Anansi is a West African trickster god. The direct translation in Akan (a southern Ghanaian language) is ‘spider’ and thus Anansi often takes on the form of a spider when featured in folklore.
The tradition of this character probably started in West Africa (and more probably in Ghana) before spreading to the Caribbean with the slave trade. Across the sugar plantations, Anansi gave the slaves a sense of connection with their home as they shared their culture and tradition. But this character was also a symbol of resistance – the ‘small’ and ‘insignificant’, asserting their identity. Today the stories of Anansi are told in the United States too. As with colourful oral tradition of cultural heritage, the stories have taken on many forms and adaptations over the years and in different communities.
Although Anansi is believed to be very clever and cunning, and able to trick those more powerful, he was not always able to trick people into doing things or helping him, without their knowledge. Sometimes, things did not go to plan and so the story goes…
Anansi and Chameleon
One year there was a bad harvest. There was not enough food for everyone in the village. Anansi decided that he wanted Chameleon’s piece of land so he could claim the harvest. Chameleon was, of course, very upset and asked the other villagers for help. No one wanted to help him, so Chameleon decided he would deal with the situation himself.
Chameleon worked out a plan! He dug a very deep hole and covered the entrance leaving only a little opening for a door. Then he went out to catch flies. He caught hundreds and hundreds of flies and tied them to dried vines. He then wove the vines together very neatly and made an interesting and impressive cloak which shimmered in the sunlight and glowed in the moonlight. Chameleon paraded this glamorous cloak around the village. The cloak, of course, caught the eye of Anansi, who was instantly very jealous. He desperately wanted the fabulous cloak.
The Deal with Anansi the Trickster
This was all part of Chameleon’s plan. He agreed to sell the cloak to Anansi in exchange for a store full of grain. The deal was agreed because Anansi has seen the storeroom and thought it was a fair deal for the remarkable cloak. Anansi rounded up his sons and they all started to pour grain through the hole into Chameleon’s storeroom. The sons poured and poured and poured. The hours became days, and the days became weeks, but still the store was not full. Eventually Anansi had no food left at all.
The villagers had heard about this event and had all gathered around to watch. The village crowd were all eager to see how Chameleon would manage in a deal with Anansi. Slowly, they started to realise what had happened, and that Anansi has been tricked. They started to laugh and laugh because the trickster had been tricked!
Anansi the trickster was humiliated. Chameleon had outsmarted him and he knew he did not have the courage to face the villagers again.
Since that day, the spider has hidden in the corners of the house, where no one can see his embarrassment.
Did you know coffee came from Africa?
