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Trickster Tales

© Meg Greene Malvasi

Among the enduring genres of African-American literature is the folktale. Brought to America by African slaves, these stories were not written down; instead they were narrated by a storyteller known as the griot>. Although African and African-American folktales vary greatly in style and content, many of these stories feature animals that assume the roles and emotions of human beings. These stories also often had a moral and thus became important tools for teaching children valuable lessons about life or the dangers of certain behaviors such as lying, stealing, or insulting one's elders. Perhaps the most recognizable and distinctive character in African folktales is the trickster. The trickster was seen a hero who endured and overcame all the disadvantages that blacks faced as slaves. In the original African folktales, the trickster took many forms. In stories originating among East, Central, and Southern African peoples as well as those located in western Sudan, the trickster was a hare. Among West Africans, by contrast, the trickster was commonly a spider or a tortoise. Less frequently, African folktales also had human tricksters. Whatever form the trickster assumed his character remained essential the same. The trickster is the underdog. He is physically smaller and weaker than the other animals that he encounters, who have it in mind to do him harm. To make up for his small size and limited strength, the trickster relies on his wits and cunning to get the best of his enemies. At times, the trickster can be ruthless and deceptive. Although not always an attractive character, he does what is necessary to survive and, on more than one occasion, to get what he wants. For African-American slaves, the trickster tales took on an added significance. The ordeal of the trickster represented the plight of the slaves. Small and weak, the trickster is vulnerable to other animals, such as wolves, bears, or lions, who wish to harm him. By using his intelligence, however, the trickster defeats his more powerful foes and enjoys the last laugh. Whether a hare, tortoise, or spider, the trickster was the slave and his various enemies were the master or other powerful white men. The ability of the trickster to outsmart his rivals offered the slaves hope that their master was not all-powerful, and afforded them no small amount of satisfaction to see him beaten and humiliated by one of their own. The trickster tales served another important purpose for the slaves. They helped to unite the slave community. At night, when the slaves had some time to themselves without supervision from the master or plantation overseer, they gathered to sing, dance, pray, and tell stories. The trickster tales taught them that the helpless can prevail over those with power, and that the mischievous playing of tricks is often better revenge than the resort to violence.