Nalo Hopkinson's novel Midnight Robber contains a story entitled "Tan-Tan and Dry Bone". It is one of the many elements from Caribbean culture that Hopkinson draws on in the novel. Hopkinson's novel is not the only book that draws on this specific element from Caribbean culture; see for example Anancy and Mr. Dry-Bone by Fiona French, published in 1991.
However, what is the exact origin or source of inspiration of the story? More specifically, is it just one story or a set of stories involving the same figure? Is it native to one specific island in the Caribbean or West Indies or is it more widely known?
