Slave+Culture

= = = = =~SLAVE CULTURE~= Slaves around the United States at the time probably had a ***vast** amount of culture that each individual practiced. Most may think that every slave from Africa spoke the same language or had the same religion, but really they didn’t. Even though their culture was different, most Africans that were captured had cultural activity the centers around the family and the ethnic group.

=RELIGION=
 * (the words with stars next to them has the definition below)**
 * [|http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2narr2.html]**

=TRADITIONS= -African slaves kept their tradition from their homeland in many different ways, such as cooking, woodcarving, storytelling, and singing. Slave traditions root back all the way to Africa, and survived through the strict rules of practice amoung life on the plantation. One of the most practiced tradition through all was storytelling. Unlike other cultures this did not ***rely** on written words, but instead was told through many generations. [] =**MUSIC**=

The songs that were sung in the field to pass the work day soon developed into a new kind of music, Gospel. Gospel music combined the two themes freedom and salvation. listen to this gospel song below! (Read more about music in the entertainment section below.)

[|Swing Low, Sweet Chariot]
This is by Moses Hogan Chorale, this was a song that slaves would tipically sing. [] [] [] media type="youtube" key="n9s2Gy9lydk" height="344" width="425" = = =Entertainment= Slaves did not have too many options for fun things to do, due to the fact that most in the deep south lived on a ***plantation**. Even though there situation was ugly they managed to keep their spirits high and hopes up. Their main entertainment was music.They played homemade drums or anything they could find like old pipes or tree branches to create beats to dance to. It is hard to believe that they could find the time and energy to join together considering how many slaves were treated with little freedom and comfort (faith was all most of them had) they still had time to play their music and dance.

Working did not stop then from entertaining themselves either. Singing songs and humming in the field was ***common**. It really didn't matter where they were or what they were doing, slaves usually found all different types of ways to express themselves. Dance has played an important role in African history and tribes for centuries. Many tribes considered dances as useful rather than as entertainment. They used dances to protect the tribe, tell stories, remember history and as religious expression Most African religions use dance in some way. They see dance as a means to communicate with their ***deity**, expressing feelings, desires and requests to the gods. Rather than the african slaves who used dances to communicate with each other, pass messages, maintain their culture, pass the time and entertain themselves. Slaves in Europe had more freedom to dance than slaves in North America, but even North American slaves ***maintained** dance as part of their lives and culture.

African dance has influenced many popular American dances such as the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, the Jitterbug and the Twist. Many Western choreographers incorporate elements of the rhythm and style of African dance into modern dance. African dance is highly *percussive. In addition to the rhythms created by the dancers themselves, drums used by musicians and dancers accompany African dance. The musicians are usually so integrated that they become part of the dance. African dance is highly energetic and certain communities use it as a form of exercise. ~take a look at the video below of traditional African dancing~ media type="youtube" key="eFgBhMVgLtg" height="340" width="560" (This a recent performance done in seattle washington, and it really shows the kind of dancing the is connected to slavery and how african dances influesnced their dance that possibly influences our dace today)

~VOCABULARY THAT WAS STARED~
 * RELY- put trust in
 * PLANTATION - a large farm of estate(house) in a tropical or semitropical country in which the usual of cotton, tabacco, sugar cane, and coffee is grown
 * COMMON - belonging equally to an entire community, nation, or country
 * DEITY - a god or goddess
 * MAINTAINED - to keep
 * VAST - large variety of different things