John W. Roberts, in From Trickster to Badman: The Black Folk Hero in Slavery and Freedom , does an excellent job of treating this question in relation to Christian blacks who, during slavery, offered wholehearted support to warrior models such as Joshua and, after slavery, offered equally wholehearted support to trickster models such as Railroad Bill.
Morris Slater, aka Railroad Bill, reputedly killed a white policeman in Alabama in self-defense in He then escaped, stole from the railroads, and passed the stolen goods on to needy African Americans who lived along the railroad tracks. African Americans celebrated his trickster exploits and considered him a heroic figure.
In reality, figures both real and mythic and actions dubbed heroic in one context or by one group of people may be viewed as ordinary or even criminal in another context or by other groups, or even by the same ones at different times.
Listeners to and believers in such figures and tales allow a space for approval of the actions of characters within the tales without countering their own ontological beliefs. In a different context, the notion of heroism in trickster tactics is what engages Roger D.
Abrahams in his explorations of the toasts long narrative poems and stories that black men in Philadelphia used to entertain themselves in the s. Many of the narratives in Deep Down in the Jungle: Negro Narrative Folklore from the Streets of Philadelphia focus on less than savory characters getting the best of their adversaries through playing the role of the trickster.
Students might consider, therefore, what happens to a character or a literary form that can be both positive and negative and what results obtain in either case. Again, the purposes to which the tactics are put are crucial. Also, how can entertainment laughter as an outcome guide the use of trickster dynamics?
As scholars have interpreted trickster figures in tales that were circulated during slavery, some have questioned the approach that posits trickster actions having meaning in the real historical world.
Were black raconteurs during slavery really trying to reflect the actions of black and whites, or were they simply creating entertaining narratives? Bernard W. Wolfe is one scholar who believes firmly that the actions of animals in African American trickster tales are intended to represent the actions of human beings.
If Brer Rabbit is shut out of the larder and smokehouse during slavery, then he will take what he needs to be hale and hearty. Life is a battle-unto-the-death for food, sex, power, prestige, a battle without rules. There is only one reality in this life: who is on top? Similarly, while black males could not compete for the hands of white women, Brer Rabbit is able to trick his competition ostensibly the white man into allowing him to use him as a riding horse as he comes up to a porch to court Miss Sophronie.
Since such harmony is obviously not the case, then the trickster tactics and violent domination will continue in the guise of fanciful entertainment. Other commentators on tricksters in folklore as well as tricksters in African American literature include Alan Dundes, ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Levine draws his information from a variety of sources that he cites in the text. In Kindred, Dana tries to use her intelligence to get Rufus to change his slaveholding ways.
Trudier Harris is J. During , she was a resident Fellow at the National Humanities Center. She has written and edited more than a dozen books on African American literature and folklore.
Illustration credits. To cite this essay: Harris, Trudier. National Humanities Center. In the modern era, the trickster has proved useful to those seeking a return to Indigenous approaches to learning. Educator Sylvia Moore wrote her book, Trickster Chases the Tale of Education , in the style of a trickster story, contrasting Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledges. Similarly, law professor John Borrows has argued that the trickster, when used as a framework for understanding Indigenous ways of knowing, can be helpful in the teaching of Indigenous rights and legal traditions.
Tricksters have also found a role in urban society among off- reserve Indigenous peoples who identify with the trickster as an adaptable but authentically Indigenous persona. Tricksters can be empowering figures for those who are generally left outside of traditional power structures. Similarly, for two-spirit people, the trickster is a relatable identity; in some cultures, tricksters are non-gendered and consequently occupy the spaces in between traditional gender roles.
In the s and s, the trickster became a powerful symbol for those trying to celebrate Indigenous voices in Canadian literature. Edited by Deanna Reder and Linda M. Deanna Reder and Linda M. Morra, eds. Hugh A. Dempsey, Napi: The Trickster Wisakedjak is a spirit of mischief and deception, a trickster who is featured in various creation stories. To learn more about Wisakedjak and Jordan Stranger, as well as the Indigenous Arts and Stories competition, please visit their official site. Search The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Remember me. I forgot my password. Why sign up? Create Account. Baby Turtle realized his mother might be starting to worry and began the long walk back home. After walking for a while, he looked around. Baby Turtle quickly turned around and started walking the other way.
Baby Turtle realized he was lost. A coyote was passing by and heard the turtle crying. Baby Turtle told the coyote that he was lost.
Turtle would really hit the spot. The crafty King was born with incredible intelligence, which allowed him to master a deck of magical tricks, including shape-shifting into 72 images and somersaulting across the clouds. Eventually, he grew so powerful that he began getting into scuffles with the Jade Emperor, the lord of heaven itself. In Indonesian and Malaysian culture, a tiny mouse deer, named Kancil, outsmarts larger animals time and time again.
On the outside, Hermes may seem like one of the most harmless Greek gods. He is small, youthful, and has no realm to rule over. Still, there is no end to the mischief which this boyish god brings about. His way with words has earned him the position of diplomat and messenger between the gods.
Most importantly, Hermes is seen as a herald of change. Whenever he appears, the status quo is about to be shaken up. Loki, the god of chaos, is perhaps one of the most famous examples of a Trickster character.
This shape-shifting, trouble-making god is constantly on the lookout for a way to undermine authority figures. His allegiance shifts between the gods enthroned on Asgard and their mortal enemies, the ice giants, so frequently that no one ever truly knows which side he belongs to; apparently, he is a side unto himself.
Loki is famous for his dangerous charisma especially with women and his wicked sense of humor. In one story, an angry giantess threatens to destroy all of Asgard unless the gods can make her laugh. Not only does Loki run afoul of the social rules of Viking culture, he also defies the rules of nature. In one story, he is impregnated and gives birth to an eight-legged horse. In another story, he travels to the realm of the dead and back, proving that this Trickster character truly recognizes no authority other than himself.
In the oral tradition of west Africa, a spider named Anansi is a Trickster elevated to the status of a folk-hero.
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