Chapter 23
African and African-
American Trickster Stories
Characteristics of Trickster Tales
• The trickster
– forges a contract with a dupe, and then betrays him.
– is a power broker who achieves his strength by violating
the boundaries set by society.
– tries to play a trick and is caught and disgraced. In this
case, the trickster is also the dupe, and other characters in
the story are seen as power brokers who punish him.
• Some stories represent a contest of two tricksters.
• Unlike European folktales, which usually have a happy
ending, trickster stories typically end in disharmony.
Comparison of African and
African-American Tales
• Some kinds of African traditional tales did
not survive in America.
– Epic stories that required elaborate
performance could not be hidden from slave
owners.
– In addition, owners discouraged blacks’
attempts to maintain their religious practices,
so there was little opportunity to transmit the
stories associated with religious rituals.
Comparison of African and
African-American Tales, 2
• John W. Roberts points out that, although trickster
stories from these two traditions resemble each other
greatly, the social significance of these tales is quite
different.
– In both cultures, people had to contend with the shortage of
everyday necessities, and the stories reflect this. In Africa, the
greatest threat to the values of the community came from the
practice of magic, the attempt to manipulate the forces of nature
at the expense of other members of the community.
– In both cultures, trickster tales flourished as a response to
scarcity and hardship. In Africa, the shortages resulted from
natural disasters or war. However, in America, the nature of this
privation reflected the injustice of the slaveholding system.
Comparison of African and
African-American Tales, 3
• Jay Edwards believes that the importance of the trickster
tale is that it captures important ethical dilemmas, both
for the individual and for society.
• The trickster in African-American stories gets the dupe to
trust him, and then betrays the trust.
• The stories favor neither trickery nor trust, but allow the
audience to reflect on certain moral dilemmas imposed
by slavery – the dilemmas that account for the change in
the trickster's role.
• Because of the nature of social conditions imposed by
slavery, trickster tales inevitably end in disharmony, and
the trickster’s strategy is to maximize short-term
economic gain at the cost of long-term goals like social
cohesion.
Comparison of African and
African-American Tales, 4
• Roger Abrahams points to the trickster himself in
these stories:
– He is a part of society, but functions at its limits.
– He lives between nature and culture and, because of
his dual identity, is able to unmask or disorder the
world of those with a more solid stake in the
established norms of society.
– As an insignificant and almost invisible creature, the
trickster is able to learn the secrets of others, and to
unmask and undermine their doings.
Importance of the Audience
• Trickster tales derive from a tradition based on
oral performance.
• The best storytellers bring the stories to life by
– imitating a range of human and animal voices.
– accompanying the story with a variety of sounds,
squawks, screams.
– providing suitable singing, dancing, and gestures.
Performance at
a Wake in St. Vincent
• The storyteller is good because she gets
the audience to respond, sing, and dance.
• The story is secondary.
• The performance breaks the rules of
decorum.
• Interruptions and digressions are normal
because they advance the participation of
the audience.
Why the Hare Runs Away
• “Shame, shame, oh, hare!” they cried
together. “Did you not agree with us to cut
off the tips of your ears, and, when it came
to your turn, did you not refuse? What!
You refused, and yet you come to muddy
our water?”
• Aetiological insight: Why the hare doesn’t
leave the grass.
The Ant’s Burden
• “Oh! what have you done, you wicked fellow?” cried his
father. “You have killed the king’s jester!”
– Tsin gets rain with the help of the dwarf.
– Anansi kills the dwarf and tries to put the blame on Tsin.
– Tsin tricks Anansi, who is punished.
– Anansi tricks the ant.
• The story contains two liminal figures, the dwarf and
Anansi.
• Aetiological insight: Why ants carry burdens on their
heads.
Why They Name
the Stories for Anansi
• Master King said, “Well, as you know,
Blacksnake is a very wise and clever
creature. If you can trick him and bring him
back to me full-length on a pole, then I will
have all those stories named for you.”
• Master King can represent the plantation
owner.
Tricking All the Kings
• Then Buh Nansi said, “Oh, Massa King,
you mean to pitch me in that blue, blue
sea? Massa King, better to shoot me than
pitch me in that blue sea water.”
– Massa King catches Nansi with the tar baby.
– Nansi catches the shark and eats it.
– Nansi catches the lion. The lion gets loose,
but Nansi kills him at his own feast.
A Boarhog for a Husband
• The Old Witch Boy whispered, “Daddy, Daddy,
did you know that the fellow my sister is going to
marry is a boarhog?”
• The dupes, the daughter and her husband, are
destroyed by the implied contract they made
with the little Old Witch Boy, the slave who can
unmask the more successful members of
society.
• Animal groom story, like “The Frog Prince” and
“The Tiger’s Bride” (p. 670).
