In these stories, Br’er Rabbit uses his intelligence to thwart the ambitions of his larger rivals. Recounted in stories passed down through the generations across the American South, Br’er Rabbit became widely known after Joel Chandler Harris published his Uncle Remus tales in 1881.
Br’er Rabbit is largely a descendant of these tales.
In the many parts of Africa historically affected by the slave trade, cultures have told stories of heroic and intelligent rabbit and hare figures. Another, similar trickster with roots in African folklore is Br’er Rabbit. While Anansi is perhaps the most famous trickster from African folklore, others do still exist. Trickster figures can be found in folklore across cultures. Br’er Rabbit: Black America’s Take on the Trickster Br’er Rabbit meets the “Tar Baby”, via To the spider, humans deserved to know how to spin tales for themselves.Īrt from the children’s book Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti, by Gerald McDermott, 1972, via MacmillanĢ. Humanity’s boredom frustrated Anansi, so the spider traveled to the sky to argue with Nyame. Storytelling was originally monopolized by Nyame, the supreme god in the Akan religion. For hundreds of years, storytellers have told his stories in order to instruct children and instill moral values.Īccording to one Anansi story, humans did not originally possess the gift of storytelling. Unlike the negative image of spiders in Western popular culture, Anansi is a revered repository of wisdom. He has always been depicted as a spider (the name Anansi translates directly to “spider” in the Akan languages). Anansi originated as a trickster deity among the Akan people of modern Ghana. The figure of Anansi the spider survived more intact than most. Anansi: The Arachnid Trickster of West African Folklore Anansi the Spider, artwork by Aaron, via Īlthough facets of African folklore did endure in the Americas, they often took on new forms depending on local contexts.
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