Ikom Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria


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Elphinstone Daryell [1869-1917] was a British colonial administrator in southern Nigeria who had an interest in anthropology and folklore. This book contains 34 folktales that he collected in the Ikom district of Cross River State in southern Nigeria. You will find some nature stories here ("How the River Came into Existence," "Why the Mist Rises from the Water," etc.), animal stories ("The Cunning Hare," "Why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise," etc.), along with stories involving human drama, both natural and supernatural. Dayrell reports the final story of the book in Latin, a common practice by anthropologists of the time for sexually explicit material; that Latin text, "Quomodo Evenit ut Penis Primum cum Vagina Coiit," is available in English translation at the Internet Archive. This book is a sequel to Daryell's Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, which you can also listen to at LibriVox. (Summary by Laura Gibbs) (5 hr 56 min)

Chapters

Preface 20:08 Read by laurakgibbs
How an Inkum Woman Abandoned One of Her Twins in the Forest 8:15 Read by laurakgibbs
The Cunning Hare 11:48 Read by laurakgibbs
The Story of Igiri and Her Husband Inkang 5:26 Read by laurakgibbs
How Elili of Inkum Died, and Was Brought Back to Life Again 4:20 Read by laurakgibbs
Concerning the Human Sacrifices 4:15 Read by laurakgibbs
The Story of the Witch who Tried to Kill Her Husband 6:27 Read by laurakgibbs
How Two Friends Fell Out: The Spider and the Grasshopper 11:27 Read by laurakgibbs
How Ewa Abagi, an Inkum Woman, Was Drowned in the Cross River 9:33 Read by laurakgibbs
The Story of the War between Inkum and Enfitop 14:00 Read by laurakgibbs
How an Inkum Boy Was Drowned by His Companions 12:06 Read by laurakgibbs
How a Father Tried to Kill One of His Sons but Failed 13:43 Read by laurakgibbs
Concerning the Okuni Witches and Cannibalism 16:36 Read by laurakgibbs
Of Chief Amaza, His Wife Achi, and the Tortoise 7:58 Read by laurakgibbs
The Fate of Agbor the Hunter, Who Killed His Wife and Children 6:39 Read by laurakgibbs
What Happened at Okuni When Anyone Was Killed by Accident 2:18 Read by laurakgibbs
How Oghabi Poisoned His Friend Okpa 9:53 Read by laurakgibbs
How Chief Alankor and All His Family Were Killed by a Big Frog 8:45 Read by laurakgibbs
How the River Came into Existence 4:51 Read by laurakgibbs
Why the Mist Rises from the Water 10:15 Read by laurakgibbs
How Ibanang Okpong and Her Mother Were Swallowed by a Man-Eating Drum 10:39 Read by laurakgibbs
Why the Head of the Male Goat Smells So Strong 7:15 Read by laurakgibbs
A Story of the Great Famine 10:15 Read by laurakgibbs
Why Edidor Killed Her Husband and Her Lover 11:04 Read by laurakgibbs
How 'Nyambi Punished Chief Oga 15:09 Read by laurakgibbs
How Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins 9:27 Read by laurakgibbs
Concerning the Ju-Ju against Elephantiasis 18:24 Read by laurakgibbs
How a Cruel Inkum Chief Was Poisoned by His Slaves 17:54 Read by laurakgibbs
How the Frog Beat the Bush Buck in a Race 7:01 Read by laurakgibbs
Why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise 5:03 Read by laurakgibbs
The Game of Hide-and-Seek 8:07 Read by laurakgibbs
Chief Kekong's Daughter 'Ndere who Married a Python 19:18 Read by laurakgibbs
How Agbor Adam Broke the Hunting Law of Okuni 12:58 Read by laurakgibbs
How Essama Stole Her Father's Goat in the Fatting-House 8:47 Read by laurakgibbs
Quomodo Evenit ut Penis Primum cum Vagina Coiit 6:29 Read by laurakgibbs