or artwork or information you want to share with them. Yay links! Yay Internet Archive!

Africa at the Internet Archive: The Miracle Child

I wanted to follow up on yesterday's post about Elizabeth Laird's Ethiopian folktales project with another of her books; this one is about an Ethiopian saint, Tekle Haymanot, who lived in the 13th century. Here's the book: The Miracle Child: A Story from Ethiopia, by Elizabeth Laird and Abba Aregawi Wolde Gabriel (a priest in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church).

You can find out more about Saint Tekle at Wikipedia. Like the lives of holy people in any religious tradition, the stories here are a mixture of history and popular legend, and the Wikipedia article is helpful if you want to know about the more strictly historical accounts of Saint Tekle. The story of Tekle as a "miracle child" does not appear in Wikipedia, but it is at the heart of this book.

The beautiful illustrations are from an 18th-century Ethiopian manuscript held in a collection in London. The book contains helpful notes accompanying the images, identifying the characters and other important details you need to "read" the image, as here (click on the image for a larger view): The child and his mother appear twice in this picture. First, the little boy fills the baskets with flour. Then his mother, her tears dried, runs to bring him the oil pots. A guardian angel watches from above.

Here's another one: Saga Zaab sits in the covered chair of a great man while his son sits on the ground in front of him. Ethiopian children still learn the Bible in this way, resting their book or manuscript on a special wooden stand like this one. The pupil reads aloud from the book, and the teacher corrects him.

There are many storytelling parallels between the legends of this Ethiopian saint and saints' legends from western Christian traditions. For example, Saint Tekle confronted a dragon, cut it in half, and when he did so, Satan emerged from the entrails of the dragon and fled. You can see that Saint Tekle is shown here with wings; for more about the iconography of his wings, see Wikipedia.

So, this is a wonderful book both for learning about Ethiopian Christian storytelling both in words and also in images. 

Then, if you're curious to learn more about the ancient storytelling traditions of the Christian church in Ethiopia, check out this earlier post about the Kebra Nagast, the great national epic of Ethiopia composed in the 14th century.

It all awaits you at the Internet Archive, just a click away!

The Miracle Child: A Story from Ethiopia

by Elizabeth Laird and Abba Aregawi Wolde Gabriel 

Africa at the Internet Archive: Ethiopian Folktales

For the past seven months, I've been featuring African story collections in the form of books and articles at the Internet Archive, but today I want to do something different: this post is about a website, Ethiopian Folktales, with close to 300 folktales in English and in Amharic, plus some audio recordings also.

With a web project like this, you always worry if the site might just disappear someday, but thanks to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, this website has been archived! Hopefully the site will stay up but, if it should go dark, there are copies of all the stories, and even the audio, stored for the long term at Internet Archive. So, much like with digital lending, I'm depending on the Internet Archive here for the digital archiving that can provide ongoing access to this amazing story resource.

You can access the website directly at this address: EthiopianFolktales.com. 

And the same webpages are also available via the Wayback Machine (you can see the history of the Wayback Machine copies of the site in the timeline above the site). 

The Internet Archive version even captures the audio mp3 files; just click on what appears as the "download" link for audio on the archived pages, and you can listen to the archived mp3 audio. Here's an example of the archived audio.

This project was led by Elizabeth Laird who worked with storytellers and translators, all of whom are credited individually at the website, in trips to different regions of Ethiopia in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. The site is organized geographically, with the stories grouped by regions:

You might recognize Elizabeth Laird's name from previous posts; she is the author of these three excellent books about Ethiopia and Somalia, all three of which are available at the Internet Archive. You can find out more about her life and work at Wikipedia, and here are links to previous posts about her books of African stories:

When the World Began:

Stories Collected in Ethiopia

The Lure of the Honey Bird:

The Storytellers of Ethiopia

The Ogress and the Snake

and Other Stories from Somalia

And now, thanks to the Wayback Machine at Internet Archive, Elizabeth Laird's website collection of close to 300 Ethiopian folktales is also available there, just in case it should ever become inaccessible at its .com address.

Below I have a mix of links: the regional links go to the pages at Elizabeth Laird's website, but the actual story links go to the Internet Archive copy, and I'll be adding all those links to my African story links spreadsheet (that update will be ready on Friday). So many stories to read and enjoy! If you see a title you're interested in, or a region you want to learn more about, just click and go right to the story (as saved at Internet Archive):

Afar: The Four Brothers and the Hyena / The Clever Son / Bad Habits / The Hunter’s Bride / The Three Travellers / The Deaf Family / The Sins of the Father / The Sex Change / The Cunning Fox / The Trio / Brains not Brawn / The Donkey and the Hyena / The Crown Prince / The Fox and the Hyena 

Amhara: The Cub and the Kid / The Leopard and the Bushbuck / The Poor Man and the Rich Man / The Hyena’s Lips / Sinzero / The Dog and the Donkey that Brayed / The Ox and the Donkey / The Robber / Wardit the Mule / The Murderer’s Wife / The Two Lovers / Still Mad / The Lord Saves / Berio Delala, a True Story / Celebrating the Revolution / Money, My Son / The Dinner Stew / Kumche Ambau and the Football Field / The Daughter Taught her Mother to Give Birth / The Dog and the Donkey / Bullets, Let Alone Balls / Abba Hanna or The Greedy Man / Aleka Gebre Hanna and the Wise Lady / Aleka Gebre Hanna and the Donkey Driver / Aleka Gebre Hanna and the Medicine Man / Evil Eyed Man / Aleke Gebre Hanna / The Rat and the Frog / Marriage Chain / Mother Ape and Father Monkey / The Wedding Day of Mrs Rat and Mr. Cat / Friendship between Rats and Frogs / The Mourning of the Hyenas / Three Deaf People / Ras Hailu in Geneva / King Tewodros and the Thief / King Tewodros and the Dead Guard / The Fruit of the Land / Sun and Rain / Emperor Yohannes and King Tekla Haimanot / The Mercy of Haile Selassie / The Foolish Farmer / The Stolen Meat / The Foolish Parents / The King of the Animals / The Baboon and the Student / The Trees / The Lazy Student

Benishangul-Gumuz: 

Shinasha: Jahiti / The Monkey’s Justice / The Story of Adiberga / The Monkey and the Honey

Berta: The Man and the Snake / The Hyena, the Lion and the Fox / The Woman and the Lion / The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother / The Farmer

Gumuz: The Hunter and the Elephant / The Baboon and the Monkey / Fishing Story / The Tortoise and the Rabbit / The Honey Hunters – the Lost Soul / The Origin of Man

Gambela: 

Anuak: Agenga and the Maize / Agenga Tricks the King / Agenga and his Friend / The Young Guest / Omot and Guur – The Two Brothers / The Forest of Secrets / The Hungry Snake / The Widow / The Brave Woman / Fooling the King / The Mouse Catchers / Shooting the Hippopotamus / The Baboon, the Monkey and the Fox / Achok and his Uncle / The Dog and his Master / The Hyena who Looked up / The Pregnant Woman and the Lions / Adurat and her Sisters / Traditional Way of Life / Achok and his Mother / Achok and Lerro go Fishing / Achok and Lerro Collect Honey / Separation of Animals and Human Beings at Creation / Hunting Fish with Long, Narrow Spears / The Father’s Lesson / The Magic Cow / The Greedy Husband / The Lion's Song / The Cruel Father

Majangir: Lave and Wallock / How the Dog Lost her Voice

Opo: The Lottery Ticket / The Landlord

Komo: The Man with the Limp / The Bush Rat and the Lady

Nuer: The Hyena and the Fox / The Elephant and the Rooster / Kulang in Prison / Ganya, the Greedy Man / Ganya and the Hyena / The Blind Man / The Story of the Fox / The Lion and the Monkey / God and Man / Ngap and Nyakwiy

Harar: Abu Nawas and the Khadi / Irit and Nurit / The Hyena and the Fox (1) / Abu Nawas / Why the Snake has no Legs / The Good Wife / A Fire on the Lake Shore / Sheikh Nasreddin in the Rain / Sheikh Nasreddin at the Fork / Sheikh Nasreddin Counts the Donkeys / Sheikh Nasreddin and the Miser / Fatima Zikel and Ahmad Zikel / The Brother and Sister / Why the Hyena Limps / The Donkey and the Hyena / What the Eye Sees Money can Buy / The Clever Wife / The Washerwoman / The Holy Man / The Noble Prince / The Children and the Elephant / The Hyena and the Fox (2) / The Good Man and the Wicked Man / The Pigeon would Save Me / Atrasu and Amegag

Oromia: 

Addis Ababa: The Wicked Stepmother / The Rat King’s Son / Man and the Animals / Two Jealous Wives / The Father’s Inheritance / Tell the Truth and Die / The Mother-in-law / The Traveller / Parricide is Self-Defeating / The Squirrel and the Leopard / The Brother and the Sister / The Cats and the Mice / The Smart Brother / Fire, Water, Truth and Lies

Assassa: The Dogfight / The Mouse and the Frog / The Hyena and the Donkey / The Father's Advice / The Jackal and the Rabbit / Abba Bollo and the Necklace / The Baboon Chief

Gebre Guracha: The Rooster / The Man who Grew Feathers / The Twin Brothers / The Father's Advice / The Soothsayer and the Fox / The Poor Man and the Rich Man

Somalia: Don’t Be Too Shy / The Black Crow / The Head / Deya Ali, the Cheating Fox / Another Fox Story / The Cannibal Woman / The Girl and the Lion / The Cracked Land of Drought / The Hyena, the Fox and the Monkey / Abba Bukkush / The Fox and the Scales / The Bride’s Test / Hirsi and Kabaalaf / The Clever Woman and the Sheikh Who Makes Mistakes / The Handsome Boy’s Dream / How the Cat Became the Woman’s Friend / How the Dog Became Man’s Friend / How the Dog Became Man's Friend (2) / The Dog, the Goat and the Donkey / The Lion, King of the Animals / The Mother of Sons / Degder / The Boy Lion of Fafen / Egal Sheeda

SNNPR: 

Gurage Zone: The Clever Trickster / The Wicked Stepmother / The Poor Man and the Gold Ring / Deglerasu and Kefulerasu / The Poor Man and his Luck / The Riddles / The Girl’s Wisdom / The Lazy Husband and the Clever Wife

Kafa Zone:  The Foolish Husband and the Clever Wife / The Foolish Servant / Wisdom Rules / The Bird’s Advice / Sorrow Ages Man / The Coward and his Wife / The Snake is Better than the Man / The Father’s Will / The Cat, the Rat and the Cock / Keja Gonde / The Old Man’s Stick

Omo Zone: 

Male: Lightning and Thunder / The Tricky Mongoose / The Lazy Son / The Bear and the Woman / The Donkey’s Ear / The Dog’s Tail / The Baboon and the Monkey / The Greedy Dog

Ari: The Bull’s Calf / The Leopard’s Child / The Hyena’s Cruelty / The Monkey and the Leopard / The Clever Mongoose

Bena: The Wizard and the Woman / The Hyena and the Lion / The Crocodile and the Monkey’s Heart / Origin of Bena People

Tsemay: The Lion and the Baboon / The Foolish Boy / Origins of Tsemay Tribe / The Demon Woman

Wolayita Zone: How the Tortoise got her Shell / The Mouse Deer who was Cold at Noon / Don’t be Greedy / God's Judgment / God's Justice / The Flood and the Lake / The Sky is Falling / The King and the Musicians / Everything Passes / The Locust / The Travellers who Ate the Donkey

Sidama Zone:  The King and the Bird / Kinama / The Shield of Kindness / Queen Fura / The Jackal, the Fox and the Rabbit / The Fox and the Crow / The Mouse and the Partridge / The King and the Beggar Woman / The Nine Brothers / The Monkey, the Baboon and the Lion

Tigray: Mother Fox and the Hyena / The Hyena, the Fox and the Monkey / It is Found / The Foolish Thief Dog / The Little Bird and the Elephant / The Monks’ Blessing / The Man and the Snake / The Woman and the Hyena / The Sheep and the Goat / The Fox and the Crow / The Woman’s Naughty Puppy / The Man with Seven Horns / The Forty Dogs / The Donkey who Brayed / The Clever Mother and her Clever Daughter / The Hyena, the Fox and the Monkey 2 / The Three Misfits / The Fox, the Crane and the Vulture / The Priest’s Wife and her Lover / Pepper and Salt / Death is not Enough for Him / The Clever Woman / Zeyta Hasebe and the King / Sidrom and his Sisters / The Bus Journey / The Fox and the Hen / The Monkeys and the Baboon / The Baboon, the Hyena and the Jackal / Skinning a Flea / Wild Fruit

(and if you're reading this post, Hector: there are 22 stories with hyenas in the title... and probably some more hyenas lurking in other stories too!)

Africa at the Internet Archive: Congo Fireside Tales

Since I wrote about Geraldine Elliot yesterday and the day before, that is a good occasion to follow up with a book by Phyllis Savory, a contemporary of Elliot and even more prolific. I've featured several books from Savory before, and here is another item in her "Fireside" series: Congo Fireside Tales. 

I've featured about a several other books by Savory at this blog; this link will take you to all those posts on one page: books by Phyllis Savory. I had mentioned this book of Congo stories previously, and now it is available at Internet Archive!

The illustrations are by Joshua Tolford; here is his illustration for a story in which the rabbit outwits the lion (again!):

The book contains a mix of animal stories and stories about humans; these links go to each story's starting page at the Internet Archive: The Hare and the Elephant / A Bride for the Hare / The Hare and the Reedbuck / The Lion, the Hare and the Eland / The Elephant, the Hare and the Leopard / The Antelopes' Convention / The Lion and the Robin / Kalulu, the Clever One / The Magic Anthill / The Tale of the Golden Birds / The Blind Man and the Tortoise / Musakalala, the Talking Skull / How the Beggar Boy won the Chiefs Daughter / Umusha Mwaice, the Little Slave Girl.

The story "Musakalala, the Talking Skull" represents one of the most widespread African folktale types, and it is a really great story! I found it included in two different anthologies which are also available at the Archive.

The first is Ghosts and Spirits of Many Lands by Freya Littledale, which contains supernatural folktales from around the world, including Savory's talking-skull story.

The illustrations are by Stefan Martin, and here's his illustration for the skull story:

And the second anthology that includes Savory's story is Even More Short and Shivery: Thirty Spine-Tingling Stories by Robert San Souci. In this book, Souci combines different African versions of this folktales, including Savory's version, to create his own story.

And, yes, you can find the other books in Souci's Short-and-Shivery series at the Internet Archive too! 

Finally, I also want to mention this wonderful book: Look Back and See: Twenty Lively Tales for Gentle Tellers by Margaret MacDonald.

Although Savory's story is not included here, it is mentioned in the parallels and references for a variant of the story where, instead of a skull, it is an animal who refuses to talk on demand: The Singing Turtle. You will find the talking-skull motif discussed in the comparative notes for that story, with Savory's Congo Fireside Tales listed as a source. Books like this one are a great way to learn about the ways folklorists study stories, looking for recurring story types and elements. Margaret MacDonald is one of my favorite story-anthologizers, and you can find many of her books at the Internet Archive: MacDonald links. You can find out more about MacDonald's work at Wikipedia.

So, as always, wonderful books abound at the Internet Archive, both in the form of story collections dedicated to Africa, like Savory's book, along with these fun anthologies that put those African stories in new contexts. Enjoy!

Congo Fireside Tales

by Phyllis Savory

Ghosts and Spirits of Many Lands

by Freya Littledale

Even More Short and Shivery:

Thirty Spine-Tingling Stories

by Robert San Souci

Look Back and See:

Twenty Lively Tales for Gentle Tellers

by Margaret MacDonald

Africa at the Internet Archive: The Long Grass Whispers

Yesterday I featured Geraldine Elliot's Where the Leopard Passes, and today I want to feature another one of her books which you can find at Internet Archive: The Long Grass Whispers.

You can see yesterday's post for more information about Geraldine Elliot and the Ngoni people of Malawi from whom she heard these stories. The illustrations again are by Sheila Hawkins; here you can see the tortoise and the hyena:

One story from this book, "The Swallow and the Mole," is anthologized in this nice collection: A Storyteller's Choice: A Selection of Stories With Notes on How to Tell Them by Eileen Colwell, also just a click away at the Archive:

Even better: another story from this book, "The Monkey and the Hyena," appears in this anthology which contains a dozen stories from Africa! Here's that book at the Internet Archive: A Knock at the Door, edited by George Shannon:

Often these types of anthologies include just one or two African folktales, but this book includes a nice range of African stories; here's the table of contents (click on the image for a larger view).

Finally, another one of Elliot's stories forms the basis for this children's book: The Honey Hunters illustrated by Francesca Martin.

This is a story about the honey-guide bird, who is a popular figure in African folklore. You can see here where the bird has led the boy and the animals to the bees' honey:

I've got two more books by Elliot in my own personal library (The Singing Chameleon and The Hunter's Cave), so that means I'm checking for it periodically at the Internet Archive too, and if/when it shows up, you know I'll write a blog post about it. Meanwhile, these two other books by Elliot are ready and waiting for you at the Archive, just a click away, along with these other lovely books:

The Long Grass Whispers

by Geraldine Elliot

A Storyteller's Choice: A Selection of Stories

With Notes on How to Tell Them

by Eileen Colwell

A Knock at the Door

by George Shannon

The Honey Hunters

by Francesca Martin.