African American Culture Essay

Slavery in America was common practice throughout the 17th, 18th, and even 19th centuries. Many are aware of the cruelty that took place in this inhumane system of labor, which regarded African Americans as property and nothing more. Though African Americans were degraded, they were still human beings, and through this they found livelihood. Among their everyday responsibilities as slaves, they found time to create relations with fellow African Americans not only from their own plantations, but also with those from adjoining plantations. These relations lead to the formation of communities, some of which labeled neighborhoods. Amidst these communities, slaves interacted and attended activities such as celebrations, religious services, and matrimonial

Joyner’s idea of the slave community is predominately predicated on the adaption of African culture into American culture and the institution of slavery. Naturally, Africans who were imported to America brought their culture, consisting of customs, traditions, arts, religion, language, and social organization. As they were implemented into not only a new society, but also new geography, this culture adapted to the new environment encompassing them. Joyner goes into depth with this idea as demonstrated by the rice culture in South Carolina. These Africans, specifically, were “socialized into the ways the British colonists would have them behave,” but since there was such a predominance in presence of Africans, there was “a constant renewal of African cultural patterns on the rice coast” (Joyner 15). Along with the influence this new environment had on the African slaves, the African slaves also influenced the American culture around them. Joyner states, “…there could hardly have been successful rice culture in South Carolina without the strength and skills of enslaved Africans” (14). The African American culture of South Carolina remained very similar to that of African culture, including aspects of “material culture, their folk tales, their religious expression, their use of times, and even their use of language,” which is how they responded to hindrances of American society (Joyner

The Gullah language worked its way into all aspects of African culture, including things such as religion and the naming process. The Gullah language gave African proverbs and parables a very connotative nature making them customarily relevant. The language also worked its way into the naming process, where names of Gullah roots were referred to as basket names. Joyner states, “Since one’s name is his most basic label of identity, [basket names were] no trivial accomplishment” (222). While many slave masters believed they held the right to name newborn slave children, enslaved Africans used these basket names among themselves to establish a their own sense of identity. Gullah gave the enslaved Africans an exclusive bond amidst the slave communities, and therefore is a prominent aspect of African American