African Myths of Origin

Stephen Belcher was born in Cairo, Egypt, and spent much of his childhood in Africa and Europe. He holds a doctorate in Comparative Literature from Brown University and has taught in the history department at Pennsylvania State University. He is the co-editor (with John W. Johnson and Thomas Hale) of Voices from a Vast Continent: Oral Epics from Africa, and the author of Epic Traditions of Africa. He is currently teaching at the University of Kankan in the Republic of Guinea.

• African Myths of OriginIntroductionA Note on the TextList of MapsPart I. Some General ThemesStories About Hunters1. The San Peoples of Southern Africa2. Pygmies of The Central African Forests3. The Songhay Hunters of the Niger River4. The Origin of Hunters' Associations: Sanen and Kontron of the Manden5. How Hunters Learned about Magic6. The Animal Bride I: The Changed Skin7. The Animal Bride II: SirankomiThe Cattle-Herders8. Khoi-Khoi Cattle Stories9. Fulbe Stories of Cattle10. The Maasai of East Africa11. The Great Lakes I: The Origin of Cattle (Rwanda)12. The Great Lakes II: The Story of Wamara (BaHaya)13. The Chagga of East Africa: MurileTricksters14. Uthlakanyana, the Zulu Child Trickster15. Stories of Moni-Mambu of the BaKongo16. Ture, the Zande Trickster17. Eshu of the Yoruba18. Legba of the Fon19. Ananse the Spider, of the AshantiPart II. Stories of Kingdoms and PeoplesAncient Africa20. Egyptian Stories21. EthiopiaPeoples of the Upper Nile and East Africa22. The Oromo of Southern Ethiopia23. The Shilluk of Southern Sudan24. The Luo of Sudan and Uganda25. The Gikuyu of Kenya26. The Swahili of the CoastKingdoms of the Great Lakes27. The Kingdom of Bunyoro28. The Kingdom of Buganda29. The Kingdom of Rwanda30. The Kingdom of BurundiCentral East Africa31. Nsong'a Lianja, Hero of the Mongo32. The Kuba Kingdom of the Bushoong: Mboom and Woot33. The First Kings of the Luba34. The Kingdoms of the Lunda35. The Bemba of ZambiaThe Peoples of Southern Africa36. The Shona of Zimbabwe37. The Nguni Peoples of Southern Africa: Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi38. The Khoi-Khoi: Stories of Heitsi-EibibThe Central Atlantic39. The Yaka of the Kwango River40. The Kingdom of Kongo41. The Fang of Gabon and Cameroon42. Jeki la Njambe of the Duala43. The Bamun Kingdom of CameroonFrom the Forest to the Niger44. The Igbo45. The Kingdom of the Nupe: Tsoede46. The Jukun Kingdom of the Kororofa47. The Bachana and Bata of the Upper BenueThe Peoples of the Coast48. The City of Benin49. The Yoruba of South-western Nigeria50. Borgu and the Legend of Kisra51. The Fon and the Kingdom of Dahomey52. The Akan-Ashanti and the Baule of the ForestThe Mossi Plateau53. The Founding of Gonja54. A Dagomba Hero55. The Mossi of Burkina Faso56. The Dogon of the Bandiagara EscarpmentLake Chad and the Central Sudan57. The Sara and Sow of Lake Chad58. The Kingdom of Bagirmi59. The Kingdoms of Kanem and Bornu60. The HausaThe Kingdoms of the Western Sudan61. The Songhay Peoples of the Middle Niger62. The City of Djenne63. The Soninke64. The Maninka and the Empire of Mali65. The Bamana of the Middle NigerThe Peoples of Senegambia66. The Mandinka of Senegambia67. The Sereer of Senegal68. Njaajaan Njaay and the Wolof69. The Futa Tooro70. Malick Sy and Bondu71. The Tuareg of the SaharaSources and Further ReadingIndex