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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... girl's rite of passage . The girl's childishness is indicated in two ways , each considered a pecu- liar quality by her neighbors : she is always getting lost , and her speech is " difficult to comprehend . " This is an indication that ...
... girl had not eaten since the last time she had been home . But she refused to eat the meat that had been picked from that creature's teeth . When he finished eating , he took a big stick and hit the girl . " Please sing , Bird of a ...
... girl said , " Oh , well then , all right . Why don't you come along to my home ? " The others were leaving her behind . They had disappeared a long time ago . " All right then , " this young man said , and he stood up . Then he said , " ...
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
PrologueOrigins | 9 |
Masithathu Zenani on Storytelling | 19 |
Copyright | |
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