
IKOM FOLK STORIES FROM SOUTHERN NIGERIA.
PREFACE.
I.—How an Inkum Woman Abandoned One of Her Twins in the Forest, and How it was Saved by the Hawk.
II.—The Cunning Hare; or, Why the Tortoise has a Patched Shell.
III.—The Story of Igiri and her husband Inkang, who brought up a mushroom baby boy, and what became of him.
IV.—How Elili of Inkum died, and was Brought Back to Life Again.
V.—Concerning the Human Sacrifices which took Place on the Death of Chief Indoma.
VI.—The Story of the Witch who tried to kill her Husband; or, Why Native Dogs refuse to obey their Masters.
VII.—How two friends fell out: the Spider and the Grasshopper.
VIII.—How Ewa Abagi, an Inkum Woman, was Drowned in the Cross River, and how She was Rescued by the Young Men of Insofan.
A vivid tapestry of voices from the Ikom district brings listeners into the everyday world of Southern Nigeria, where myth and daily life intertwine. The tales are narrated through the rhythm of local customs—dowries counted in bundles of stick, cam‑wood rituals, and the spirited exchanges of gifts that seal a marriage. Each story offers a glimpse of how families negotiate love, duty, and community expectations, often with humor and a touch of the supernatural.
Beyond the ceremonies, the collection explores broader themes of partnership, generosity, and the moral weight of promises. Characters navigate love and betrayal, learning through clever twists whether honor is kept or lost. The stories preserve ancient oral traditions while revealing the lively, human concerns that still resonate across cultures.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (319K characters)
Series
Royal anthropological institute occasional papers, no. 3
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United Kingdom: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1913.
Credits
Alan, Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Release date
2023-06-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1869–1917
Best known for collecting and publishing folk tales from southern Nigeria, he brought stories like "Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky" to a wide English-speaking audience. His work sits at the crossroads of storytelling, folklore, and the history of the British colonial era.
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