Book: Ji-nongo-nongo Means Riddles

Cultures across Africa have riddling traditions, and there are some nice African riddle books for children. Here is one by Verna Aardema (who wrote several books of African folktales for children), with illustrations by the great Jerry Pinkney, and it's just a click away at the Internet Archive: Ji-nongo-nongo Means Riddles.

This book draws on riddle traditions from across Africa, with forty riddles as found in about a dozen different tribal traditions; you can find information about the sources used in the credits section at the front of the book. The title comes from the Kimbundu language of Angola, and refers to a traditional Angolan guessing game.

Lots of the riddles have to do with animals, just as so many proverbs are also about animals, and these riddles often have a proverbial value to them. For example:

    Who has a house too small for guests?

    The answer is..... the tortoise. 

This Yoruba riddle plays with the physical fact of the tortoise's shell, but it also resonates with the greedy selfishness of the trickster tortoise in Yoruba culture; being hospitable is not one of the tortoise's qualities. And if the tortoise does invite you to dinner, you better be careful!

The illustrations are in Pinkney's beautiful, distinctive style; here's a page that accompanies some of the animal riddles:

And one of my favorite proverbs in the book gets its own full-page illustration:

    What can the buffalo do that two strong men can not? 

I'll put the picture here so that you can think about it; the picture gives you a clue, and you'll find the answer below the picture.

The answer: Grow horns!

And here's another one with a nice proverbial quality to it:

    What is it that even the ostrich with its long neck and sharp eyes cannot see?

Again, I'll put the answer down below the illustration so you can ponder...

The answer: The future!