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Fulani tales featuring trickster
hares are popular throughout
West Africa. To survive in the
Sahel, the hare thinks like a
human. He relies on his cunning
and speed to outwit larger and
more stupid animals. Sometimes
his practical jokes lead to harsh
punishment, sometimes not.
Transported to the U.S. by slaves,
these stories provided the
foundation for the Brer Rabbit
and Uncle Remus yarns.
nce upon a time, animals tended farms like humans. They
harvested grain and stored it in huts. One year, after safely storing
their grain, the animals set out to graze their cattle during the dry
season. Hare pretended to leave, too. But, instead, he returned to
the grain huts and ate his fill. By the time the other animals returned,
there was no grain left. Hyena suggested that they use the moon to
show them the culprit. It is well known that the moon sees everything,
so the animal on which the moon first shined would be guilty. That
night, Hare said he was suffering from aching muscles and asked Squirrel
to sleep next to him to turn him over. He was, of course, worried that
the moon would shine on him first. So he lay awake, watching for its
beams. The moon did, in fact, shine on Hare, but he got up and
walked away, so that only Squirrel lay in its light. Then, stretching
and yawning, he pointed to Squirrel. “There’s your culprit!,” he
shouted. And the other animals pounced on Squirrel and tore him to
shreds.
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