African Oral Tradition

Literary Terms and vocabulary:

1. Praise songhymn to the gods
2. Proverba short saying expressing a common truth or expression about humanity
3. Ritual dramareligious rituals giving praise or thanks to the gods
4. Pastoral poetrypoetry that depicts rustic life in idyllic (nostalgic/whimsical) terms
5. Lyrical poetrysonglike poetry focused on expressing private emotions or thoughts
6. Oratureoral literature
7. Griota keeper of oral literature and cultural histories; professional storyteller; living library
8. Polytheismworship of many gods
9. Monotheismworship of one god
10.
Epithetan adjective or descriptive phrase regularly used to describe a person, place or thing
11.
Apostrophea figure of speech in which a dead/absent person (deity) or an abstract idea is addressed as
though they are present and could respond
12.
Parallelismrepetition of words or phrases that have the same grammatical structure/pattern
13.
Cradle songa song of praise to a newborn baby
14.
Dilemma or enigma talea type of moral tale that does not have a resolution but rather poses a question
to the reader
15.
Call and response oral structure in which a leader calls out a line or phrase and the audience responds

African Literature Background notes pp 64-71

Lower class (peasants, workers, slaves)

3500 BC1000 BC
E g y p tia n
K in g d o m
O ld
K in g d o m
2 7 0 0 -2200BC &
th e g re a t
p y ra m id s
M id d le
K in g d o m
22001800 BC
ex p a n sio n
of pow er
and
econom y
New
K in g d o m
16001000 BC
peak of
p o litic a l
pow er

1000 BC
Fa ll o f
E g y p tia
n
E m p ire
and
R is e o f
Ku s h ite
K in g d o
m
M oses
le a d s
Je w s o u t
of Egypt

400 AD
Ro m a n
E m p ire
ex p a n d
s in to
Afric a n
and
b rin g s
C h ristia
n ity

700 AD
rise o f
Isla m a n d
in tro d u c tio
n o f A ra b ic
la n g u a g e

1 8 0 0 's
-E u ro p e a
n
c o lo n ia lis
m
--d iv is io n
of
A frica n
e m p ire s
and
te rrito rie
s in to
c o u n try
s ta te s/
p o litic a l
b o rd e rs

1 9 0 0 's
--p u sh
to w a rd s
in d e p e n d
e ce
--re b irth
of
tra d itio n a
l c u ltu re s
--c re a tio n
o f Afric a n
L it
w ritte n in
A frica n
la n g u a g e
s

Background notes continued

Pharaoh (Horus--Son of Osiris)political and
spiritual leader
Priests/Scribes
Upper Class (merchants, doctors, lawyers)
Lower class (peasants, workers, slaves)

Notes continued
Egyptian writings (on papyrus) included:

Book of the Dead (instructional guide to the afterlifespells for protection, burial rites, etc)
Praise songs or hymns
Sacred or ritual dramas
Pastoral poetry

As Egyptian Empire wanes, Africa experiences the rise of 7 other Kingdoms and Empires leading to a Golden Age:

Sculpture, textile weaving, metalwork

Music and dance
Oral literatureGRIOTSkeepers of the cultural literature and historylike living libraries
o Oral literature included praise poems, lyrical love poems, cradle songs, enigma or dilemma tales, ritual
dramas, proverbs, fables, and epics

Texts Covered:

The Great Hymn to Aten pp 73-76

o Annotate for apostrophes and epithets
o Answer Identifying Facts pg 77

Thebes became the capitol of Egypt and all Egyptians worshipped Amen as a show of allegiance
Amen was city god of Thebes
In this hymn, the ruler (Akhenaten aka Amenhotep IV) praises Aten, the Sun God, showing a break from the worship of
Amen and other gods. He declares Aten as the one true God. THUSEGYPT IS INTRODUCED TO MONOTHEISM
(however, once the pharaoh dies, the people revert back to their old forms of worship)

Lower class (peasants, workers, slaves)

New Kingdom Love Lyrics pp 81-82

o Answer Critical Writing Response (comparison to Emily Dickinson)

Lyrics do not tell a story but rather convey an emotionusually deeply personal
Difference between writer and speaker
Lyrics are meant to be sung
Vocabulary suggests the poets were highly skilled and well educatedprobably wealthy males of the pharaohs court

Song of a Mother to Her Firstborn pp 88-92

o Annotate for figurative language (metaphors and similes)
o Answer Interpretive Meanings pg 93

Delivered as a chant and often performed during a naming ritual after birth of a baby
Contains gender roles
--males are to be strong, fertile warriors and male babies are preferred because they preserve and continue the
fathers legacy
-- women are only truly happy and complete if and when they become mothersa childless woman is thought to be
worthless

Wondrous Powers: Mirrors, Sandals and a Medicine Bag/ The Five Helpers pp 94-96
o Answer Interpretive Meanings pg 97

Dilemma tales ask audience to think about right and wrong and how to best live in society
Dilemma tales are meant to be interactivethe require audience participation in the form of answers (storyteller poses
a question, audience answers)

Lower class (peasants, workers, slaves)