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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... roots . He said , " Now , Boy , tell your mother that she is to put two of these roots into the hearth . When they're warm , they should be eaten - swal- lowed . Tell her that these other two roots should be pounded , then put into a ...
... roots make it possible for the people to move from a drought to a period of sufficiency , even though the roots are a substitute food . They are not real food , but they act as a mediator , moving the family from no food to real food ...
... roots sizzled . They were snug- gled into the hearth and roasted . As for the husband , he put his " roots " on his own side of the hearth . But his wife caught their scent . " What kind of roots are those ? They have a peculiar smell ...
Contents
The Art of the Storyteller | 7 |
Masithathu Zenani on Storytelling | 19 |
Tales | 27 |
Copyright | |
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