On the Origin of Things: Some Nzema Versions (Ghana)

This paper reproduces five tales of origin from the Nzema of Ghana. The first four tales (‘Why monkey has small fingers’, ‘Why lizard nods’, ‘How the Asonwu people were discovered’, and ‘How wisdom came to the world’) reflect the traditional spirit and style common to most African fables. The fifth story is different: reported by a fully educated informant, it claims to explain the origin of a significant local custom – compulsory infanticide – in terms of allegedly historical facts. Bibliogr.