Myth and Meaning: San-Bushman Folklore in Global Context

by J. D. Lewis-Williams

Overview

J.D. Lewis-Williams, one of the leading South African archaeologists and ethnographers, excavates meaning from the complex mythological stories of the San-Bushmen to create a larger theory of how myth is used in culture. He extracts their “nuggets,” the far-reaching but often unspoken words and concepts of language and understanding that are opaque to outsiders, to establish a more nuanced theory of the role of these myths in the thought-world and social circumstances of the San. The book -draws from the unique 19th century Bleek/Lloyd archives, more recent ethnographic work, and San rock art;-includes well-known San stories such as The Broken String, Mantis Dreams, and Creation of the Eland;-extrapolates from our understanding of San mythology into a larger model of how people create meaning from myth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781315423753
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	257
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

J. D. Lewis-Williams

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements A note on pronunciation Prologue: A Broken String? Chapter 1: Myth in its San incarnation Chapter 2: Bringing Home the Honey Chapter 3: The Mantis makes an Eland Chapter 4: The Fight with the Meerkats Chapter 5: A Visit to the Lion’s House Chapter 6: The Mantis Dreams Chapter 7: Narrating and Painting Chapter 8: People of the Eland Chapter 9: The Broken String Chapter 10: ‘They do not possess my stories’ References Index About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"J.D. Lewis-Williams assembles encyclopaedic knowledge of recorded /Xam San symbolism so readers can journey to comprehensive understanding of the /Xam world. This book provides a programmatic start to a new era in San studies—one where readers can float freely above the tedium of "...theoretical"... concerns toward humane sharing and discovery."

—Megan Biesele, Director, Kalahari Peoples Fund

"David Lewis-Williams revolutionized rock art research worldwide with his ethnographically-based interpretations of southern San (Bushmen) rock paintings. His latest book, on San mythology and belief, promises to have the same impact on studies of myth and folklore. By identifying and explaining the symbolic keys ("nuggets" as he calls them) to the San mythological corpus, he reveals for the first time its rich texture and logic, thereby placing it in its rightful position as one of the world's great cognitive achievements."
—David S. Whitley

From the Publisher