That time Again -- Myths for Monday -ANANCY

By -
Over the last two years, I have dedicated this week in May to the celebration of Afrocolombian heritage. WHY? Because May 21st is the Día de la Afrocolombianidad. The day Colombia celebrates the end of slavery there in 1851. If you are interested in seeing my collection of previous posts, click here:

http://raisingcolombiankids.blogspot.com/search/label/Afrocolombianos

Otherwise, enjoy this week's focus on AFROCOLOMBIANOS. Starting with an AFROCOLOMBIAN myth, from San Andrés and Santa Catalina.

ANANCY the SPIDER

The Myth of ANANSI the spider originated in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo among the Ashante people, and it was people of this area that brought the story to the Americas. It is actually many different stories and there are many similarities between the Africa stories and their Colombian counterparts.

Here is a Colombian version of "Tiger Stories"

Once upon a time, all the the animals of the jungle gathered together to tell each other their stories of adventure. Each one would take his turn to tell what amazing thing he had dome that day. Unfortunately, poor Anancy had nothing to tell. Crestfallen, she asked, "Why do they call this storytelling, 'Tiger stories?' I think they should call this event after me. Wouldn't it sound better -- Anancy stories!"

Upon hearing this all of the animals began to laugh. The Tiger laughed so hard that the trees shook. The parrot laughed so hard that the branch he was sitting on broke. But, suddenly, all of the animals turned to the tiger and said, "Give Anancy a chance. Let's call them Anancy's Stories."

Tiger responded, "Nothing in this life is given for free, Anancy. If you want them to be called Anacy's stories, then bring me brother Serpent trapped on a stick. And from that moment on, this event will be called Anancy's Stories."

Despite all the animals predictions of failure, Anancy, through a series of events, returns victorious.

"Look, look everyone. Here comes Anancy with the snake tied to a stick." And, from that day forward, the Tiger -- good to his word-- called it Anancy's Stories.

The amazing thing is that despite at least 200 years, thousands of miles, and a change of language, the story is remarkably similar to the African version of the same story. So, go out to your local library and get an Ananzi story book this week. Then, read it to your Colombianito/a/os/as in celebration of Afrocolombian week in Colombia.

PS
There is a group that tells the stories on stage. You can see their You tube page here (in Spanish):

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Popular Colombian Names

By -
Recently, I was asked to write a post on Colombian names, and popular Colombian names. I had a hard time finding a list, but eventually I did find one. According to I.N.E. - Instituto Nacional de Estadística, -- unfortunately, when I found this it doesn't say the year -- the most common Colombian boys names across all ages are: 1 JUAN CARLOS 2 CARLOS ALBERTO 3 ALEXANDER 4 ANDRES FELIPE 5 LUIS FERNANDO 6 DIEGO FERNANDO 7 JHON JAIRO 8 CARLOS ANDRES 9 ALEJANDRO 10 JUAN DAVID The girls are: 1 SANDRA MILENA 2 LUZ MARINA 3 CAROLINA 4 PAULA ANDREA 5 CLAUDIA PATRICIA 6 MARIA EUGENIA 7 PAOLA ANDREA 8 DANIELA 9 LILIANA 10 MARTHA CECILIA Just as here, names go through ebb and flow. Fourteen years ago when we were married, I attended several baby baptisms and met numerous friends of my husband. At the time, it seemed like everyone was naming their kid Juan CAMILO (boy) or Maria CAMILA (girl). I met dozens of them. Then, about 7 years later, I heard tons of SANTIAGO, JULIAN, SEBASTIAN and FE
Read more

Muisca Indigenous Names, from Hunza (Tunja)

By -
In response to this week’s posts on names, I have received several e-mails asking about the names of famous Colombians and their stories and about Indigenous names. I plan to spend the next three days sharing some of them. Also, I will continue to post more in the future and you will be able to find them all by clicking on the NAMES link the LABELS section to the right of the blog. Name: AQUIMÍN ( pronounced: ah key MEAN) or AQUIMINZAQUE (pronounced: ah key mean ZAH kay) When the Spanish arrived on the plains of Bogotá, 1536, they found a great nation. In fact, it was the third largest group of indigenous inhabitants in America. They called themselves the Muiscas , which meant ‘the people’. Their language was called Chibcha . The Muiscas were not a united group, but rather a collection of city states. The majority of the power was held by two main cities – what today are called Bogotá and Tunja (in Boyacá). These two cities were mortal enemies and each enlisted the loy
Read more

La Madremonte

By -
Image
The myth of the Madremonte (Mother Mountain), and I do say myth though many campesinos in Colombia believe in her today, has it's roots in the indigenous cultures of Colombia and is known throughout much of Colombia including Antioquia, Caldas, Arauca, Caqueta, Amazonas, Guainia, and perhaps more departments. The Madremonte looks like a large woman. She has large, bony hands, large teeth and Betty Davis Eyes -- which on closer examination glow. Her body is covered in leaves and moss. Her hair is a tangled mess of plants and moss which often covers her face. She lives in the mountains and jungles, (in Antioquia and Caldas she lives in swamps where streams are born. People who claim to have seen her, usually report to have done so near thickets and bushes in jungle like areas. Others report having heard her bloodcurdling screams and groans on stormy nights. She rules the winds, the rains, and all the vegetation, and her role is to protect nature. She punishes those who invad
Read more