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African
Folktales & traditional religion
30 entries · 8 sections
South Africa
West and Central Africa
The West African area is important because this is where the majority of slaves departed for the New World. Hence large elements of West African, particularly Yoruba, religion (blended with Catholicism) can be found in religions such as Vodun (also known as Voodoo) (Haiti), Candomblè (Brazil) and Santeria (Carribean). For more information on New World African-derived religions, refer to the The Santeria page at Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance.
Myths of ÍfèJohn Wyndham, 1921Notes on the Folklore of the FjortR. E. Dennett, 1898 — Storytelling from the Congo, a key source for West African folklore.At the Back of the Black Man's MindR. E. Dennett, 1906 — Reveals a complex system of sacred lands, rivers, trees, and omens among the West Africans.Folk Stories from Southern NigeriaElphinstone Dayrell, 1910Fetichism in West AfricaRobert Hamill Nassau, 1904Hausa FolkloreMaalam Shaihu, 1913 — Nigerian folklore from an indigenous storyteller, with a rich Islamic background.Woman's Mysteries of a Primitive PeopleD. Amaury Talbot, 1915 — A woman ethnographer's unique perspective on a West African tribe.The Yoruba Speaking PeoplesA.B. Ellis, 1894Yoruba LegendsM. I. Ogumefu, 1929
Comparative
African-American
Caribbean
Rastafarianism
The Kebra NagastE. A. Wallis Budge, 1922 — The legendary history of Ethiopia.The Holy PibyRobert Athlyi Rogers, 1924-8 — A classic--and very rare--Afrocentric religious text from the early 20th century, acclaimed by many Rastafarians as a forerunner of their beliefs.The Royal Parchment Scroll of Black SupremacyFitz Balintine Pettersburg, 1926 — A rare proto-Rastafarian text from Jamaica.The Promised KeyG.G. Maragh, 1935 — Howell advanced ideas similar to later Rastafarian beliefs, particularly casting Haile Selassie as the Black Messiah.The Wisdom of Rastafariby Haile Selassie — A short anthology of quotes from Haile Selassie compiled by a Rastafarian group.
Vodun
Last of the Voudoos1885New Orleans Superstitions1886Voodoo and ObeahsJoseph J. Williams, 1932 — Important historical context for Vodun, with extensive quotes from contemporary accounts.Psychic Phenomena of JamaicaJoseph J. Williams, 1934 — A study of supernatural activity in Jamaica, including the abusive duppy...
Afrocentric Historians
The NegroW.E.B. Du Bois, 1915 — A great introduction to Black history by a noted African-American activist and scholar.Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite EmpireDrusilla Dunjee Houston, 1927 — A pioneering work of Afrocentric history.Stolen LegacyGeorge G.M. James, 1954 — Did the Greeks steal classical philosophy from an Ancient Egyptian mystery tradition?Site copyrightsTerms of Service