Nthano (chantefables) and songs performed by the Bangwe player Chitenje Tambala (Malaŵi)

Abstract

A number of recordings were made of stories (nthano) as related by Chitenje Tambala. These stories are told as songs accompanied by a board zither. From the recorded material three items were selected, two in Chicheŵa and one in Chiyao, and fully transcribed. Their content has been discussed in detail with explanatory notes and finally a comparative analysis and interpretation of the chantefables has been given. These stories provide demonstration examples for the use of verbal ambiguity as an important literary device in trickster stories.