African American Music

777 Words4 Pages

First of all, slaves used elements of medicine and magic from African cultures in their everyday lives by using them whenever they felt a fever coming on or the slaves would use it for protection. Many slaves used magic and medicine for prayer and their way of for healing; treat their illness from their body and soul. Medicine and magic were used when the slaves would get together and do spiritual rituals on their masters. They would also use it as healing power, most of them are leaves, roots and bark. When the slaves would use this remedy it would cause less physical and emotional stress. These elements were also used for healing baths and it controlled the head, body, and dreams. However, the slaves used these remedies to put inside of …show more content…

Most African American songs can be best represented as when all the Africans would get together, and make songs that made them happy, and the audience would be able to sing along or dance to the beat. African American musical traditions represented in early spiritual practices were viewed in a good way because before singing the leader would sing a line and the others would follow and repeat the leader. Or they would also use the call- and response technique. Although, many of the European Americans liked the music from the African Americans some of them were threatened by it or opposed it, they decided or come up with new ideas for music of their own. When there was a performance happening there would be hand-clapping, yelling, dancing, and singing, people would start joining into the music. Over the years many of the African Americans music was either forgotten or was looked over with other musical traditions .When the slaves were going through harsh time they would turn to music to relive the pain they were going through and most of the …show more content…

Every night they would entertain each other with tales and talk about the world creation, magic, deeds. When they would get together they would take time do a performance or share their thoughts. The slaves would use folktales to pass messages to each other so they could meet up and plan to escape their master home. The folktales were used to express their values, experience, and beliefs. The folktale also shows us that the slaves were taken from their families and they had to leave behind their items, values, and customs. As slaves, they were not supposed to speak their own language. They were told they had to do hard labor work and they told not to escape, and when the slaves would go days without eating or when the slaves were done working in the field they had to do chores inside the house and if it wasn’t done the right way they would have to start all over again. As slaves, they weren’t allowed to live with any rights or freedom. I believe that the folktales show us how the slaves were mistreated and that they were living a life that wasn’t good and I believe that in today world we should appreciate what we have cause back then everything was taken from them, and they were force to do things that weren’t safe, and it caused them so much damage to their body and

Open Document