Ananzi Stories - Children's Trickster tales from West Africa

ANANZI or Ahnansi (Ah-nahn-see) "the trickster" is a cunning and intelligent spider and is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore and culture. The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti tribe in Ghana. The word Anansi is Akan and simply means spider. They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles on the back of the West African slave trade.

On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria. He is also known as Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the Southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. While Anansi is a spider, he often acts and appears as a man. The story of Anansi is akin to the Coyote or Raven the trickster found in many Native American cultures and has even made appearances in the stories of Brer Rabbit and Uncle Remus.

In olden time these were recited by men, most often at wakes which could last up to nine days. As the Negroes became Christianised, the wakes slowly receded and today they are practised by only the most verdent Obeah disciples.

The thirteen stories in this short volume were originally, and unusually, an appendix to Popular Tales from the Norse also translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent. Why he chose to include folklore from Africa and the Caribbean within folklore of the Norse has been forgotten in the sands of time. Abela Publishing has elected to republish these as a volume in their own right as an aide to Edgbarrow School's fundraising campaign supporting the SOS Children's Village in Asiakwa, Ghana. Edgbarrow School is located in Crowtho
e, Berkshire, England. 33% of the publisher's profit from the sale of this book will be donated to this cause.

For more information, a table of contents or to view a sample of the interior, go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/ananzi.html