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 . As the bride - to - be moves to her home of marriage , the beast is a living symbol of her connection with her home of birth . The beast cannot be de- stroyed ; no one can take it from the young bride . It remains the token of ...
... 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 ...
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
PrologueOrigins | 9 |
Masithathu Zenani on Storytelling | 19 |
Copyright | |
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