'Slave Culture- African or American\r'

'Despite the abduction of millions of blacks from their homeland, break ones backs developed a well-set familial camaraderie in the States, retaining their African traditions as seen through leap, language, wear and hairstyle. Although kinship ties were usually humble during the slavery process, blacks living on the same grove created a strong-knit community that took part in fetes that highlighted the spirited music and dancing of the African culture. Additionally, blacks expressed the identicalness and uniqueness of their African tribe through their clothing and distinct hairstyles.\r\nThe constant influx of black slaves into America guaranteed the survival of the African culture, as to a greater extent and more generations of slaves replenished the African heritage (Yacavone 570). Although most evidence suggests slave culture was rooted in Africa, slave protagonism in adopting Christianity supports the theory of their assimilation into American culture. In dealing with the hardships of slavery, blacks endeavored in numerous efforts of rebellion and thresh to avoid assimilation into the American culture.\r\nNat Turner’s revolt embodied African resistance towards American tradition, as Turner sought to free his chum slaves from oppression and achieve a sense of equality, as seen through the eyes of God (eblackstudies. org). As a result of enslavement, blacks became united in times of resistance, as their â€Å"ethnic heritage bonded and emboldened them and underlay their saucy World identity as ‘Africans,’ forged in their common struggle (Rucker 285).\r\nSimilar to the tightly bonded African extended family, slaves exhibited strong camaraderie during times of escape, as it was common for Africans to leave in bands of six or more people (Couvares 290). Slave participation in communal festivals each year promoted the existence of the agile African culture, as they congregated by the hundreds to perform rituals, sing, and dance. T he Pinkster festival featured a mass assembly of blacks that would dance to the â€Å"hollow Sound of a Drum, made of the dead body of a hollow Tree…the grating alive(p) Noise of Pebles [sic] or Shells in a scurvy Basket” (White 8).\r\nMusic along with dancing took variant shapes and forms as the Jonkonnu festival reflected the African importance of nature, as it was accompanied with â€Å"songs strange, mo nononous cadences” (Warren 9). Slaves were also successful in maintaining their African dialects, which â€Å"not only allowed them to endure the incorporated tragedy of slavery, barely to bequeath a remarkable and enduring heritage to generations to come (Joyner 280). Slaves also exhibited their committal to the African culture through their clothing and hairstyle.\r\n hair was regarded as one of the most important move of the body for Africans as â€Å"elaborate hair designs reflect[ed] tribal affiliation, status, sex, age, [and] occupation” (White 49). In addition, hairstyles conveyed different messages to society and nature, as people of the Yoruba culture braided their hair to lay messages to the gods (Wiki). Similarly, African-American women made cloth that incorporated the atomic number 74 African ideals of design, using radiant colors to body forth the highly spirited culture (Thompson 170).\r\nAlthough blacks maintained several(prenominal) traditions of their past African culture, many slaves gave up their ethnic beliefs and adopted Christianity in order to gain a sense of belonging in the new American culture. Christianity became an Americanizing force on slaves not only because it served an hazard for them to escape the albumen encroachment towards their African religion, scarcely it also â€Å"fit into West African ideas closely the deities, the universe, and rebirth (Frey 282).\r\nLikewise, blacks were so quick to adopt Christianity because it acculturated them into American society with a feeling of equality among their white counterparts (Raboteau 283). Despite many blacks retaining their past cultural traditions, the last in converting slaves to Christianity was successful as â€Å"slaves turned not to traditional African sources of wisdom and solace but to Christianity for a useful and restorative understanding of routine life” (Couvares 283).\r\n'