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\nMost North American\u00a0children learn moral lessons through cartoons and story books, however, in the Caribbean, we learn these lessons through folktales passed on to us by our elders. As a child growing up, I couldn’t wait for my grandmother to tell me Anansi stories. I\u00a0marvelled\u00a0at its\/his cleverness, envied its\/ his seemingly\u00a0indestructibleness and admired its\/his ability to use cunningness as a survival mechanism. For every new Anansi story I was told, I could not wait to gather the other kids under the mango tree behind the school yard to brag about them. \u00a0To retell these stories, was to live\u00a0vicariously\u00a0through Anansi’s character. I felt as if I too possessed it’s\/his abilities and I pretty sure my classmates thought the same.<\/p>\n
As a child, I never questioned the orijin or purpose behind these stories that were seemingly about a spider, although in all descriptions and characteristics he was human. \u00a0Instead, I accepted them as an exciting tale about a quick-witted spider\/man, who was able to get things done by any means; even if it meant engaging in\u00a0trickery\u00a0and\u00a0cunningness. Despite Anasi’s cleverness and wisdom, my\u00a0grandmother\u00a0always made a point at the end of each story to show that the often dishonest tactics he employed always backfired and that honesty and\u00a0sincerely\u00a0always prevailed.<\/p>\n
Anansi stories (also spelled Ananse or Anancy and referred to as Kwaku Ananse) were brought to the Caribbean by our West\u00a0African\u00a0ancestors during slavery. \u00a0Rooted in the traditions of\u00a0Ashanti people in Ghana, Anansi stories provided as a means of temporary escape for captured slaves in the Caribbean. Just like Anansi, many slaves\u00a0had to employ their wit, unconventional skills and wisdom in order to survive.<\/p>\n
To this day, Anansi stories still play an important role in storytelling and the formation of morals in most Caribbean islands. While the context of many of these stories have\u00a0inevitability\u00a0been altered to fit the \u00a0various cultural traditions and practices inherent to the different Caribbean communities, the core elements, such as the animal\/human like nature of Anansi, his\u00a0intelligence,\u00a0trickery,\u00a0wisdom and\u00a0character\u00a0flaws, all remain the same.<\/span><\/p>\n As a child who grew up with Anansi stories, the North\u00a0American\u00a0equivalents such the the character Wile Coyote, never seemed compelling enough. They lacked the dept, complexity and variety Anansi possessed. I admired him for his wisdom and intelligence while at the same time, I feared the outcome of his\u00a0deceit\u00a0and trickery. He was a hero and a\u00a0villain and\u00a0his seeming\u00a0indestructibly\u00a0provided as a means of hope.<\/span><\/p>\n Through the retelling on Anansi stories, I was able to cultivate invaluable oratory skills. \u00a0The preservation and continuation of Anansi stories helps to serve as a means of connecting us in the Caribbean to our African ancestors. \u00a0It also helps to demonstrate the importance of history and culture in the cultivation of morals and values. Time and distance are inevitable factors for people throughout African Diaspora, however, folktales and oral traditions like that of Anansi, helps to maintain our connectedness.<\/span><\/p>\nWatch some Popular Anansi Stories<\/h3>\n