Specimens of Bushman Folklore

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A foundational work in the study of Southern Africa's indigenous cultures, this volume offers a rare and detailed record of Bushman oral traditions. Through meticulous interviews with five Bushmen informants, Wilhelm H. I. Bleek and Lucy C. Lloyd preserved eighty-seven myths, legends, and traditional tales, each translated with scholarly care.

The collection provides profound insight into the spiritual beliefs, cosmology, and social values of a people whose voices were seldom documented. The narratives are situated within a broader anthropological and linguistic context that underscores their cultural significance. Rich in thematic complexity-from creation myths to moral parables-these stories reveal a vibrant worldview rooted in close ties to nature and ancestral memory.

This work remains an essential resource for understanding the intellectual and spiritual heritage of the Bushmen and the enduring value of their storytelling tradition.