Bushman Folktales: A Collection of Gllana Myths and Fables - Paperback

by Jiro Tanaka (Author)

In the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, tales tell of animals who talk to each other, deceive each other and easily transform themselves into human beings. The author, who has followed the lives of the Bushmen of the Kalahari for more than half a century, has recorded their folktales and transcribed them as they were told. The twenty-nine stories presented here tell of the antics of creation god Piisi-uagu, capture the characteristics of the flora and fauna that are central to the hunter-gatherers' way of life and feature the terrifying and deadly deeds of macabre monsters and marauders. Prepare yourself for a fascinating journey into the cosmos of the Bushmen.

Author Biography

TANAKA Jiro is Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University. He specializes in ecological anthropology, focusing on hunter-gatherer societies (Bushmen, Mbuti Pygmies) and nomadic pastoralists (Rendille, Pokot and Turkana) in Africa.