Br'er Rabbit In African American Folklore

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In African American Folklore Br'er Rabbit is one of the more well known characters. Some were introduced to him in the Uncle Remus stories. His character in folklore is known as the trickster. They can take on the form of a god,goddess, or an animal. Ordinarily they will play a trick or disobey normal rules and norms of behavior. Cunning and wit is one of their trademarks.

Southern Beginnings

American Stories

The stories of Br'er Rabbit were known to slaves in the Us. Later a journalist from Georgia named James Chandler Harris collected these stories told from the oral tradition and put them in book form. He used the dialect spoken at the time. This was post Civil War when it was printed. And the stories told idealized a time that was gone but still yearned for by white southerners. His book has become a part of African American Folklore. To this day his retelling of the stories still bring up fascinating deliberate upon depending on how one looks at it.

How to Br'er Rabbit In African American Folklore

African Connection

Anansi is the name of a trickster whose stories are told in West Africa. There he took on the form of a spider and there are many stories of him playing tricks on others. Those stories are understanding to originate with the Ashanti tribe in Ghana.

Native American Origins

Rabbit/Hare myths were long known to Native Americans in North America and parts of Canada. Primarily the Algonquin tribe with the Great Hare story. Apparently most of the rabbit stories come from Cherokee folklore. No doubt Cherokee Indians and African slaves came into contact. In many cases intermarried. One can see how the Rabbit folklore stories would morph into Br'er rabbit.

What The Slaves Did with Br'er Rabbit

While Br'er Rabbit played the trickster in African American Folklore he also meant other things. In a sense he represented slaves who used wit to overcome obstacles and adversaries (white slave owners). Not all the time victorious but he was a folk hero.

Br'er Rabbit In African American Folklore

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