Br'er Rabbit (an abbreviation of ''Brother Rabbit'', also spelled Brer Rabbit) is a central figure in an oral tradition passed down by

African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

of the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

and African descendants in the Caribbean, notably

Afro-Bahamians Afro-Bahamians are an ethnicity originating in The Bahamas of predominantly or partial African descent. They are descendants of various African ethnic groups, many associated with the Bight of Biafra, Ghana Empire, Ghana, Songhai Empire, Songhai ...

and Turks and Caicos Islanders. He is a

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...

who succeeds by his wits rather than by brawn, provoking authority figures and bending social

mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

as he sees fit. Popularly known adaptations of the character was originally written by

Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a planta ...

in the 19th century, and later by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

adapted it for the film '' Song of the South'' in 1946. __TOC__

African origins

The Br'er Rabbit stories can be traced back to

figures in Africa, particularly the hare that figures prominently in the storytelling traditions in

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, Central, and

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...

. Among the Temne people in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

, they tell children stories of a talking rabbit. Other regions of Africa also tell children stories of talking rabbits and other animals. These tales continue to be part of the traditional folklore of numerous peoples throughout those regions. In the Akan people, Akan traditions of West Africa, the trickster is usually the spider

Anansi Anansi ( ; literally translates to ''spider'') is an Akan folktale character and the Akan God of Stories, Wisdom, Knowledge, and possibly creation. The form of a spider is the most common depiction of Anansi. He is also, sometimes considered t ...

, though the plots in his tales are often identical with those of stories of Br'er Rabbit. However, Anansi does encounter a tricky rabbit called "Adanko" ( Asante-Twi to mean "Hare") in some stories. The Jamaican character with the same name "Brer Rabbit" is an adaptation of the Ananse stories of the Akan people. Smit

Some scholars have suggested that in his American incarnation, Br'er Rabbit represented the enslaved Africans who used their wits to overcome adversity and to exact revenge on their adversaries, the white slave owners. Though not always successful, the efforts of Br'er Rabbit made him a

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...

. Several elements in the Brer Rabbit Tar Baby story (e.g., rabbit needing to be taught a lesson, punching and head butting the rabbit, the stuck rabbit being swung around and around) are reminiscent of those found in a Zimbabwe-Botswana folktale. Folklorists in the late 19th century first documented evidence that the American versions of the stories originated among enslaved West Africans based on connections between Br'er Rabbit and ''Leuk'', a rabbit trickster in

Senegalese Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

folklore.

American adaptations

Stories of Br'er Rabbit were written down by

Robert Roosevelt Robert Barnhill Roosevelt, also known as Robert Barnwell Roosevelt (August 7, 1829 – June 14, 1906), was a sportsman, author, and politician who served as a United States representative from New York (1871–1873) and as Minister to the Hague ...

, an uncle of U.S. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. Theodore Roosevelt wrote in his autobiography about his aunt from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

that "she knew all the 'Br'er Rabbit' stories, and I was brought up on them. One of my uncles, Robert Roosevelt, was much struck with them, and took them down from her dictation, publishing them in '' Harper's'', where they fell flat. This was a good many years before a genius arose who, in 'Uncle Remus', made the stories immortal." Eatonton ga-brer rabbit-2

Some stories were also adapted by

(1845–1908) for white audiences in the late 19th century. Harris invented

Uncle Remus Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of African American folktales compiled and adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post-Reconstruction era Atlanta, a ...

, an ex-slave narrator, as a storyteller and published many such stories that had been passed down by oral tradition. He claimed his stories were "the first graphic pictures of genuine negro life in the South."Ritterhouse, Jennifer. “Reading, Intimacy, and the Role of Uncle Remus in White Southern Social Memory.” The Journal of Southern History, vol. 69, no. 3, 2003, pp. 585–622. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30040011. Accessed 9 June 2021. Harris also attributed the birth name ''Riley'' to Br'er Rabbit. Harris heard these tales in Georgia. Very similar versions of the same stories were recorded independently at the same time by the folklorist

Alcée Fortier Alcée Fortier (June 5, 1856 – February 14, 1914) was a renowned Professor of Romance Languages at Tulane University in New Orleans. In the late 19th and early 20th century, he published numerous works on language, literature, Louisiana histor ...

in southern

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, where the Rabbit character was known as ''Compair Lapin'' in Creole.

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have b ...

, the English writer of children's fiction, retold the stories for children.

Cherokee parallels

In a detailed study of the sources of Joel Chandler Harris's "Uncle Remus" stories, Florence Baer identified 140 stories with African origins, 27 stories with European origins, and 5 stories with Native American origins. Although

collected materials for his famous series of books featuring the character Br'er Rabbit in the 1870s, the Br'er Rabbit cycle had been recorded earlier among the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

s: The "

tar baby The Tar-Baby is the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881; it is about a doll made of tar and turpentine used by the villainous Br'er Fox to entrap Br'er Rabbit. The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled ...

" story was printed in an 1845 edition of the ''Cherokee Advocate'', the same year Joel Chandler Harris was born. Rabbit and Hare myths abound among Algonquin Indians in Eastern North America, particularly under the name

Nanabozho In Anishinaabe ''aadizookaan'' (traditional storytelling), particularly among the Ojibwe, Nanabozho (in syllabics: , ), also known as Nanabush, is a spirit, and figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world's creat ...

. The Great Hare is generally worshipped among tribes in eastern Canada. In "That the People Might Live: Native American Literatures and Native American Community" by Jace Weaver, the origins of Br'er Rabbit and other literature are discussed. Although the Cherokee had lived in isolation from Europeans in the remote past, a substantial amount of interaction was to occur among North American tribes, Europeans, and those from the enslaved population during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is impossible to ascertain whether the Cherokee story independently predated the African American story. In a Cherokee tale about the briar patch, "the fox and the wolf throw the trickster rabbit into a thicket from which the rabbit quickly escapes." There was a "melding of the Cherokee rabbit-trickster ... into the culture of African slaves."

Joel Chandler Harris

There are nine books by

that contain Brer Rabbit stories: *''Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings'' (1881), containing 25 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Nights with Uncle Remus: Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation'' (1883), containing 52 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Daddy Jake, the Runaway: And Short Stories Told After Dark'' (1889), containing 4 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Uncle Remus and his Friends: Old Plantation Stories, Songs, and Ballads with Sketches of Negro Character'' (1892), containing 11 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Told by Uncle Remus: New Stories of the Old Plantation'' (1905), containing 13 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit'' (1907), containing 4 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Uncle Remus and the Little Boy'' (1910), containing 5 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Uncle Remus Returns'' (1918), containing 6 Brer Rabbit stories. *''Seven Tales of Uncle Remus'' (1948), containing 3 Brer Rabbit stories.

Enid Blyton

There are eight books by

that are collections of stories featuring Brer Rabbit and friends, most of which appeared in various magazines in the late 1930s. *Heyo, Brer Rabbit! (1938) *The Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit (1943) *My Enid Blyton Brer Rabbit Book (1948) *Enid Blyton's Brer Rabbit Book (1963) *Enid Blyton's Brer Rabbit Again (1963) *Enid Blyton's Brer Rabbit's a Rascal (1965) *Enid Blyton's Brer Rabbit Holiday Adventures (1974) *Enid Blyton's Brer Rabbit Funtime Adventures

In popular culture

Early comics

*In 1902, artist Jean Mohr adapted the ''Uncle Remus'' stories into a two-page comic story titled ''Ole Br'er Rabbit'' for ''

The North American ''The North American'' was an American newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1839, though it could claim a lineage back to 1771, and published until 1925, when it was purchased by the owner of the rival '' Public Led ...

''. *The

McClure Newspaper Syndicate McClure Newspaper Syndicate, the first American newspaper syndicate, introduced many American and British writers to the masses. Launched in 1884 by publisher Samuel S. McClure, it was the first successful company of its kind. It turned the marke ...

released a ''Br'er Rabbit'' Sunday strip drawn by J.M. Condé from June 24 to October 7, 1906.

Disney version

*The 1946

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film '' Song of the South'' is a frame story based on three Br'er Rabbit stories, " Br'er Rabbit Earns a Dollar a Minute", " The Laughing Place" and " The Tar Baby". The character of Br'er Rabbit was voiced by Johnny Lee in the film, and was portrayed as more of a "lovable trickster" than previous tales.Brasch, Walter M. (2000). ''Brer Rabbit, Uncle Remus, and the 'Cornfield Journalist': The Tale of Joel Chandler Harris''. Mercer University Press. pp. 74, 275. Disney comics starring that version of Br'er Rabbit have been produced since 1946. *

Splash Mountain Splash Mountain is a log flume at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Magic Kingdom, based on the animated sequences of the 1946 Disney film ''Song of the South''. Although there are variations in the story and features between the three locatio ...

, a thrill ride at

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The ...

and

Tokyo Disneyland (local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to ...

, is based on the above 1946 film's animated segments featuring Br'er Rabbit. Br'er Rabbit also appeared at the

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...

for meet-and-greets, parades and shows. He also appears as one of the guests in ''

House of Mouse ''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to its final ...

'' and '' Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse'', often seen hopping in the applauding crowd, as well as in the video game ''

Kinect Disneyland Adventures ''Kinect: Disneyland Adventures'' is a 2011 open world video game developed by Frontier Developments and published by Microsoft Studios on Kinect for Xbox 360, with a remaster for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows developed by Asobo Studio rele ...

''. Starting with the Disneyland version of Splash Mountain in 1989,

Jess Harnell Jess Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor and singer. His notable roles include Captain Hero in the animated TV series '' Drawn Together'', Wakko Warner in '' Animaniacs'', Ironhide in the first three ''Transformers'' fil ...

has provided the voice of Br'er Rabbit in all of his modern Disney appearances. *An '' Uncle Remus and His Tales of Br'er Rabbit'' newspaper strip ran from October 14, 1946 through December 31, 1972.

Non-Disney

*On April 21, 1972, astronaut

John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Col ...

became the ninth person to step onto the Moon, and in his first words he stated, "I'm sure glad they got ol' Brer Rabbit, here, back in the briar patch where he belongs." *In 1975, the stories were retold for an adult audience in the cult animation film '' Coonskin'', directed by

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...

. *In 1984, American composer

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various film and television soundtracks. He is best known for his 1967 album ''Song Cycle'' and for his collaborations with ...

produced a children's album, '' Jump!'', based on the Br'er Rabbit tales. *1998's '' Star Trek: Insurrection'' saw the '' Starship Enterprise'' enter a region of space called the ''Briar Patch''. At some point during a battle with the Son'a, Commander Riker states that it is "time to use the Briar Patch the way Br'er Rabbit did". *A direct-to-video film based on the stories, ''

The Adventures of Brer Rabbit ''The Adventures of Brer Rabbit'' is a 2006 American animated comedy film loosely inspired by the African American Br'er Rabbit stories popularized by Joel Chandler Harris. The film notably features an all-black cast, including Nick Cannon as th ...

'', was released in 2006.

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's ...

provides his voice for the character. *There is a brand of molasses produced by

B&G Foods B&G Foods is an American branded foods holding company based in Parsippany, New Jersey. The company was formed in 1996 to acquire Bloch & Guggenheimer, a Manhattan-based producer of pickles, relish and condiments which had been founded in 1889. ...

named after the character. *in

Sam Kieth Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Maxx'' and ''Zero Girl''. Career Comics Kieth's first published work was "a story in the back of a Comico comic" when he was "about ...

’s ''

The Maxx ''The Maxx'' is an American comic book series created by Sam Kieth in 1993 and originally published monthly until 1998 by Image Comics for 35 issues, before being collected in trade paperback by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. The first appearance ...

'', the character Mr. Gone refers to Maxx as “Br’er Lappin” and indeed Maxx is worried if he removes his mask he will find he has a rabbit’s head beneath it. *in the 1982 film '' Savannah Smiles'', Savannah tells a story of Brer rabbit to her captors Bootsie and Alvie.

References

External links

The Wrens Nest 100 Years OF Telling Tales
* Full text o
Joel Chandler Harris
from

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

Brer Rabbit Stories at AmericanFolklore.net

* ttp://inducks.org/simp.php?lg=0&d1=br&pagel=l Inducks' index of Disney comic stories featuring Br'er Rabbit
Archived audio recording of an educational ArtsSmarts elementary school recording of "Brother Rabbit and Tar Baby"

Devin The Dude's song Briar Patch
{{Authority control American folklore Georgia folklore African-American cultural history Folklore of the Southern United States Rabbits and hares in literature Fictional rabbits and hares Fictional tricksters Song of the South characters Male characters in literature Male characters in comics Male characters in animation Characters in American novels of the 19th century Disney comics characters Comics about rabbits and hares Comics about bears Comics set in forests Literary characters introduced in 1881 Comics characters introduced in 1946 Comedy literature characters Folklore characters