Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 45.djvu/794

772 from being fetichism, is a pure animism, or worship of spirits, differing in no important particular from that of other people on the same plane of civilization. In this paper I propose to dispel another illusion, and show that the negro, like all other races, has his folklore, or popular tales, which are in no wise inferior to those invented by other people. Of course, the Uncle Remus stories of Mr. Joel Chandler Harris are really American-negro versions of West African folklore tales, but in most cases the tales have been so much changed in order to adapt them to the altered conditions of life and the new locale that they can now scarcely be called examples of West African folklore.

It is among the Yoruba tribes of the Slave Coast that we find the folklore instinct most fully developed, and their tales may be numbered probably by hundreds. The itinerant story-teller, akpalo kpatita ("one who makes a trade of telling fables"), is a wellknown character, who wanders from town to town, reciting tales. He is always well received, and is in great demand for social gatherings. He very frequently carries with him a drum, with the rhythm of which he fills up the pauses in the narrative. He strikes a few taps on the drum, to attract attention, and as soon as an audience is gathered he announces, "My alo is about soand-so," and then commences the recital.

The first and second of the following tales are Yoruba; the third is from the Ewe tribes, who inhabit the western portion of the Slave Coast, and among whom Dahomi is the one best known to Europeans; while the fourth is from the Tshi tribes of the Gold Coast, among whom are the Ashantis and Fantis. In each case the exact English equivalent of the native version has been given, and none of the stories have been in the least "touched up."

My alo is about a woman whose little girl made palm oil.

One day, when she had made palm oil, she took it to the market to sell.

She stayed in the market selling her palm oil until it was quite dark. And when it was dark, a goblin came to her to buy palm oil, and paid her with cowries.

When the little girl counted the cowries she found that there was one short. And she asked the goblin for the cowry that was wanting.