July 13, 2003 - Personal Web Page: Deep in the Bush, Where People Rarely Ever Go - stories collected in Liberia by and RPCV Phillip Martin
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July 13, 2003 - Personal Web Page: Deep in the Bush, Where People Rarely Ever Go - stories collected in Liberia by and RPCV Phillip Martin
Deep in the Bush, Where People Rarely Ever Go - stories collected in Liberia by and RPCV Phillip Martin
Deep in the Bush, Where People Rarely Ever Go - stories collected in Liberia by and RPCV Phillip Martin
The stories used in this lesson were collected by the author while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia, West Africa. He lived in Zwedru, a town surrounded by the rainforest, or "the bush" as the Liberians called it. These tales have been kid - tested and approved around the world with students of all ages. These stories, and any other African tales, work as a great introduction to the wealth of culture and history that Africa has to offer.
Stories from Africa were traditionally passed down by word of mouth. Often they were told by the light of the moon around a village fire after the completion of a long day of work. The stories rarely ended with the words we so often heard as children when our parents told us bedtime stories -- "and they all lived happily ever after". Most stories didn't end happily ever after. Usually the stories taught a lesson, and frequently, the selfish person learned that lesson the hard way.
Included here are three folk tales collected in Liberia. The first one, Spider and the Honey Tree, deals with an animal who is a favorite throughout West Africa. Spider is known for his clever tricks but they don't always work out the way he intends. In the second tale, Black Snake and the Eggs, Black Snake devises a way to live happily ever after. Unfortunately for him, that usually doesn't happen in African stories. And the final story, The Chief Who Was No Fool, features a wise chief who matches his wits and meets his match with a very clever wife.e
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Story Source: Personal Web Page
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Liberia; Folktales
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