Lux Ferre

The common ant, a tiny insect that lives in underground colonies and gathers food, is credited in North African myths with teaching the first humans about the uses of plants and grains,

animals Animal tales in the African tradition amuse and entertain, provide explanations, and comment on human weaknesses and values. Animal trickster heroes are common. Chief among these are the tortoise (see Ijapa),

ancestors In many traditions throughout Africa, ancestors are not truly dead in the final sense of the word. Although unseen, they are forces in the lives of the living and can be

amulets and talismans Threatened by hunger, natural elements, beasts of prey, and unknown forces, Africans—like many other people around the world—enlisted the aid of magic or supernatural powers to overcome forces that