The World and the Word: Tales and Observations from the Xhosa Oral TraditionA master storyteller of the Xhosa people of South Africa, Nongenile Masithathu Zenani gives us an unprecedented view of an oral society from within. Twenty-four of her complex and beautiful tales about birth, puberty, marriage, and work, as told to the renowned collector of African oral tradition, Harold Scheub, are gathered here. Accompanying the stories are Zenani’s detailed commentaries and analyses and Scheub’s striking photographs of her in performance. The combination of these historical and cultural observations with a richly symbolic collection of tales from a single traditional storyteller make The World and the Word a remarkable document. |
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... beast , we see the forces struggling for her soul . The raven and the forces represented by the ubulunga beast are these two sides of her . When Mbulukazi dies , the raven side of her is gone ( the raven can then conveniently be ...
... beast of the bridal party ; 16 she was driving the beast of the bride17 - these beasts were two . [ And the raven - bride was driving no such beasts . ] Mbulukazi was also carrying the money for the women . 18 They arrived . Yes , they ...
... beast whose tail would be plucked whenever the bride was unwell.1 The hair from the tail of this bride's beast would then be put around the bride's neck . The other beast was called the bridal party's beast.2 Early in the morning , it ...
Contents
The Art of the Storyteller | 7 |
Masithathu Zenani on Storytelling | 19 |
Tales | 27 |
Copyright | |
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