The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales is a collection of folktales published in 1985 by author Virginia Hamilton. The collection won the Coretta Scott King Award among many other praises and notices. A Black author of over 40 books centered on Black identity and heritage, Hamilton is well-informed about the history of Black folktales and shares her knowledge in an introduction and with notes after each individual story. Hamilton didn’t write the tales—people passed them down from generation to generation—but she retells them so they’re accessible for readers. The stories use African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and tackle the themes of power, teamwork, and intelligence while revealing the possibilities of the world and the fluidity of identity.

This study guide uses the 1985 Alfred A. Knopf edition of The People Could Fly.

Content Warning: This guide cites language used in the source that are considered racial slurs today, and the text depicts explicit representations of the traumas of slavery in the United States. These terms and depictions are used when quoting the text only and do not reflect the views of SuperSummary. This guide and the text also depict alcohol abuse.

Plot Summary

Hamilton divides the folktales into four parts, with Part 1 focusing on animal stories, Part 2 introducing humans, Part 3 featuring humans and evil, and Part 4 specifically confronting slavery in the United States.

Part 1 starts with “He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit,” where a self-centered lion, he Lion, scares the little animals with his bombastic behavior, so the little animals get Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit to confront he Lion. After the rabbit and bear introduce he Lion to violent Man, he Lion changes his ways and becomes humble. The little animals aren’t so scared and can go about their business.

In “Doc Rabbit, Bruh Fox, and Tar Baby,” the rabbit and the fox build a house together, but the rabbit constantly sneaks off to drink the cream. The suspicious fox creates a baby rabbit covered in tar to trap the rabbit. Yet the rabbit outsmarts the fox and gets the fox to throw him in a briar patch—his home.

In “Tappin, the Land Turtle,” Tappin confronts a famine by visiting the king of the underworld and acquiring a dipper and magic spells that produce all sorts of hearty food. Yet Tappin abuses the dipper and spell, and the food disappears. A violent cowhide appears and attacks the kids, the king, and Tappin.

“Bruh Alligator and Bruh Deer” follows white enslavers as they upend the life of a deer with their hunting dogs that chase him. The deer avoids them, they fall into the water, and the alligator eats them. Bruh Alligator and Bruh Deer make a deal: The deer attracts the dogs for the alligator to eat, and the alligator leaves the deer and his family alone.

“Bruh Lizard and Bruh Rabbit” tells the story of a jealous rabbit, envious of a lizard’s efficient sword, so he steals it. The rabbit loses control of the sword, and it destroys his crops. The lizard laughs at the rabbit’s misfortune before he takes the sword and heads home.

A mischievous rabbit introduces an alligator to Trouble, which takes the form of a fire in “Bruh Alligator Meet Trouble.” The fire burns the alligator and his family, turning their white skin black. Bruh Gator learns to stay near the river and away from Trouble.

A wolf’s nephew tricks him into thinking a dance is a feast in “Wolf and Birds and the Fish-Horse.” The wolf acquires feathers from different birds and goes to the presumed feast, and then he insults the birds when he realizes it’s a dance. The birds ditch the wolf, and the fish-horse takes him home. The ungrateful wolf takes the fish-horse’s milk, but the fish-horse gains vengeance and kills Wolf.

Part 2 begins with “The Beautiful Girl of the Moon Tower,” where Anton, after dreaming about an enchanting girl, travels to her with the help of four flying creatures. He kills the girl’s dad, and they marry. Anton becomes king, and the girl becomes queen.

In “A Wolf and Little Daughter,” a girl disobeys her dad and leaves the safety of her home to pick flowers. She meets a wolf but avoids disaster by distracting him with a melodious song while moving back behind her gate. The wolf, rather thick-headed, doesn’t realize she’s returning to safety.

“Manuel Had a Riddle” tells the story about Manuel, who goes to fool a princess and get riches from a king. His mom thinks he’ll die and tries to kill him humanely with poisoned food, but with help from a witch, Manuel outmaneuvers the vain royal family. The queen and princess refuse to admit their mistakes, and Manuel and his mom become rich because the king refuses to admit that he gave away his ring, letting Manuel leave with it.

In “Papa John’s Tall Tale,” Jake’s dad orders him to plant a pumpkin seed, which turns into a humongous pumpkin patch. After he escapes the supersized pumpkins, Jake’s dad tells about the time he grew an enormous turnip. Jake wishes he could eat some of the turnips, and his dad tells him it’s what he had for dinner.

Big John torments Little John in “The Two Johns.” Big John kills Little John’s horse and grandmother and tries to kill Little John as well. Yet the abuse ultimately favors Little John and leads to wealth. Jealous, Big John attempts to get money by killing his own horses and grandmother. He fails to replicate Little John’s success for himself, and Little John kills him.

In “Wiley, His Mama, and the Hairy Man,” Wiley meets a devious Hairy Man in the swamp and, with help from his mom, fools him two times. His mother fools the Hairy Man a third time by giving him a baby pig instead of Wiley. Because Wiley and his mother trick the Hairy Man three times, he must leave them alone.

Part 3 begins with “John and the Devil’s Daughter,” where John de Conquer insists on working for the Devil. The Devil’s daughter tries to talk John out of it, but he won’t listen. As he can't complete the tasks the Devil gives him, the Devil’s daughter comes to John’s rescue. Using magic, she helps them escape her father. The Devil’s daughter marries John, and they have a happy life.

In “The Peculiar Such Thing,” a strange creature haunts a nameless man. The man cuts off its tail and eats it, enjoying the taste. The creature returns and demands its tail back. The man claims he doesn’t have it, but the creature doesn’t believe him, and the creature tears the man to pieces.

“Little Eight John” sees Little Eight John doing things like stepping on frogs or toads, even though his mother warns him that doing these things might bring curses to his family. He laughs at the harmful consequences, but a creature composed of dead bones, Old Raw Head Bloody Bones, appears and turns John into a spot. Thinking the spot is a spot of grease, John’s mom wipes it away.

Jack is a miserable alcoholic, yet he still manages to outwit the Devil in “Jack and the Devil.” He gets himself a year, and then a life-long reprieve, from the Devil’s clutches. When he dies, angels won’t let Jack into Heaven, and the Devil’s minions won’t let him into Hell. Instead, Jack has to wander alone in the dark.

In “Better Wait Till Martin Comes,” John, needing shelter, enters an abandoned plantation home, and three terrifying cats surround him. John keeps his composure and prays. The cats have to wait for Martin, but John doesn’t stick around: He leaves.

The first story in Part 4 is “Carrying the Running-Aways,” where an unnamed narrator, an enslaved person in Kentucky, helps enslaved people gain freedom by taking them to a man’s home in Ohio. Slave catchers try to seize the man, but he hides from them. The man and his wife eventually gain their freedom as well.

In “How Nehemiah Got Free,” Nehemiah, an enslaved person, uses his wit to make the cruel enslaver, Mister Warton, laugh. He tells Mister Warton he’s good-looking but then tells Warton he was telling a huge lie. Warton said if Nehemiah made him laugh, he’d free him, and he does.

“The Talking Cooter” follows Jim, an enslaved person, as he meets a talking, musical turtle. He tells his enslaver about the magical creature, but the enslaver doesn’t believe him. However, if the turtle exists, the enslaver says he will free Jim. The turtle comes around, and Jim earns liberty.

“The Riddle Tale of Freedom” depicts an enslaved person’s friendly relationship with his enslaver. They exchange jokes and riddles. Using his dead dog, the enslaved person gives the enslaver a riddle he can’t guess, so the enslaver must free him.

John’s enslaver thinks he’s a prophet and can predict the future in “The Most Useful Slave.” In reality, John is just a good listener. The other enslavers are unsure about John’s powers; they bet John can’t predict what’s in a box they present to him. John guesses correctly that a possum is inside, and he makes his enslaver a lot of money.

In the final story of the collection, “The People Could Fly,” the reader learns that some of the people from Africa who were forced into slavery could fly. Toby, an older enslaved person, reminds the other enslaved people that they can fly. As they suffer in the fields, he prompts them to use their wings and leave the heinous land of slavery for Freedom.