African American Folklore

You should see this book as a celebration of the resilience, creativity, and wisdom of Black people and their ancestors, and a reminder of the importance of preserving and sharing these stories for generations to come. Whether you're looking for tales of adventure, humor, or wisdom, this has something for everyone. This book is a timeless and inspiring tribute to the enduring power of Black storytelling.

“The People Could Fly,” the title story in Virginia Hamilton’s prize-winning American Black folktale collection, is a fantasy tale of the slaves who possessed the ancient magic words that enabled them to literally fly away to freedom. And it is a moving tale of those who did not have the opportunity to “fly” away, who remained slaves with only their imaginations to set them free as they told and retold this tale.

Rediscover the "most important book on black-white relationships" in America in this special 50th anniversary edition.

The fossil record confirms that humanity originated in Africa. Yet somehow we have overlooked that Africa is also at the root of all that makes us human - our spirituality, civilization, arts, sciences, philosophy, and our conscious and unconscious minds.

In this ingenious, sweeping novel, Phillip B. Williams introduces us to an enigmatic woman named Saint, a fearsome conjurer who, in the 1830s, annihilates plantations all over Arkansas to rescue the people enslaved there. She brings those she has freed to a haven of her own creation: a town just north of St. Louis, magically concealed from outsiders, named Ours. It is in this miraculous place that Saint’s grand experiment—a truly secluded community where her people may flourish—takes root.

Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African-American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s "lost" Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales.

Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s. The bittersweet and often hilarious tale, which range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, white folk, and mistaken identity to witty one-liners, reveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community.

In this book, Katrina Hazzard-Donald explores African Americans' experience and practice of the herbal, healing folk belief tradition known as Hoodoo. Working against conventional scholarship, Hazzard-Donald argues that Hoodoo emerged first in three distinct regions she calls "regional Hoodoo clusters" and that after the turn of the 19th century, Hoodoo took on a national rather than regional profile.

African American Magick infuses ancient techniques, rituals, and methods from around the world to use each season's inherent energies to supplement the health and well-being of body, mind, and soul.

The story tells of the making of the very first ball of fire. Trinidad wavers between the British and the French and SouCou is a slave, stolen from her beloved homeland. Born a Sharman in Africa she is a prized possession because of her talents, she finds love then heart break but through it all she wants her daughter to be free. She refuses to believe that her new owner Governor Yant will keep any of his promises and instead bargains with the God of Fire, Shango to grant her, her heart’s desire in exchange for her very soul ... but SouCou’s rage is so powerful that she does not die, ...

The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. The embrace of Christianity and Islam, even today, is not necessarily to the exclusion of ancestral spirits, nor the essentials of witchcraft and sorcery. The precarious security of albino people in east and central Africa, whose body parts are sought after in traditional “medicine,” is testimony to the fact that these superstitions are alive and well.

A mix of memoir, spiritual teachings, and practices from Afro American traditions, Jambalaya offers a fascinating introduction to the world of nature-based spirituality, goddess worship, and rituals from the African diaspora. More relevant today than it was 36 years ago, the wisdom of Jambalaya reconnects us to the natural and spiritual world, and the centuries-old traditions of African ancestors, whose voices echo through time, guiding us and blending with our own.

Embark on an enchanting journey into the world of Mythical Hummingbirds, a fascinating new eBook that reveals the wonders of these mesmerizing creatures! Dazzling in color and captivating in flight, hummingbirds have been a source of intrigue and inspiration for centuries. Now, for the first time ever, a captivating eBook explores the countless tales, legends, and myths woven around these magical, nectar-sipping birds. Imagine delving into the rich tapestry of Mesoamerican, South American, and Caribbean folklore, learning about the legendary Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, and ...

THE HIGH HEIR IS FOUND... But is she fit to rule? Grief stricken, suffering from shock, her power at half-strength, the Heir must return home to all the political intrigue that awaits her which is as dangerous as the rigors of the wilds. THE ENEMIES ARE MIGHTY... Mightier than any had thought, creatures of legend that are said to rival the power of the Goddesses Themselves. HER HEART’S OTHER IS CAPTURED... And as much a source of strength, he is also a point of weakness, a way of access to the High Heir from the back end of her soul. And someone has him, and has the will and viciousness ...

Book Four of the Ava'Lonan Herstories (An Illustrated Novel) The High Heir is home... In T’Av’li, the Palace in the center of the Ritious City. She has left the dangers of the wilds behind, but now faces the dangers of civilization – politics, Trade, and the struggle for Power. The Question remains... Is she worthy to rule? Have the Goddesses turned from her for what she has done? And does she have the strength and support to answer the challenge against her? Her Heart’s Other is captured... But is he truly caught? Does he have the power to free himself from the evil that holds him?...

Book Five of the Ava'Lonan Herstories (An Illustrated Novel) The Tides were Turning... But in whose favor, the evil or the Ritious? With undiscovered enemies hidden and plotting against her and her Jur’Av’chi’n grievously wounded, Jeliya must juggle love, family and duty, all with equal devotion. All at odds, the three most important things in her life should have been one and the same, but stubbornly remained three. The Times were Turning... Before their very eyes, despite all that the High Family have suffered and struggled to bring about. Prophecy was becoming reality, and with all...

An Illustrated Science Fantasy Novel THE WORLD WAS DIVIDED... Literally. A wall of light shielded one half of the world of Alona from the threat of the other half, protecting a civilization that was over five thousand years old. THE MAGIC WAS DIVIDED... And made stronger by that division. Within the shield of light, the magics of light and air grew stronger than the magics of water and earth. And women, the wielders of these magics, came into power. Theirs was the Age of Light. THE SHIELD IS DYING... And the threat that has been held at bay for five thousand years looms over the land of ...

Book Two of the Ava'Lonan Herstories (An Illustrated Novel) The world was divided... As were the magics of Light, Air, Water and Earth. Light and Air were the magics of women, and women ruled Ava'Lona, Queens of their Tribes. And all Tribes were ruled by the High Queen. The race was on... To find the Heir to the High Throne before enemies of the Realm of Ava’Lona capture her, to further their own ends. Hunters, on two legs and four, hound not just the Heir, but her rescuers as well. The pace was grueling... No place was safe, no rest was to be had on the bare plains or in the wild jungles...

A northern white couple has relocated to the South to operate a vineyard on a North Carolina plantation. There, they pass their idle hours listening to the stories of one Uncle Julius, who has a deep knowledge of the land. These stories, however, are more than mere entertainments. They all have their time and place, and they offer not only a quiet commentary on the events of the day but also a deeper reckoning with the plantation’s disturbing past.

When Funke’s mother dies in a tragic accident in Lagos, she’s sent to live with her maternal family in England. Traumatised by grief and against a backdrop of condescension and mild neglect, conformist Funke strives to fit in, determined to become one of them. Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family, resolved to be nothing like them. Fiercely protective of Funke, she at last has a purpose. And an ally. The two cousins give each other what they need most: love. But the past casts long shadows and the choices made by their mothers haunt Funke and Liv.