Slavery in the Lower Hudson Valley - The Journal News

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A Newspaper-in-Education Supplement to The Journal News • LoHud.com
A frican Culture is American Culture
If you were to visit a foreign country (perhaps
many of you have), you might notice
that people do some things differently than
we do at home. For example, people living in
the place you visit might not speak English
or they might drive on the opposite side of
the road. Their clothes might be very different—men
might wear robes or women might
use veils to cover their faces outdoors. In some
countries, people might not shake hands as
a form of greeting; instead, they might bow
to each other. Some people eat their fish raw
while others consider ants covered in chocolate
a delicacy.
Simply put, around the world, groups of
people do everyday things differently than other
groups of people. These everyday customs
make up what we call a group’s culture. Culture
doesn’t necessarily mean laws; it means traditions,
beliefs, and codes of conduct. Culture
changes over time and many cultures borrow
from other cultures.
Research This!
It is no surprise, then, that the Africans who
arrived here by force as slaves shaped the development
of American culture. For many years,
historians studying slavery assumed that the
enslaved men, women and children who came
to America during the slave trade arrived here
with nothing. It’s true that African captives
arrived in America without tools, provisions,
money or other material possessions, but it
would be wrong to assume that they came
with nothing. Rather, they came with their
language and religion; they came with cooking,
farming, and craft skills, with parenting
skills, with music and storytelling traditions.
The cultural traditions they brought helped
form the society we live in today.
It was important for enslaved people to keep
hold of various African cultures. This was a
way to maintain independence and humanity.
Slaveholders might have claimed ownership
over a person’s body and labor—but as long as
that person had differing opinions and beliefs,
his or her mind and spirit would not be owned.
Maintaining aspects of African cultures was a
Talk the Talk!
Today, much of what we describe as “American”
has African antecedents. Think of our language,
music and stories—many common words
have African origins. For example: How many
of us have toted around a notebook, handbag
or umbrella? Most of us are familiar with
the word “tote.” This is a BaKongo
word, “tota,” meaning to carry.
There are other obvious ones;
“gumbo”—from “kigombo,”
common in several West African
languages for thick soup; “Jitterbug,”
from the Mandinko
“jitu-bag’ meaning a type of
fast dance. The words “hip’ and
“dig”—slang dating back to
bebop? No. These are Wolof
words meaning to understand, to be aware. There is an entire
dictionary of African words in the American language—words
like “juke,” “jive,” “goober,” and even “o.k.”
form of resistance to enslavement practiced
on a daily basis by African captives throughout
New York and the other colonies. b
Like Europe, Africa is a
continent, not a country.
The Akan, B’Kongo,
Coromantine, Vili and
Ibo people were as present
in New York in 1750 as the
Dutch, English, Huguenot,
Scottish and Germans. What
different kingdoms of Africa
did these people come from?
What are the areas that they
came from called today?
What’s in a Name?
Africa is three times larger than the U.S. and well over 2000 languages are spoken on the continent.
Language can provide clues about where in Africa some enslaved individuals came
from. Documents like shipping records, runaway advertisements, probate inventories,
and wills tell us that Akan-speaking Africans and their American-born children resided
on properties throughout New York. The Akan are a cultural group residing in
what are now the countries of Ghana and Togo and during the late 17 th
and early 18 th centuries, this region in West Africa accounted for
nearly 40% of all Africans taken to the Americas.
In accordance with tradition, Akan children are given names that
correspond to the day of the week on which they were born. These
day-names, called Kra, provide a cultural link from New York to the West
African coast. In the 18th century, one of the most common names in greater
New York was Cuff or Cuffee. This was based on the name Kofi. Other common
names included Quake or Quack (Kweku), Quash or Quashee (Kwesi), Amba (Ama),
and Cudjo (Kwajo).
Here is a list of the Akan day names and their “kra” or defining character:
Day Male Female Character
Monday Kwajo Adjoa Peacemaker
Tuesday Kwabena Abena Inspiration
Wednesday Kweku Akua Messenger
Thursday Yaw Yaa Political Leader
Friday Kofi Afua Inventor
Saturday Kwame Ama Defender
Sunday Kwesi Esi Leader
“Inventive” Former
UN Chief Kofi Annan
On
what day
of the week
were you born?
Do you know
anyone who has
one of these
names?