Jamaica Anansi Stories is a collection of folklore by Martha Warren
Beckwith. Having studied under famed ethnographer Franz Boas at Columbia
University, Beckwith dedicated her career to recording and
contextualizing the traditions of people from around the world.
Specializing in Jamaican, Hawaiian, Sioux, and Mandan-Hidatsa cultures,
Beckwith published widely acclaimed works of folklore and ethnography
through her interviews with native storytellers around the world. "One
great hungry time. Anansi couldn't get anyt'ing to eat, so he take up
his hand-basket an' a big pot an' went down to the sea-side to catch
fish. When he reach there, he make up a large fire and put the pot on
the fire, an' say, 'Come, big fish!'" Opening her collection with the
lighthearted and instructional "Animal Stories," many of which record
the conflicts between Anansi and the Tiger, Beckwith introduces her
reader to one of central figures of Jamaican folklore. Associated with
resistance, play, and resourcefulness, Anansi was a symbol of hope for a
people subjected to centuries of slavery. Situated alongside similar
tales from Europe, popular songs, riddles, and jokes, the Anansi stories
form an invaluable part of Jamaican culture and of other Caribbean and
American cultures who trace their origins to West Africa. With a
beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this
edition of Martha Warren Beckwith's Jamaica Anansi Stories is a
classic of anthropological literature reimagined for modern readers.
