Robert Nassau spent four decades as a medical missionary in Africa, arriving at Corisco Island, now part of Equatorial Guinea, in 1861; he also worked in the regions now known as Gabon and Cameroon. This book contains 61 folktales (some in multiple versions) that Nassau collected during his career in Africa: 16 stories from Mpongwe storytellers in Gabon, 34 stories from Benga storytellers in Equatorial Guinea, and 11 stories from Fang storytellers in Cameroon, all of which Nassau translated into English. For each story there is a list of the cast of animal characters, which provides the Mpongwe, Benga, and Fang names for each animal character. (Summary by Laura Gibbs)
Chapters
1 Preface 7 min 2 Mpongwe Tale 1. Do Not Trust your Friend 14 min 3 Mpongwe Tale 2. Leopard's Hunting-Camp 19 min 4 Mpongwe Tale 3. Tests of Death (version 1) 3 min 5 Mpongwe Tale 3. Tests of Death (version 2) 8 min 6 Mpongwe Tale 4. Tasks Done for a Wife 18 min 7 Mpongwe Tale 5. A Tug-of-War 11 min 8 Mpongwe Tale 6. Agenda: Rat's Play on a Name 17 min 9 Mpongwe Tale 7. Nuts are Eaten Because of Angangwe 10 min 10 Mpongwe Tale 8. Who Are Crocodile's Relatives? 3 min 11 Mpongwe Tale 9. Who Is King of Birds? 9 min 12 Mpongwe Tale 10. Njiwo Died of Sleep 4 min 13 Mpongwe Tale 11. Which is the Fattest: Manatus, Hog, or Oyster? 6 min 14 Mpongwe Tale 12. Why Mosquitoes Buzz 2 min 15 Mpongwe Tale 13. Unkind Criticism 4 min 16 Mpongwe Tale 14. The Suitors of Princess Gorilla 8 min 17 Mpongwe Tale 15. Leopard of the Fine Skin 22 min 18 Mpongwe Tale 16. Why the Plantain-Stalk Bears But One Bunch 5 min 19 Benga Tale 1. Swine Talking 3 min 20 Benga Tale 2. Crocodile 2 min 21 Benga Tale 3. Origin of the Elephant 5 min 22 Benga Tale 4. Leopard's Marriage Journey 27 min 23 Benga Tale 5. Tortoise in a Race 8 min 24 Benga Tale 6. Goat's Tournament 3 min 25 Benga Tale 7. Why Goats Became Domestic 7 min 26 Benga Tale 8. Iguana's Forked Tongue 8 min 27 Benga Tale 9. What Caused their Deaths? 6 min 28 Benga Tale 10. A Quarrel about Seniority 10 min 29 Benga Tale 11. The Magic Drum 20 min 30 Benga Tale 12. The Lies of Tortoise 13 min 31 Benga Tale 13. Death Begins by Some One Person 6 min 32 Benga Tale 14. Tortoise and the Bojabi Tree 12 min 33 Benga Tale 15. The Suitors of Njambo's Daughter 14 min 34 Benga Tale 16. Tortoise, Dog, Leopard, and the Njabi Fruit 13 min 35 Benga Tale 17. A Journey for Salt 10 min 36 Benga Tale 18. A Plea for Mercy 9 min 37 Benga Tale 19. The Deceptions of Tortoise 14 min 38 Benga Tale 20. Leopard's Hunting Companions 10 min 39 Benga Tale 21. Is the Bat a Bird or a Beast? 6 min 40 Benga Tale 22. Dog and his Human Speech (version 1) 8 min 41 Benga Tale 22. Dog and his Human Speech (version 2) 12 min 42 Benga Tale 23. The Savior of the Animals 9 min 43 Benga Tale 24. Origin of the Ivory Trade (version 1) 18 min 44 Benga Tale 24. Origin of the Ivory Trade (version 2) 13 min 45 Benga Tale 25. Dog and His False Friend Leopard 7 min 46 Benga Tale 26. A Trick for Vengeance 7 min 47 Benga Tale 27. Not My Fault! 2 min 48 Benga Tale 28. Do Not Impose on the Weak 5 min 49 Benga Tale 29. Borrowed Clothes 2 min 50 Benga Tale 30. The Story of a Panic 4 min 51 Benga Tale 31. A Family Quarrel 2 min 52 Benga Tale 32. The Giant Goat 12 min 53 Benga Tale 33. The Fights of Mbuma-Tyetye 45 min 54 Benga Tale 34. A Snake's Skin Looks Like a Snake 10 min 55 Fang Tale 1. Candor 4 min 56 Fang Tale 2. Which is the Better Hunter, an Eagle or a Leopard? 1 min 57 Fang Tale 3. A Lesson in Evolution 2 min 58 Fang Tale 4. Parrot Standing on One Leg 4 min 59 Fang Tale 5. A Question of Right of Inheritance 2 min 60 Fang Tale 6. Tortoise Covers His Ignorance 2 min 61 Fang Tale 7. A Question as to Age 3 min 62 Fang Tale 8. Abundance 3 min 63 Fang Tale 9. An Oath: With a Mental Reservation 4 min 64 Fang Tale 10. The Treachery of Tortoise 4 min 65 Fang Tale 11. A Chain of Circumstances 5 min
