Journal # 2  

Objective: Apply the concepts of syncretism, culture creation, and mythology to the world we live in today.

?  Think about the stories you were told as a child or have heard in passing conversation about how the world came into being. How would you describe your understanding now in comparison to what you believed then?

?  What role does orality play in syncretism?

?  Explain the difference between Western and Afro-diasporic mythological studies.

• ?  What are some cultural fables that you knew before coming into this class?
• ?  Create your own mythological tale. (Refer to Delta Dorsch story below)
• Thin Foot, Big Belly, and Big Head
• Once upon a time there were three brothers, Thin Foot, Big Belly, and Big Head. One day, they decided to steal the ripe fruits from the neighboràgarden.In the middle of the garden was a big mango tree with ripe, big mangoes. Since Big Belly could climb, he went up the tree and began to pick the mangoes. As he picked them, he ate them. His brothers on the ground begged him again and again to throw them down some mangoes. The more they begged the more skins he threw down to them.Finally, Big Belly had eaten all the ripe mangoes. His belly had gotten so big that he could not climb down from the mango tree. He pushed and pushed and finally fell to the ground where his belly burst! Big Head laughed and laughed and could not stop laughing until his head fell off.Poor Thin Foot got so frightened that he decided to run home to tell his mother. He was in such a hurry that as he ran, he jumped into a hole in the road and broke his leg! And that was the end of Big Belly, Big Head, and Thin Foot.And the Wheel Bend, And the Story End.~DELTA JACKSON DORSCH, VI EDUCATOR, FAMOUS STORYTELLER, AND CULTURE BEARER