Animal Trickster Tales
"Traditional oral literary forms of African people have been woven out of the substance of human experience: struggles with the land and the elements, movement and migrations, wars between kingdoms, conflicts over pastures and waterholes, wrestling with the mysteries of existence, and life or death."9 African folktales are one of the primary oral literary forms found among the African people. These tales reflect relations among humans, man and woman, and humans and the animal world. They offer explanations of natural phenomena, teach morality, provide African people with a sense of identity, and are entertaining as well as instructive. The animal trickster tales are the favorite among the folktales because they include an animal trickster with human habits, beliefs, and weaknesses. These tales instill moral values in the people of the tribe or community.
In the Yoruba trickster tale, "Pride Comes with a Great Fall," the deer bragged about running faster than any animal at the meeting of all animals. According to the deer, he could run over twenty-six miles. Although the tortoise accepted the challenge, he arranged for thirteen of his family members to be stationed at every other mile. At the beginning of the race the deer teased the tortoise because he was behind him. As each of tortoise's family members shouted ahead of the deer, he ran more rapidly. The deer died of exhaustion two miles before the end of the race. The folktale teaches African people that too much arrogance has severe consequences..
The trickster tales are found in many cultures in Africa. Trickster tales use animals with human features to convey wisdom. Trickster tales also use animals to help people understand human nature and human behavior. These tales play an important role within the culture in which they are found. The animal trickster tales are meant to be entertaining as well as instructive. Animals are used in different ways to portray human strength and weaknesses.
Animals play a prominent role in African storytelling because African people live in close proximity to wild animals that share their land. In many of the tales Africans attributed human feelings and desires to particular animals and derived ethical ideas from their behavior. Emmanuel Matateyou contends that the animal tricksters invent what human nature thinks is impossible.10 The animal tricksters ease their passage through a treacherous world at the expense of more powerful opponents. They get into precarious situations that require them to use their craftiness to get out of their predicament. The fact that they are smaller or weaker than their adversaries show that weight is not important. It also shows that a strong person is not usually intelligent.
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