Isnana
Welcome to the tales of Isnana, the West African Elephant...
In the tales of Isnana, you will meet our main character Isnana, who is a maturing West African Elephant. Isnana, however, is not your typical elephant. One of the youngest in her pack, Isnana is constantly getting herself into trouble, pulling tricks and stunts on the other elephants in her herd. If you have ever heard the phrase "the elephant in the room," you better believe the phrase came from those who know Isnana. She is famous for causing a ruckus, most of the time to distract the others while secretly working on her own agenda.
For those of you who are familiar with the legend, the tales of Isnana may sound a little familiar to you, as they are just a play on words of the famous Tales of Anansi, the trickster spider. Anansi Stories originated from West Africa, specifically the Akan people of Ghana. In the language spoken by the Akan people, the word 'Ananse' translates into 'Spider." In the original stories, Anansi is a devious little creature, who more often than not is deceiving others for his own benefit. In my own retelling, I plan on making my main character, Isnana, just as devious, but maybe not as mal-intended as the original Anansi. If at anytime you are reading through my stories and you see things that you feel do not make sense, or would just like to make a comment (good or bad), please feel free to! I myself am still learning the history and style of the original Anansi stories, and while I will try to stay within the parameters of a good story, no storyteller is perfect :) Happy Reading!
On my website, you will find stories that I have written for one of my courses at the University of Oklahoma- Mythology and Folklore. For this particular project, we have explored the various topics that exist in mythology and folklore, and narrowed it down to one we wish to explore in depth for the rest of the semester. I chose West African Tales, as I was drawn to them from their resemblance to Aesop's Fables, using animals as main characters and typically ending the story with a lesson. But more importantly, I was most drawn to them from my recent experience in West Africa, where I was exposed to the elements and roots that comprise these stories. As for the images used on this website, I plan on using my own personal photos, but if for some reason I need to pull a photo from a different source, I will make sure to note it on the page.