Tricksters: An Introduction: Crash Course World Mythology #20

[@MaduUdeh]

Wowwwwww. I'm Nigerian and I grew up being told stories about anansi when I was a kid. It feels nice when your story is being told. There's also the trickster turtle.

[@InfamousAustinT0]

Madu U In elementary school they read to us about Anansi. I live in the US

[@brianmagee6595]

Madu U Are you of Yoruba tribe I know that in that they have a trickster character is a rabbit called Zombo or Zomo.

[@MrAfusensi]

Madu U I am from surinam, South America and we also tell the anansi stories

[@notnormalyet]

Anansi was really popular among slaves, so the stories got moved around. He was a symbol of slave resistance, like rabbit.

[@Codiliabra]

I'm Jamaican, and Anansi is also told.

[@sheldonyawson]

Anansi stories are so great. They're from Ghana and hearing them from your frail, old Ghanaian grandfather or mother makes it even better. Also if you're Ghanaian you hear little quirks always in the stories. Anansi's first name is Kweku meaning he was born on a Wednesday and the storymaker gave him a "kradin" (name to fit the day of the week you were born) so that you'd think of a human man even though anansi means spider in Twi our language. I love it so much❤️❤️🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭

[@TheOgTano]

Sheldon Yawson all Ghanaian know his first name, reading all these comments I feel a bit good that our stories are still being told to other groups. Yet, kind of vexed that some groups unintentionally try to claim our ancestors stories.

[@sheldonyawson]

Emmanuel Kyei I feel that way also! That is why I said what I said in my last comment. Because little things like the application of his kradin to entity as a spider is often missed by someone who is not Ghanaian. I think that our ancestors stories are spread so far now that we should feel pride in that but we should also seek to spread the origins of the oral tales

[@SunyiSideUp]

Thank you for sharing this information!

[@alarasnowfeather]

I've seen Anansi be called "Kampe Anansi" too (mostly American Gods actually); what's the significance/meaning of kampe, trusting that Neil Gaiman did his research?

[@BlackRose-px2iw]

We in Surinam have these stories, too. In Afro-Surinamese culture, the name for someone born on Wednesday is "Kwaku". Those are our African roots!

[@blackR0se_]

I'm Jamaican and anansi stories are a big part of our culture

[@MrAfusensi]

hey girlie gay ahjumma same for us in surinam

[@3smisvuli]

hey girlie gay ahjumma Same in Curacao 😃

[@RoniForeva]

That's because of the level of Ashanti influence in the Caribbean And southern states but particularly amongst Jamaicans and surinamiens. Read about it

[@BlackRose-px2iw]

Same in Surinam, my country of origin! There are many similarities between Afro-Surinamese and Afro-Jamaican culture.

[@BlackRose-px2iw]

Afro-Surinamese, Afro-Antillian, Afro-Jamaican, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban - our cultures are very similar.

[@kevinanderson63]

Anansi is Ghanaian. It originated with the Asante (Ashanti) tribe. Anansi means spider in Twi ( the language of the Asante). The Asante had an empire in West Africa where they would have spread their stories and traditions. The Asante were also taken as slaves to the New World. When slaves were returned to Siera Leone and Liberia the Anansi stories were spread by them there.

[@GuardianoftheGoldenStool]

Kevin Anderson You meant anansi means spider.

[@Kaesar24]

@@GuardianoftheGoldenStool yh that what he means

[@GuardianoftheGoldenStool]

ESTHER No, he doesn’t, there is a great difference between the word Asanti and Anansi!! He was just plain old wrong.

[@Kaesar24]

@@GuardianoftheGoldenStool ohh i see..in his comment there is a spelling mistake..its harmless we know what he means 😂

[@kevinanderson63]

@@GuardianoftheGoldenStool Where am I wrong?

[@kimone6831]

I'm from Jamaica and there are so many Anancy stories here... he's a Trickster alright. Can you believe it? Africans travelled across oceans and seas and they still managed to preserve this despite everything and pass it down through folklore. :)

[@RoniForeva]

Anansi stories originated in the Ashanti culture in Modern day Ghana, the only downside to this wonderful piece is that they don't specify that and generalize that its origin as an African folk tale, which is slightly ignorant because they aren't telling Anansi stories in South Africa or Egypt and they are both African countries.

[@kimone6831]

Roni ... And apparently we spell it wrong. Sorry... like I said they were passed down orally. But when I think about it, I should have said West Africa, because I know that's where they came from for us to get the stories in the first place... so it's my fault.

[@RoniForeva]

No need to apologize, The spelling is Anansi but spellings change over time black Americans say Aunt Nancy. I am just happy and proud that Ashanti culture has survIved through years of hardship. And yes the video should have definitely been more specific to West Africa AT LEAST. Imagine how stupid a person would sound asking a kenyan about Anansi.

[@AmandaFromWisconsin]

Not really in the US.

[@lolnoob5015]

To be more precise, it's largely Ghanaian, Ashanti, I doubt all west africans know about Ananse, I learnt about him through school in Kumasi

[@salvadorgamma3266]

Anansi stories are also prevalent in Jamaica. Thanks for adding this!

[@lee-marie5357]

It is prevalent here in Trinidad and Tobago too.

[@jordanalleyne3220]

I grew up in Barbados in the Caribbean and Anansi stories were really popular. I found it cool to see in the comments that they are told all around the world.

[@shinigami1357]

Oh my goodness ANANSI. I raised listening to stories of anansi the spider and his tricks and how they always ended badly for him. And whenever I'd see a spider on the wall I would say it's Anansi. ( I lived in Ghana).

[@nekkidnora]

Hello! Inuit girl here, I was wondering if you guys would do any Inuit stories sometime? There's a ton of shapeshifters, gruesome cautionary tales, vengeance, etc- also, all other races are descended from terrifying man-dog hybrids, and that's kinda neat?

[@austinharris8512]

nekkidnora yeah I'm interested

[@Chrysanthia.]

Growing up in Jamaica I loved Anansi stories! Its amazing to see him brought to life by Thought Cafe. Thank you Crash Course!

[@skykid]

In many eastern religions tricksters are seen as a vital important counterbalance to the order and law that patriarchies tend to foster. In fact monks were seen as agents of chaos, who ignored laws because their wisdom would teach kings lessons when no one else had the nerve to dispute them.

[@philipfry6428]

i think the message is you must be able to be both embodiments of structure and chaos. structure when chaos destroys and chaos when structure restricts growth

[@skykid]

Philip Fry Yes you're right. The wise often used tricks to teach their students lessons as opposed to just telling them.

[@captain_swaggin4065]

skykid sounds more like they were the exception if anything

[@marcusanark2541]

@@skykid Makes sense.

[@thekrakenexperiment280]

Actually, the original myth about Atlas was that he was holding the sky, preventing it from crushing the Earth. It wasn't until centuries later when it was changed to holding the Earth.

[@ArakkoaChronicles]

And why was Atlas holding up the sky? Because it was once the job of his father, Iapetus, and uncles, Hyperion, Crius and Coeus (you may recognize some of these names as moons of Jupiter now). But then, Zeus came and threw all the Titans to Tartarus, so Atlas - the selfless soul that he was (not really) - grabbed the sky to stop it from falling down and Zeus declared it his punishment for opposing him.

[@feynstein1004]

Iapetus? I think you mean Bob.

[@gkky-xx4mc]

Feynstein 100 I LOVE YOU MARRY ME

[@feynstein1004]

+BookwormLi Lmao I see you're a half-blood too. Who might your Olympian parent be?

[@gkky-xx4mc]

Wait... how do I know you're not a nasty creature from the deepest pits of Tartarus?

[@user-mf4dd5rp8y]

Being a Ghanaian myself my mom and dad always told me stories about anansi

[@himani8927]

Read American Gods and Anansi Boys!!! So good!

[@Elexica]

Absolutely love this mythology series.

[@mikekuppen6256]

+

[@CrisSelene]

I always thought Bugs Bunny was a trickster god.

[@thystldown]

Cris05 I mean, basically

[@annas9016]

Briar Rabbit, as mentioned in the video, is the inspiration for bugs bunny.

[@thystldown]

Anna S *Br'er Rabbit - short for "brother"; the briar association is definitely there though.

[@annas9016]

Thanks Olivia.

[@chillsahoy2640]

I was just about to do an Idea Channel-inspired comment of "Here's an idea...Bugs Bunny is Loki". The trope of the trickster god is reused in a lot of cartoon slapstick, and Bugs Bunny is the best in that camp. Jerry from Tom & Jerry is also a 'trickster god': he almost always outsmarts Tom but every now and then his tricks go too far or backfire, resulting in humiliating or unpleasant consequences; but by the next episode it doesn't matter any longer so he can continue being a clever mouse.

[@danc6167]

I know your definition said all tricksters were male, but there are definitely tricksters in eastern traditions like the Japanese kitsune and the Chinese myth of Da Ji

[@recon441]

Dan Cooper Ohmygod yes~ I did a whole presentation on kitsune for my mythology class, yay Tamamo no Mae

[@BlackRose-px2iw]

OMG as an Afro-Surinamese woman, who grew up on the stories about Anansi, I am SO glad you featured an episode on him. Keep up the good work! (Suriname is a country in South-America, but our culture is Caribbean. We are a multicultural, multireligious and multi-lingual nation. The biggest ethnic group are the Hindustani-Surinamese, and we Afro-Surinamese/Creoles are the second. Anansi traveled with us from West-Africa on the slave-ships via the threads of his web. However, we don't consider him a god, but rather a spirit/folkloric figure from folk tales)

[@ReapTheWhirlwind]

Spider tricksters are special because spiders are nature's double edged swords. They bite sometimes and can be poisonous yet they keep other pests away and are great builders. Fate is often depicted as threads and tricksters pluck those threads just to see what will happen. Spider tricksters try to weave their own fates, as men do, and it's easy to relate to their failures and successes.

[@philopoemen6659]

Dude you must really like spiders. I'm not a great fun of them, but I liked your analysis.

[@kotymcneal8589]

As a Native Alaskan Tlingit it would be nice to see you cover the story of Raven, the trickster hero of our culture who stole sunlight from a covetous god for all the world to enjoy. That is if you're doing more trickster episodes. :) loving this series btw!

[@katahdinkind6089]

One of the best trickster tales imnsho..

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

Oh my goodness. This takes me back to my childhood, watching Anansi The Spider cartoons on PBS. Thank you, Crash Course Mythology

[@ShawnRavenfire]

The tricksters aren't always male. Eris brought chaos to Olympus by throwing a golden apple into a party and causing the other goddesses to fight over it.

[@TheCarrifaery]

Hail Eris!

[@philopoemen6659]

Eris is no trickster. Eris means conflict and that's what she was stirring. Her goal was conflict, with chaos being the byproduct of it, whereas tricksters bring chaos deliberately, either for their own goals or just to see what will happen. See Jack Sparrow or Loki from the Avengers for the former and Joker from the Dark Knight for the latter.

[@amiejackman7354]

Im Trinidadian and there are a lot of trini folk tales about anansi and i never knew about his origins. Learn something new everyday

[@thataaronb]

Greek mythology spread around the world but we still call it Greek methodology and not simply and quite lazily ‘European mythology’. Anansi is as Akan as they come and the Akans should be given their due. In the least, calling it Ghanaian is better than simply African.

[@DuluthTW]

I love this series. The host makes it especially enjoyable. Thanks for sharing!

[@indirapoitier338]

i am so glad to hear an anansi story. even better yet, one i've never heard before. thanksCC. we don't hear our own often

[@Cinqmil]

In one of the Anansi stories Anansi steals the balls of the Tiger, replaces them with his own balls and blames the monkeys for it. That's why tigers don't like monkeys and vice versa. It also explains why such an enormous animal as the Tiger has such small testicles.

[@horizon241]

This was made all the more awesome when picturing Kevin Sorbo as Hercules.

[@Tu51ndBl4d3]

Shoutout to Ghana. the stories did spread through west africa, and to the carribean but ofcourse it is still a ghanaian story.All the names are obviously Ghanaian.

[@rudynathan8852]

Im from the Netherlands. My dad is dutch and my mom is from Surinam (South-America). I grew up with the stories about Anansi.

[@154princess]

So cool how Ghanaian culture has spread so wide

[@notpulverman9660]

Nastasia Miller how?

[@jill5676]

Not Pulverma read the comments smh. The anansi stories are Ghanaian

[@jdan6046]

Ghana for life!

[@Leotique]

This is one of the best episodes of Crash Course

[@gabriell4747]

This is so cool! I live in the Caribbean and I grew up on Bra/Brer Aanansi/Nansi stories, I always wondered if they originated from Africa and now I know. Thanks!!

[@kevinanderson63]

Anansi originates from Ghana, it means spider in the local Akan language.

[@nevadascott6218]

I love the gudetama phone case at 0:18!!

[@novapark5788]

The Anansi stories originated from the Asante/Ashanti tribe of the Ghanaians. Anansi means spider in Twi. His stories are normally told to explain why things are what they are like why a turtle has cracks/grooves and stuff like that.

[@ashleysobers9626]

I was so excited seeing this title. I live in the Caribbean and I loved these stories in primary school.

[@danam4534]

As a Caribbean, the only real way I ever connected to my African roots was through these Anansi stories, it's amazing to revisit them and learn more about them and stories like it.

[@jamespooh2]

I love Br'er Rabbit and Anansi Stories. Great childhood memories. Great video

[@Alyenbird]

For more "Passing off a dwarf jester's murder onto someone else" action, read "The Tale of the Hunchback" from the Arabian Nights. The Hunchback's body gets fobbed off onto person after person, each one blaming themselves and then framing the next person down the line. Then when the last person is about to be hung for murder, all the rest come forward to confess. There is also a surprise twist at the end, which I will leave unsaid.

[@Brian-tn4cd]

wow just finished persona 5, seeing that ending really make me think of the trickster stories where the trickster helped humanity.

[@surenaemnm3724]

It is ridiculous to see that only 2% of the video viewers have liked the video. I mean, u won't break ur fingers if you just like such amazing videos to help them be shown more to other ppl on KZbin..

[@orsonwelles4254]

bugs bunny is the best trickster in the world

[@michaelmura9552]

Yeah, there's those who believe he's influenced by Brer Rabbit

[@nightfall3332]

Orson Welles you were amazing as unicron

[@from-Texas]

Orson Welles nope

[@womanoffaith81]

Orson Welles morning

[@owenwalker1774]

James Mac777 He got trouble from the Gremlin.

[@ItsCelestia.]

Thank you so much guys you tell great myths and teach me something New each day! Keep up the great work!!!😀

[@jaimie00]

Another great lesson! This is my favorite Crash Course so far (and I'm a huge astronomy geek, so that says a lot).

[@GameOfDepth]

The Book Of Thoth is known for giving some of the abilities of Thoth, mainly the ability to understand all languages, both human, animal and Gods, so it would be Thoth’s reluctance to host, not inability. Love the series, keep up the good work.

[@cjam9457]

Dear Mike, I love you.

[@koibee2451]

Anansi is my fave character from childhood, he was always a step ahead 🤣🤣🤣

[@mel9823]

I’m belizean and bajan & I grew up on Anasi stories. This reminded me of my childhood

[@ausrako2764]

Great episodes! I wasn't even interested in mythology now can't stop bingeing

[@matijamarkovic6484]

Anansi story is hillarious! I laughed so hard!

[@michelekass7044]

I really hope the exploration of tricksters touches on a couple of my favorite trickster stories. The native american myth about Coyote and Rabbit and how the stars came to be in the sky/why there are constellations and the Loki story about how Slepnir came to be.

[@ishtar6098]

me, still recovering from the loss of Idea Channel: **nervously laughs at Mike letting Thoth take over**

[@recon441]

Ish N. I know right 😢 I almost cried at the beginning of this episode

[@SunyiSideUp]

Ish N. entirely too soon!

[@mysticblue108]

I love how African mythology sometimes leads to origins about the native animals and their traits it's very clever and fun ^-^

[@pierrejobel9872]

if you guys are gonna discuss more about tricksters, i suggest looking up from myths from malay (indonesian/malaysian) folktale about the Kancil. It is one of the most famous trickster from malay myths.

[@recon441]

I thought Mike was going to leave this show too 😭 glad it was just part of the whole trickster bit 😛

[@SatyaVenugopal]

Woooaaah! I dunno about the rest of you, but for me, the main moral of this video is still gently tapping a hunchback dwarf's hump makes it rain!

[@Wolfiyeethegranddukecerberus17]

Anansi is also popular in the West Indies

[@calicostephens4828]

Ha, you got me there, good opening joke. I was bleak there for a sec. I really enjoy your course. Tote could never do better than you Mike. Thank you for making me laugh and learn.

[@OneFootNFront]

I love the way Anansi was drawn.

[@KathyTrithardt]

Instantly opened this video alert.

[@destinymargaritha4705]

Samee

[@tajzaful]

Anansi is a folk hero in Jamaica. As kids we are told stories about how he tricks his way out of everything. #africanheritage

[@henyo5409]

My mom used to read me anansi the spider books as a kid. I loved them

[@projectmalus]

The Raven trickster from Haida and other North American indigenous cultures is an interesting character. He is also a hero and would fit in that episode :)

[@arielcurra7647]

Trickters stories are fun!

[@montej4829]

The host has a very nice speaking voice. Better than some of the other crash course hosts.

[@anilatarannum]

Loved this! You guys HAVE TO cover Krishna if you're doing tricksters, right?! Soooo many trickster moves up that guy's alley!

[@andrecarter2358]

Proud african american, i use to get the stories of brier (brother) rabbit when i was kid!! I hoping he would mention him!

[@somedude5749]

Ick, seeing Anansi as a human with mutant spider biology is sort of disturbing. Even as a cartoon, it just looks unnerving.

[@rebekahnunes8480]

Some Dude I thought the same I read a few picture books about anansi when I was little and he was always more of a normal spider. I suppose maybe some of the more traditional tellings present him more humanoid and that's why crash course have gone for this look.

[@SatyaVenugopal]

Interesting! I don't know how essentially animal characters like Anansi are usually pictorially represented in the various African mythic traditions. In Hindu myth, characters like Garuda (an eagle), Vasuki (a snake), and Nandi (a bull) are sometimes visually represented as just the animals they are (with of course, human abilities like speech and intelligence, and superhuman abilities as well) and sometimes as half-human half-animal creatures. (The snakes especially are described as being able to switch between human form and snake form. (Probably because the word I'm translating into snake is Naga, and the Naga people are a real people in India who historically worshipped snakes, so myths tended to conflate the two.) All of this to say... I'm so used to humanoid representations of animal characters it never even occurred to me that others would find it weird! Thanks for opening my eyes and reminding me of my cultural blind spots!

[@ArakkoaChronicles]

I expected them to do a Mr. Nancy with him after the American Gods show.

[@SuviTuuliAllan]

You should read Spider-Man. ;D

[@PennyDoll]

I've been reading up about Shamanism across tribes globally which all share eerily similar practices. It's not uncommon to meet 'Spirit Animals' or anthropomorphic animals in the 'Lower Regions', no doubt that Shamanistic practice throughout Africa and India would mean that many of these stories incorporate animal deities, or metaphorically zoomorphic characters in some form or another.

[@indibindylou]

"James Dean, the American God of pomade and leather jackets" 😂 I love this show

[@deeabee96]

Anansi's character is directly incorporated into Jamaican folklore with similar stories. It makes me wish I could have known all the other tales, traditions & beliefs that my ancestors held before they were deemed demonic and savage, only to be erased and replaced by British/ European norms.

[@brayanravens1221]

Always male? What about the Celtic Morrigan? She loves screwing around with people

[@CrisSelene]

Brayan Ravens what? Isn't she the goddess of war and death?

[@brayanravens1221]

She's the goddess of lots of stuff actually. But she can take many forms, and boy does she have fun with it

[@reggiebell7291]

Brayan Ravens we are speaking of JUST TRICKSTERS

[@damenwhelan3236]

Animated a corpse so it would appear to be an unbeatable human, and this, entitled to her blessing. Tricked the same human into eating the flesh of a dog to break his vow..... Hmmm. Can't think of any more...

[@recon441]

Oh yes one of my favorite tricksters! I also love Tamamo no Mae 😊 lovely femme fatales as well

[@Medeasbiggestfan]

Could Q, from Star Trek, be considered a trickster god?

[@thystldown]

Medea's Biggest Fan Absolutely, and that's a really cool connection!

[@sammunn5177]

Depends on if he's a god

[@marcusanark2541]

Thematically yes.

[@aasemahsan]

1:52 African tale of Anansi 5:09 Hercules & Atlas

[@BlueAloe47]

I hope this series at least mentions Raven, the trickster god in many Alaska Native cultures (Tlingit, Athabascan, Yup'ik and Inupiaq, and possibly others). He's a fascinating character.

[@SECONDQUEST]

love the show Mike.

[@fishfingas119]

I'm from Ghana and appreciate this. Would like to hear the story of why Spiders get stuck at the corners of the wall

[@princesspc]

Aayyye. Kweku Anansi stories...first story....second story....(From my Ghanaian childhood 🇬🇭😂)

[@rieandrique]

Was I the only one who was actually expecting that Thoth would be the host? I don't even know why or how, but I seriously imagined lots of scenarios like, "Would Thoth have a voice actor" while the CC intro was playing. **laughing emoji** Anyways, I enjoyed the video and still learned lots from it~! Thanks again, CC!

[@thesurreal1000]

Tricksters are my jam, dude. I recommend reading "The Book of Loki" for a much less Shakespearian, more trickstery Loki than Hiddlespoon. (Though I do love him.) Also: "Trickster Makes This World" by Lewis Hyde is fantastic for anyone interested in a deep cultural meaning of tricksters and their stories. Also, also: It is my humble opinion that the most recent popular trickster character in the truest definition of trickster is: Captain Jack Sparrow. (At least for the first three films.)

[@_firstlight]

This is probably my favourite episode so far! (And anyone else thinking of Supernatural? 👀)

[@jaycepollard6497]

Crash Course should really consider doing a weekly news roundup.

[@SunflowerSoul97]

Anansi stories! We have them in Suriname too❤

[@theragie0986]

In Namibia some of the people still believe in tricksters or as they are called here, the tokolosie (toh-koh-loh-see) and they keep their beds on bricks so it can't reach them while they sleep since the tokolosie's are short.

[@azzyofavalor8401]

I'm from Jamaica and this is an important part of our culture which most people don't know

[@JtKObeauty]

I'm a Southern Black and Bruh Rabbit stories were a huge part of my childhood.

[@FuZandy]

Another amazing episode.

[@FoibsxD]

I wanted to point out that Atlas was holding the dome of the sky on his back, not the world. This is a misconception which was created after a French company, which created maps, decided to put Atlas holding the globe on the covers of its books. For a show about mythology this should have been something that you ought to know.

[@kyaberryman7367]

Anansi boys is the best book ever!

[@CharismaBlue911]

Okay look Buster, I actually sat up in bed when I heard Tothe got promoted to host just to have you play me like this!?! Wow!

[@gothamgirl]

My fav trickster has got to be Loki! Hope we hear about him later

[@Getz-Da-Chompy]

I feel like an addendum is needed here, because it's quite common for trickster stories to also revolve around changing or shaking up an old system into something new, for better or worse. Maybe that's more of a western archetype and doesn't apply as much to African or Eastern trickster stories.

[@labellanotte6312]

Can you guys do a chapter on Mythological romances?

[@RoniForeva]

Anansi stories originated in the Ashanti culture in Modern day Ghana, the only downside to this wonderful piece is that they don't specify that and generalize that its origin as an African folk tale, which is slightly ignorant because they aren't telling Anansi stories in South Africa or Egypt and they are both African countries.

[@ArthurEarl23]

Its bur rabbit as in brother rabbit . Thats what we know in SC

[@davidarnold2456]

I was Anansi the Spider in a second grade play. My school put on unusual plays.

[@RoScFan]

In Romanian folklore there is something similar to a trickster, although unlike loki and anasi it actually is with a moral lesson. There's a character that acts stupid all the time but is in reality really smart. Whenever he meets evil people he tricks them, teaches them a lesson and they become nice people. there character's called Păcală. he is completely human, it isnt really mythology but folklore. i think he has equivalents in some of the neighbouring countries.

[@christiancristof491]

Interesting.

[@saraza4977]

Now I want to replay dragon age inquisition. Sudden need to revisit a trickster who stole my inquisitors heart.

[@marciaak8096]

I have always loved crash course. And this is the first time I have found its dissection of 'history' so unsatisfactory that I was tempted to dislike. And sadly the only time, in my estimation, crash course had it so grossly wrong was with its dealing of an African issue. Africa comprises different countries. We love and respect one another....but fact is: different countries, different cultures. So if you pick a topic to treat, it is not enough to just slap the African tag on it. Where in Africa did the Anansi story originate from? Answer is: the Akan ethnic group of Ghana. If you pick a topic the root of which is found in Nigeria, you do same for it. if Congo, same, etc. You see, in that way, you properly educate people as crash course has been known to do. It gets tiring treating this diverse continent of Africa as though it has none other identity but one. Lots of love

[@marciaak8096]

Sobkou Exactly!

[@bsinita_wokeone]

Marcia ak i agree they need to be more specific.Crashcourse should've known better!!

[@latefanelum1303]

Marcia ak yeah, but some ethnic groups are spread around different countries, and even if the anansi story comes from the Akan people, others tribes from other countries have heard about it too ( and those tribes will also argue about why they weren't included)

[@thataaronb]

Latefa nelum Greek mythology also spread around the world but we still call it Greek methodology and not simply and quite lazily ‘European mythology’. Anansi is as Akan as they come and the Akans should be given their due. In the least, calling it Ghanaian should do.

[@marciaak8096]

Latefa nelum that's very true, Anansi stories have travelled very far and wide but that does not take away from its originating country. I meant the comment as a slight on the carelessness with which issues concerning African countries are looked at in general. I don't think crashcourse would attribute anything originating from USA to the Americas: South and North. So why the lack of specificity when it comes to Africa?

[@dajgarcia5716]

Looking cool Joker!

[@lionskull1]

I'd like to think that toth was shaking his fist instead of waving good bye at the end.