Old Lion Story
Adapted by Braima Moiwai, storyteller and musician. The Old Lion Story comes from the Mende people of Sierra Leone, West Africa. The Mende were among many in West and Central Africa impacted by the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Their descendents are found among the Gullah-Geechee community that spans from North Carolina to Georgia. Many stories of resistance have unfortunately been lost to time, yet this story represents how the Mende people fought back and resisted capture through cultural knowledge of their environment. The Old Lion Story represents ingenuity, collective work and responsibility, and resilience.
Wiley and Hairy Man
Adapted by Arielle Smith, teacher and folklorist. The original Wiley and Hairy Man was found in the reader The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales told by Virginia Hamilton, folklorist and children’s author. Deeply invested in cultural memory preservation and legacy, Virginia Hamilton wrote over 41 books in her lifetime. Wiley and the Hairy Man is a story about family, grief, bravery, and cleverness. Rooted deeply in cultural ways of knowing, Wiley uses her wits to evade capture from the Hairy Man.
Bruh Rabbit
Adapted by Zayd Shakur, teacher and musician. Brer Rabbit, a seminal character in African diasporic folktales, is a well known trickster character. These stories come from the mind of Julius Lester, academic, folklorist, and writer. Julius Lester has written over 40 books, spanning many genres. The Brer Rabbit stories often teach young people necessary lessons on humility, cleverness, and patience through creative, hilarious means.
