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Indaba, My Children: African Folktales

Indaba, My Children: African Folktales

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-03 05:52:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa
  • ISBN：0802136044
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Summary

A definitive compendium of African myth and folktale， retold in rich， vibrant prose， Indaba， My Children is a stunning literary and ethnographic achievement。

As a young man， Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa， a Zulu from the South African province of Natal， was determined to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and become a tribal historian in order to keep the rich oral tradition of his culture alive。 In this book， begun in response to the injustices against Africans and their culture， he sets these legends down in writing。 He begins with the creation myth， when Ninavanhu-Ma， the Great Mother， created the human race。 From there， an epic unfolds， an intricate and vivid cultural tapestry populated by gods and mortals， cattle herders and supreme kings， witch doctors， lovers， grave diggers， warriors， and handmaidens。 The story continues all the way up to the colonial era， when a Portuguese Kapitanoh and his crew arrive on the African shore。 Indaba， My Children is a classic and indispensable resource for anyone interested in the cultural life of Africa and the human experience as it is filtered into myth。

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Reviews

Celadon Phoenix ，

Over the months I read this， my journey was tsuris。 Fairly consistently my opinion changed every time I sat and read。 No matter what the subject， I always look for multiple perspectives from a range of people。 Part of why I had such a hard time figuring out whether I liked Indaba， My Children or not was because I have never read a book about African culture in this depth and specificity。 I am at a loss for finding future literature。 tIn the introduction Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa writes that he crea Over the months I read this， my journey was tsuris。 Fairly consistently my opinion changed every time I sat and read。 No matter what the subject， I always look for multiple perspectives from a range of people。 Part of why I had such a hard time figuring out whether I liked Indaba， My Children or not was because I have never read a book about African culture in this depth and specificity。 I am at a loss for finding future literature。 tIn the introduction Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa writes that he created Indaba， My Children to help outsiders understand the beliefs of Africans。 And how many violent disputes of the time come from ignorance and cultural difference and proceeds to refer to the stereotypes both peoples hold against one another。 tThe biggest issue I had was the author firmly stating that something he’s saying encapsulates the entirety of Africa。 It would have elevated the book if he confined his assertion to a smaller group with more specificity， or depicted conversations with other witch doctors to contrast。 Africa is a hugely diverse place and I simply wanted that to be acknowledged instead of making a huge blanket statement that couldn’t possibly apply to every group of people。 tI also had a problem with constantly saying that everything written is a fact。 That is simply not possible， this goes unrecognized throughout the book until page 640。 “The Bantu attach great importance to their history and we make every effort to pass the details from father to son in perfect accuracy; it is a tradition with us。 We are fully conscious of the fact that stories thus passed down are subject to omissions， alterations or exaggerations， and we take every possible precaution to prevent this happening。” It was quite frustrating to only have this recognized after hundreds of pages。 tFor a book published in 1970， it is bursting with myths and history。 From the origin stories starting with Ninavanhu-Ma and the Tree of Life to Amarava and Odu， and continuing to follow their descendants who gradually migrate to land past the Zambezi river。 We meet iconic characters–Marimba， Lumukanda， Malandela， and Vamba Nyaloti are some of my favorites， because of their larger-than-life personalities。 tI would read this if you want to have an impression of the culture and traditions of the Bantu people。 Dated as it may be， there is no doubt the author is extremely knowledgeable and has made a book rich with the beauty and tales of his people。 It is a testament to writing and literature。 I wish that there were more books like this one。 It was written in 1970， we need another， it has been a while。 。。。more

Mark ，

Magnificent storytelling by the Zulu master。 A must read for anyone remotely interested in history or mythology。 When you finish this book， you will reconsider most of recorded human history， especially that of African cultures， which were wildly misinterpreted by the European colonialists。 One of the most important parts of the book says that the Phoenicians had an empire in Southern Africa。 The Phoenicians enslaved the Bantu and local populations and exported ivory， gold and slaves。 The author Magnificent storytelling by the Zulu master。 A must read for anyone remotely interested in history or mythology。 When you finish this book， you will reconsider most of recorded human history， especially that of African cultures， which were wildly misinterpreted by the European colonialists。 One of the most important parts of the book says that the Phoenicians had an empire in Southern Africa。 The Phoenicians enslaved the Bantu and local populations and exported ivory， gold and slaves。 The author claims that this event is corroborated by bushman cave paintings， oral history and iron and brass weapons that date from this era （the Bantu only had a knowledge of copper at that time。） These iron and brass weapons were the most cherished items handed down by generations of Zulu shamans。 History and mythology aside， this book contains a lot about human life， culture， good and evil。 Mutwa reveals many secrets he swore he would never reveal。 You will have your mind blown。 。。。more

Kiran Bhat ，

A seminal collection of mythological tales and historical foundational narratives from Southern Africa。 This is a must read for someone who wants to study this part of the world。

Drew march ，

Nice

Arnold Thabiso ，

The blood of those appointed and annointed by Yeshua。

Themba Mayor ，

One painful things that the publishers did to the great man of God， was to rob him of his royalties。 I watched one of his documentaries where he said Publishers made sure he can't write anymore。 Making somebody write and rob him his pay， then the torture that was done to him when they took his sacred chain。 Those are stories that need to be told。 Ubaba obeqotho， eboniswa futhi emela iqiniso 。 One painful things that the publishers did to the great man of God， was to rob him of his royalties。 I watched one of his documentaries where he said Publishers made sure he can't write anymore。 Making somebody write and rob him his pay， then the torture that was done to him when they took his sacred chain。 Those are stories that need to be told。 Ubaba obeqotho， eboniswa futhi emela iqiniso 。 。。。more

Zinhle Ngidi ，

It has taken me almost a year to read this book。 Almost 700 pages with the smallest font ever。 Well， I could have read it in less than a month but this book is unique。 Sometimes what umkhulu wrote about will shock you to an extent of closing the book and think deeply as some of the stories are hard to believe。 Not that he is lying but because our history is too rich and unfortunately we know nothing about ourselves。 Sometimes I would dream of after some chapters of the book， that is how deep som It has taken me almost a year to read this book。 Almost 700 pages with the smallest font ever。 Well， I could have read it in less than a month but this book is unique。 Sometimes what umkhulu wrote about will shock you to an extent of closing the book and think deeply as some of the stories are hard to believe。 Not that he is lying but because our history is too rich and unfortunately we know nothing about ourselves。 Sometimes I would dream of after some chapters of the book， that is how deep some stories are。 He is not just sharing about South Africa but the whole of the African continent。It is sad that some things that the world has shared or that the world knows are not true。 He shares stories of our origin， origin of our languages， our cultures and many more which is what the world should know about us than what they know now。 When I was reading this book， I realised the similarities between what God had intended for us and what we were in the olden days。 That is， to rule over everything in this world。 We had powers to rule over animals and anything given to us by mother nature。 All we had to do was to respect her， follow the rules and we would have lived happily ever after。 But ke Umona is from kudala。Even with the arrival of whites， the first loophole they saw， was our hunger for power。 They gave us guns to kill each other and the rest is history。There's no better review for this book except that one must get it and keep it。 Use it as and when you need to confirm， argue and or as reference about your roots。 If you want to know why certain things， customs， culture， behavior etc are the way they are， get this Bible。 Very informative and useful。 I really wish the book can be introduced in schools just for our kids to know where they come from。 The educators can select relevant stories for kids to read not the whole 700 pages ngoba Ave zivilapha lezingane no Thisha bazo😂Rest in power Mkhulu。 You left us rich with such information。 Onezindlebe uzwile kanti nonamehlo ufundile。 。。。more

Tanja Nayak ，

Stories are usually passed on by word of mouth in African culture。 The men in the group would gather together and have what is called an "indaba，" or discussion。 Sometimes they might consult the wise old woman in the tribe， the "sangoma" for advice。 There usually also is a wise old man， or "inyanga" in the tribe。 Credo Mutwa was one such person。 The wise old men and women in the tribe are responsible for passing on the tribe's stories and history to the next generation。 They are also regarded as Stories are usually passed on by word of mouth in African culture。 The men in the group would gather together and have what is called an "indaba，" or discussion。 Sometimes they might consult the wise old woman in the tribe， the "sangoma" for advice。 There usually also is a wise old man， or "inyanga" in the tribe。 Credo Mutwa was one such person。 The wise old men and women in the tribe are responsible for passing on the tribe's stories and history to the next generation。 They are also regarded as soothsayers who people consult for advice and in such circumstances they will throw ox bones on the ground for the purpose of divination。 They are also well versed in herbal medicine and are skilled healers who use indigenous plants and herbs for healing purposes。 One such herb is imphepho which is the equivalent of sage which is burned to purify the air。 Buchu is another herb which is commonly used that has medicinal properties as an anti-inflammatory and diuretic。 The herbal medicine is referred to as "muti。" Many people in Africa still consult traditional healers， as well as modern doctors today。 Avoid those who use animal products and report them to the South African Police， if necessary if they are poachers。The history of the Bantu and Zulu people was passed down to Credo by this father。 He decided to break with tradition a bit and write the stories of his people down to be preserved for future generations as he was afraid the stories would otherwise be lost。The first part of book one sees the birth of Africa's first people from southwestern Africa and the second part sees the birth of the second legendary group in central Africa。 In the same way that people in the tribe consult a wise man and a wise woman， the Creator is believed to be both masculine and feminine in character。 The Great Mother/Goddess created everything at the bidding of the Great Spirit/God （God Almighty） in Zulu tradition。 I particularly enjoyed the story of the "Tree of Life。"Some of the stories are written as prose， and some as fantasy-like stories。 Some of the stories are sad， like how people were captured and then enslaved to extract gold from the earth。 The stories have their fair share of legendary heroes and strong female protagonists， both good and evil。I have read the book twice and always learn something new about Africa and this history of its people。 It is a fascinating and entertaining read and a must-read for anyone interested in African history and culture。 Would recommend。 。。。more

Mitch ，

I don't have a category that fits this particular book， nor does the rating system do it justice。 This much is certain， however: it is a lengthy book intended for a specialist audience for several reasons。It opens with a section containing origin mythology， and I found that to be quite interesting and high quality。It took a step downward from there， in my opinion， because it then went into a full length novel's worth of dynastic struggles during which there were frequent accounts of cruelty and I don't have a category that fits this particular book， nor does the rating system do it justice。 This much is certain， however: it is a lengthy book intended for a specialist audience for several reasons。It opens with a section containing origin mythology， and I found that to be quite interesting and high quality。It took a step downward from there， in my opinion， because it then went into a full length novel's worth of dynastic struggles during which there were frequent accounts of cruelty and violence。After this there followed a jittery account that jumped from recitation of Bantu laws/customs to first person stories to third person accounts of events and on to Bantu message sticks， etc。， without the benefit of intermediary transitions。The author's purpose for writing the book was to help people understand better the mentality and ways of some Africans who had for years not talked to strangers about their customs， values and beliefs。 He felt this necessary because outsiders were dictating disasterous policies on cultures they had no understanding or appreciation for。There's no doubt this was true and still remains true to a lesser extent today。However， the author also made a number of dubious claims that to me undermined his overall credibility。 He himself acknowledged that these were things he simply believed to be true and didn't need evidence for， so he lost me there。Additionally， he obviously wants you to appreciate his culture and accommodate it， but tells you things like this: if a man is murdered， it is necessary for his relatives to return that favor on the murderer or his family even if it takes generations。 This means someone who isn't even born yet may be called upon to kill another person they do not know to avenge a wrong done between two people who are both long dead。The author acknowledges some cultural aspects are negative， but there isn't s suggestion about what to do about them。Hopefully from this brief and inadequate review you can at least take away an understanding of the limited audience this book would appeal to。 It was interesting， but long and involved。 。。。more

Elan ，

This is not a fairy tale。 This is African mythology。 It is gritty， fantastical， violent， graphic and wonderful tales that gripped me from the start to the end。 An oral tradition written down by Credo Mutwa with a clean note - this story needs to evolve。A terrific read for anyone with Africa in their blood。

Puleng Hopper ，

Sage， author， story teller， sculptor， seer， academic， politician and traditional healer ， ntate Vusamazulu Mutwa was a phenomenal selfless being。 A priceless gift to Africa。 He was like Google on two legs。An honorary doctorate of sorts would have been befitting for him。 But， alas， we， we are in the habit of singing our hero's praises late， or after they have passed away。His immense contribution to the preservation of African indeginous knowledge via books， sculptures， paintings and word of mouth Sage， author， story teller， sculptor， seer， academic， politician and traditional healer ， ntate Vusamazulu Mutwa was a phenomenal selfless being。 A priceless gift to Africa。 He was like Google on two legs。An honorary doctorate of sorts would have been befitting for him。 But， alas， we， we are in the habit of singing our hero's praises late， or after they have passed away。His immense contribution to the preservation of African indeginous knowledge via books， sculptures， paintings and word of mouth was invaluable。I am happy to have made Indaba My Children my lock down read， and have managed to finish and to make sense of the 696 pager。 In his debut book， ntate Mutwa documented Black life and existence in pre colonial and the early colonial era 。It is a lyrical， informative and well penned offering of， poems， legends， reflections， and documentation of actual historical events。 He covers abantu's child bearing and rearing， marriage。 medicine， education， justice， land， food， animals， and customs。He helps contextualize the meaning of words like savage， civilization， heathen， witchcraft and primitive。A necessary body of work which affirms Black greatness， resourcefulness， wisdom and resilience。 A testimony that Black people were pathfinders in many fields before Africa was colonised Misrepresentation of Black history by non Black historians and， the African belief of keeping knowledge and information a secret， to be divulged only to the Chosen Ones， motivated ntate Mutwa to write， to reveal all， to educate and to prevent erasure。 。 He draws extensively from his world travels， lived experience， African mythology， Christian and African religions。 A book that reflects whom Blacks are， roots and origin。 A coping mechanism as we manage the duality and double standard that has become our current existence。 Furthermore， it is a reminder that African religion is not witchcraft。 。。。more

Wilhelm Weber ，

This is one of a kind。 Very special book。 Baba Mutwa is an extraordinary person with a unique story from days and ages long gone。 He´s obviously a story-telling person – orally around the fire to a captive audience。 Yet， he´s mastered the writing part too – and in a foreign language and in long chapters and many books of note。 Obviously， this guy should have worked as professor at some university in Africa – and had the brightest of today’s leaders in his class - working on those old stories as This is one of a kind。 Very special book。 Baba Mutwa is an extraordinary person with a unique story from days and ages long gone。 He´s obviously a story-telling person – orally around the fire to a captive audience。 Yet， he´s mastered the writing part too – and in a foreign language and in long chapters and many books of note。 Obviously， this guy should have worked as professor at some university in Africa – and had the brightest of today’s leaders in his class - working on those old stories as they enfold in our time。 But who knows， why Jeremiah was in the cesspit and not in some classroom？ Doesn´t make sense， but that´s how things are。 He has some wonderful thoughts about language， about interculturality and stuff as far apart as Latin and Zulu， Australia， Japan and the San of the Kalahari 。。。 Many of his stories deserve to be challenged。 I´m not the one to do that， but I´m sure that some wise people from up closer to the Equator would have something to say of those ancient myths concerning the origins of mankind， the various creation reports and the many histories that evolved not only on the African continent but beyond: Sudan， Congo and the Ethiopia features prominently besides those Arabs， Portuguese and other seafaring folk。 Zimbabwe is closer to home， but still way outside my scope。 Still， the old sage has deep tales and heart wrenching lore to proclaim about sacred places， holy rites and lost temples and sanctuaries。 Stories of curses and long-lasting hatreds and revenges， because as the good Lord says: Your either for or against us！ There´s no middle way… The South Africa tales of yesteryear are news to me。 A different perspective than those I had picked up before。 Piet Retief as jovial Afrikaaner and respected partner。 Not much animosity there， rather stories of deceit through sly Englishmen spying alongside and on their own and for their own hidden motives。 Characterizations of the old kings as cruel and vengeful or just cowardly afraid。 Interesting views。 Would need some discussion with people， who know more。 Testing， telling， evaluation – at best with teachers， historians and sages of the amaZulu in kwaZulu and missionaries too， plus those sangomas of the old ways – if they´re still around – and not just fallen into the commercialized trap – something of a parody of secular pastors… His biography is long， sad and sometimes outright cruel and always unforgiving， but never sentimental。 He talks without vengeance， but rather matter-of-factly。 It takes him not just into the insides of catholic missions as choir boy and prospective priest， but also into subsequent training， initiation and induction into the other ways of Zulu wizardry and sorcery。 This succession and history make for some serious reading。 Unique and spellbinding。 I would put it on the reading list for aspiring pastors in SA any day， but also onto that of any child going through the senior levels of schooling。 It´s an eyeopener to the intrinsic ways of the Zulu first， but also that of the Bantu and Africans as a whole。 Thinking about this book， would help understanding the other。 I look forward to a chance to hear more about this book and discuss it with those， who would like to know Africa a bit better。 This is a wonderful eye-opener to the stars and to the realms below – like the old translation of the 1st commandment read: “up in heaven， down on earth and that which lives in the water under the ground。” Tolle lege！ 。。。more

Nqobile ，

I'm just lost for words 😭😭😭🕯️ I'm just lost for words 😭😭😭🕯️ 。。。more

Sisipho Bunyonyo ，

African mythology， poems， history， beautiful stories， a fresh outlook of what it means to be African and very educational。

Vaal Spani ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Amazing

Gugu Ntsobe ，

WOW！ Bab' Credo Mutwa， what a book。 this is such an amazing read， I started the book last year only to finish it this year！ this book has got amazing insights on African history very intriguing and quite scary。 I really enjoyed it and it made me want to know more about Black people's history who we are and where we really come from because from the book i learnt that we where a great people and we are made of a Powerful Beautiful People。 I am In-love！！ WOW！ Bab' Credo Mutwa， what a book。 this is such an amazing read， I started the book last year only to finish it this year！ this book has got amazing insights on African history very intriguing and quite scary。 I really enjoyed it and it made me want to know more about Black people's history who we are and where we really come from because from the book i learnt that we where a great people and we are made of a Powerful Beautiful People。 I am In-love！！ 。。。more

Apiwe ，

A children's book sort of like Lord of the rings you'd imagine but close to history not accurate but of the few close to beginnings of mankind and the movement of the Nguni。 As the sharman approved， i'd suggest advise anyone captured by this information to refer to books by Zechariah Stitchin for more。 A children's book sort of like Lord of the rings you'd imagine but close to history not accurate but of the few close to beginnings of mankind and the movement of the Nguni。 As the sharman approved， i'd suggest advise anyone captured by this information to refer to books by Zechariah Stitchin for more。 。。。more

Buhlebamantungwa Mabaso Ka Mbuli ，

Beautiful writing and recollections of African history。

Chad Ferlito ，

Amazing。。。 Is very well written and translated for English readers。。。

Julius ，

Als zusammenhängende Geschichte erzählte Mythen， die Zulu Kinder von den Ältesten erzählt bekommen。 Praktisch die Gründungsgeschichte des Stammes。 Gut erzählt und aufschlussreich。

Nicholas Woode-Smith ，

In rating any book， you should rate it for what it is。 Too often， reviewers will rate a book based purely on their own personal feelings， resulting in hordes of readers giving bad reviews to Lord of the Rings because they wanted a romantic comedy。Indaba， My Children is neither history or fantasy， and it is both。 According to the author， it is a collection of the folklore of the Bantu people， starting with unified mythology from the more Northern Africans and then breaking off into the specific l In rating any book， you should rate it for what it is。 Too often， reviewers will rate a book based purely on their own personal feelings， resulting in hordes of readers giving bad reviews to Lord of the Rings because they wanted a romantic comedy。Indaba， My Children is neither history or fantasy， and it is both。 According to the author， it is a collection of the folklore of the Bantu people， starting with unified mythology from the more Northern Africans and then breaking off into the specific lore of the Nguni and Mambo people who traveled South。The writing in the book is wonderful， with many creative and entrancing metaphors and imagery。 The characters are memorable， lovable and compelling。 What other book could make an angry cannibal a compelling hero？The book also gave me an appreciation for aspects of the Nguni culture， and suggested reasons why certain customs are the way they are。Overall， this is a wonderful story with an interesting setting。 While it should by no means be taken as an historical account （in the same way Greek myth should not）， stories and art are a very good way of understanding a people。 。。。more

Makgatla Thepa-Lephale ，

Very mind profound， mind blowing book about African stories。 Credo Mutwa is beautifully narrating the stories in an amazing way that dispel all the wrong myth about African Culture。

Sarah ，

3。5 Stars

Charlene Smith ，

Essential read for those wanting to understand African mythology and essential belief systems。

Sobukhosi ，

No superlative can truly describe what an amazing read this has been。 The importance of this book rivals the bible and it is extremely sad that such an important book has not been introduced in our curriculum。 This masterpiece deserves a greater audience。 Thank you Vusamazulu Mutwa。

Amy Nicolai ，

Indispensable to the understanding of the Zulu culture。 Well written and fascinating。 I've read it several times and have a first edition copy in a place of honor on my bookshelves。 Indispensable to the understanding of the Zulu culture。 Well written and fascinating。 I've read it several times and have a first edition copy in a place of honor on my bookshelves。 。。。more

Nana Fredua-Agyeman ，

For most Africans the history of their lives， their culture， their ancestors， begins from the point of entry of the unknown men with pale skin， who would later become the colonialists and the oversea slave traders。 To most of us who have gone through formal education studying subjects like Social Studies， Life Skills and a bit of History， not as an Elective but as a core， the farthest we can trace our history is to the borders of the Mali， Songhai and Ghana Empires。 Even then， we do not know how For most Africans the history of their lives， their culture， their ancestors， begins from the point of entry of the unknown men with pale skin， who would later become the colonialists and the oversea slave traders。 To most of us who have gone through formal education studying subjects like Social Studies， Life Skills and a bit of History， not as an Elective but as a core， the farthest we can trace our history is to the borders of the Mali， Songhai and Ghana Empires。 Even then， we do not know how they are linked to our present selves。 Thus， to ask a Ghanaian student - to be specific on what I can guarantee， though I know this might largely apply to several Africans - to think of his ancestors beyond this period is to ask him to risk haemorrhaging his brain cells or to cause him to hallucinate holographic images of people whose faces he cannot outline or describe and whose deeds he does not know。Yet， it is ironical that these same folks who know nothing about themselves， their origins - for we all migrated from a source - will insist and claim certain traditions as their culture， insisting that 'this is not our culture' and yet be unable to define， to trace， to historically discuss that culture which they are trying to protect。 And the authorities， the men who have to ensure that this problem is solved， look on unconcerned。 The leaders - or as they prefer to call themselves， the politicians， who must invest - material and personnel - to ensure that this knowledge gap is bridged hardly ever think about it。 But it is not for nothing that money is pumped into such studies of archaeological interest。 The end result is not the museum such archaeological finds occupy; they are profounder than that。 They are psychological。continue reading here http://freduagyeman。blogspot。com/2013。。。 。。。more

Phumlani ，

This should be essential reading for all Africans， not because its contents should be imposed on everyone， but purely because the way the writer brings his version of our decendency across is well constructed and flows seamlessly the same way the bible does。 I loved this book， i dreamt parts of it at times， it shook me to the core，it took me on a journey im not sure i really wanted to go on。 This is thee quintessential African book， bravo Mutwa，Bravo！！

Karen ，

This is one of my favourite books of all time。 I loved the storytelling and couldn't put it down。 It was written in such a lovely style。 This is one of my favourite books of all time。 I loved the storytelling and couldn't put it down。 It was written in such a lovely style。 。。。more

Makhosonke Collin ，

Isanusi Credo Mutwa set out to write something akin to Koran or bible for Abantu。 his effort though is let down by the reptilean race that he included as our ancestors here。 I will have loved to have read him interweaving most of the common folklores of our ppl and taking them further instead of the reptiles。 otherwise its not bad especially for young ones looking for OUR STORIES。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Indaba, My Children: African Folktales

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Indaba, My Children: African Folktales&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Indaba, My Children: African Folktales&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0