African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African Americans 891
collected by Finnegan (1985), and Ottenberg’s unpublished notes from 1978 to 1980 on
the northeastern Limba in Wara Wara Bafodea chiefdom. Stories are called mboro, a
term also used for riddles, proverbs, parables, analogies, metaphors, and, occasionally,
historical narratives.
According to Finnegan, Limba stories are usually short, untitled, uncomplicated, and
not rigidly fixed. The narrators, mostly males, alter and embellish them, and occasionally
create new stories or take them from elsewhere. According to Finnegan, “there is no one
form of any Limba story that could be called the fixed or ‘correct’ one” (1967, 91). The
Limba possess little specialized vocabulary to describe stories and storytelling, and there
is no special term for the narrator. Story vocabulary is like everyday speech, and action in
the tales usually take place in a Limba village, though the texts are sometimes obscure.
Some stories are told in the daytime, but most are presented at night in Limba villages,
occasionally at the farms, and palm wine is often drunk during the storytelling. Narrator
and audience sing in a call-and-response pattern in the midst of the tale, with audience
clapping. The narrator often appoints a responder from the listeners, who supports or
comments as the story unfolds. Narrators are of all ages, and stories are not owned by
individuals, families, or clans, as is the case among Native Americans of the Northwest
Coast of the United States. The audience is normally composed of males and females of
various ages with plenty of children also in attendance.
Storytelling is but one aspect of the emphasis on speaking well among Limba. Muslim
influences on tales through Mandingo and Fulani living in Limba country occur, as well
as Western influences. Stories refer to past times, but flashbacks within them are rare.
The inner feelings of characters in the stories are rarely developed; the emphasis is on
action. Limba are proud of their stories, which serve as ethnic markers for them, even
though similar tales occur in neighboring cultures. Historical narratives are not usually
found at Limba story sessions but rather in the context of court cases and political
conflicts, where songs and clapping do not occur. While many stories have moral
elements, aesthetic features such as humor and fantasy are very significant. Finnegan
believes that Limba stories not only reflect life but influence it.
Types of Stories
Finnegan classifies stories into those about people, those about religion and the high God,
Kanu (also called Kanu Masala, Masala, or, occasionally Allah) and those based on
animals. She indicates there is much classificatory overlap, however, and the Limba
themselves do not classify their tales. People stories, the most popular and elaborate
form, often involve marital or parent-child conflicts, where women play strong,
aggressive, and sometimes treacherous roles, more so than in everyday Limba life. Love
and spouse-wooing themes and competitions are common. Killings, beatings and
revenge, adultery, and the plight of orphans are also frequent themes, suggesting
underlying family tensions in Limba life. Some people stories involve chiefs and
succession to chieftaincy, where chiefs may act poorly and are punished, suggesting some
anxiety among the Limba over leadership. Little reference occurs to colonial or modern
political situations. Hunter tales are common, as are stories involving twins and triplets.