Links
Homepage of the Three Rivers Jenbe Ensemble
A group of kids from 7-17 who study and perform West Afrikan dance and music and who inspired the work of this site (see the TRJE page for more information).
YouTube video clip of a Griot from Senegal performing traditional kora music
YouTube video clip of a West African Griot performing a portion of the Sundjata epic
Afriprov.org
This is a nonprofit site run by a Rev. Joe Healey of a ministry based in Kenya that has many full text Afrikan proverbs, sayings, and stories. While not all of the stories are of traditional West Afrikan origin (some are essays or experiences by pastors, etc.), all have as much source information as is known and seem to be well documented. The site also has a very useful database which allows a visitor to search the collection by things like genre, region of origin, and subject matter. This is where I found "Greeting God at Sowing Time."
Oral Tradition
Oral Tradition is a journal that was founded in 1986 to "serve as an international and interdisciplinary forum for discussion of worldwide oral traditions and related forms." It now has an e-journal component through Project Muse that allows anyone with an internet connection to access all current and archived issues. The journal has many articles related to West Afrika.
ABE Books link
The Advanced Book Exchange is a worldwide network of booksellers (most, if not all, used and rare) through which almost any book (including those listed below) can be found for a reasonable price and shipped directly to your door.
Books
Here is some information on a few books that I found during my research. Each listing includes both the ISBN 10 and 13. In addition, the numbers themselves are links to each book on Amazon.com.
The Orphan Girl and Other Stories: West African Folk Tales |
The Cow-tail Switch and Other West African Stories |
Sundiata an Epic of Old Mali |
Sundiata: Lion King of Mali |
Other Resources
Two journals that I found to be very helpful in my research were the Journal of African Cultural Studies and Research in African Literatures. Both journals should be able to be accessed through the database subscriptions of many school and pubic libraries.