Footsteps articles from May 2006

Footsteps archives from May 2006

Spider tales from Africa.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... For centuries, the Ashanti children of West Africa have heard stories about a witty spider named Anansi who is always up to no good. In one tale, Anansi eats his way into a melon, making fools out of Elephant, Hippo, and the other animals who...

How Anansi got his stories.(Short story)
May 1, 2006... One day, Anansi the spider came upon Brother Tiger devouring his lunch of gungo peas, and rice. "Hello there, Brother Tiger," Anansi said, rubbing his black belly. "Would you spare some peas for a hungry friend?" Brother Tiger let out...

Anansi strikes again.(Puppet making)
May 1, 2006... Now you can stage your own Anansi tale! Follow the directions below to create Anansi and Brother Snake puppets. Then, bring them to life in your home or classroom. For the Anansi Puppet You need: * yarn or curling ribbon *...

Tales and lore.
May 1, 2006... Once upon a time, long before the days of television, DVDs, computers, and MP3s, people used a broad range of creative tools to teach and entertain. These methods included "folklore," which means the teachings (lore) of a group of people...

Trickster tales.(oral tradition)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... When enslaved Africans were forcefully brought to the United States and the Caribbean, they still carried their cultures and customs within themselves. One important custom they passed down from generation to generation was the oral tradition....

Brother deer and brother snail have a race.(Short story)
May 1, 2006... The animals gathered at the lagoon (shallow pond) and were having a pleasant conversation when Brother Deer pranced up and joined the group. "What y'all talking about?" he said as he quenched his thirst. All of the animals fell silent. They had...

Flying Africans.(story of their forced removal from Africa to America.)(Essay)
May 1, 2006... Stories about Africans who could fly have been recorded throughout the Americas for the past 200 years. From the Caribbean island of Jamaica to the South American country of Surinam to Arkansas and Georgia in the United States, folklorists,...

The art of retelling: how do folktales become part of our everyday life? How does imaginative storytelling become folklore? Mostly through "retelling.".
May 1, 2006... Any story that touches upon issues that are important to a community and can be presented in an especially imaginative or compelling way is likely to be told again and again. In the process, storytellers sometimes elaborate upon them to make...

Up and down.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Help Brer Rabbit reach his house by running through the garden. You may move from one path segment to another by using a doorway (marked with a double arrow), but you may not cross under segments. You may also move from one area to another by...

Why Hare runs away.(Short story)
May 1, 2006... When famine followed a great drought, all the animals gathered to discuss the food situation. "What shall we do to keep from dying of hunger and thirst?" they asked. "The water supply," said some, "We must do something about the water supply...

Tales that unite.(works of Zora Neale Hurston and James Weldon Johnson)
May 1, 2006... Of all the black folktales, biblical tales and "folk sermons" received the least amount of attention--the least, that is, until writers Zora Neale Hurston and James Weldon Johnson decided to focus more on those stories. While Hurston is best...

How God made butterflies.(Black Folktales by Julius Lester)
May 1, 2006... The tale "How God Made Butterflies" is first found in Zora Neale Hurston's book Mules and Men. However, it is Julius Lester, in his collection Black Folktales (1969), who credits African Americans for having the kind of creative language...

God's Trombones.(James Weldon Johnson)
May 1, 2006... The collection God's Trombones (1927) includes an opening prayer, "Listen, Lord--A Prayer," and seven sermons in poetry form: "The Creation," "The Prodigal Son," "Go Down Death--A Funeral Sermon," "Noah Built the Ark," "The Crucifixion," "Let...

Knee-high man wants to be sizable.(Short story)
May 1, 2006... In a tiny corner of a swamp, there was a knee-high man who lived in a miniature house. This knee-high man was self-conscious about his size and would tell anyone with an ear that he wanted to be big instead of small. When no one listened to...

Let's find out.(Priscilla)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... In 1756, a 10-year old girl arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, on a slave ship from Sierra Leone. The wealthy rice planter who purchased her (and several other children) changed her name to Priscilla. The child grew up and lived into old...

More about.(childrens books)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... There are numerous well-written books of African American folktales and legends. References to several are found in the articles throughout this issue. The section "On the Net" below provides links to sites that list, and describe, many of...

Cobblestone resources.(Cobblestone Publishing)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The following issues of FOOTSTEPS and its sister magazine COBBLESTONE complement this issue on "Folktales and Legends" and are available from Cobblestone Publishing: Colonial Heroes (FTP0601) Singin' the Blues (FTP0509) Women...

On the net.(children's tales on websites)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... For an overview of African American folktales (their content, role, and significance), lesson plans, a student's bibliography, and a teacher's bibliography, check out: www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1993/2./93.02.08.x.html#a For a...

The Elephant and the Tortoise.(Short story)
May 1, 2006... Elephant and Rain were having a rather thunderous disagreement. Finally, Elephant hissed, "All I'm saying is, if you re the one who feeds me, then just go on and give me some examples of how you do so." Rain looked down on Elephant and replied,...

John saves Ole Massa's children.(Trickster Tale)(Short story)
May 1, 2006... On a plantation, a slave named John worked and lived with his owners, Ole Massa and Ole Missy, and their twins, a girl and a boy. One scorching day, John was laboring in the field when he heard the twins yelling from their boat on the lake. As...

Brothers and sisters: African American college students in the early 20th century created service organizations to meet the needs of their local communities. The sororities (for women) and fraternities (for men) they established are known as "the Divine Nine.".(AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS PAST AND PRESENT)
May 1, 2006... Alpha Phi Alpha was founded in 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its members have included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Omega Psi Phi was the first black fraternity established on a...

Things aren't always as they appear.(Joel Chandler Harris works on slavery)
May 1, 2006... When Joel Chandler Harris was a young boy, he spent most of his time working on Turnwold plantation in Putnam County, Georgia. There, he heard slaves entertaining themselves with stories about Brer Rabbit and the other animals in the forest....

'The wonderful Ta-Baby story'.(Short story)
May 1, 2006... Tired of being outwitted, Brer Fox decided to make a Tar-Baby (a doll made of tar). He propped the Tar-Baby up on the side of the road and then hid behind the bushes. He couldn't wait to see what would happen when Brer Rabbit saw Tar-Baby. He...

Stories of survival.(African American on folklores)
May 1, 2006... Folklore is an important part of African American society. Folklore includes folktales, legends, proverbs, riddles, poems, sermons, and songs that have been passed down orally from generation to generation. Whether in the form of animal tales...

Brother blue.(storytellers)
May 1, 2006... His socks are blue. His hat is blue. Even his name is Blue--Brother Blue, that is. Born Hugh Morgan Hill, Brother Blue has become one of the best-known storytellers in America, transforming the art of storytelling with his jingling, jazzy way....

Daisy Turner, master storyteller.
May 1, 2006... When I first met Daisy Turner, she was 100 years old, living by herself on the outskirts of the village of Grafton, Vermont. Her face did not betray a century of years, and I remember thinking that she must have been a striking beauty in her...

Unlock the secrets to storytelling.
May 1, 2006... Brother Blue, Daisy Turner, and the other storytellers you have met in this issue of FOOTSTEPS have & knack for keeping their listeners on the edge of their seats. Now you can learn how to enchant your audience with these storytelling secrets...