Reading: Stories of Congo, Part B

One interesting thing about some folklore is how much you can learn about a culture and its beliefs and values. While obviously some are held as pure fiction even by the tellers, some of these stories were presented as true, particularly the ones involving fetishes. If I were to deduce other cultural aspects from the stories, the creator god Nzambi seems likely. As almost all the male characters have multiple wives, the Vili were likely polygamous. There also seems to be a strong sense of justice that is derived from others' opinions. Often when one character kills another, the onlookers or those whom he tells the story will affirm his decision, particularly when revenge is involved. This is extended by the notion of a palaver, which seems to have a different meaning than our modern definition of our drawn out talk. It seems to have a sense of mediation. More speculatively, I wonder if children in Vili culture were treated more as adults ("The Three Brothers") and if they migrated from a region where gazelles were native.

While that is really interesting from an anthropological standpoint, it does not help me very much in writing a story. I was intrigued by the fetish Sunga in the story by the same name. She does not like someone's lying and fooled him into accepting food that would take away his power of speech and thus his ability to lie. I also liked how the man in "The Leopard and the Crocodile" valued his dogs above the supply of food provided by the leopard and crocodile. It would also be interesting to try to write a story of my own - or retell a Euro-American story - with the values and spiritual realm of the Vili, such as the fetishes, palavers, and sense of justice/revenge.

Fetish. Web Source: Randafricanart.

Bibliography: R. E. Dennett's Notes on the Folktales of the Fjort, link.