Describes the role of movement and dance in the lives of Blacks living on the Sea Islands off the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. Claims that the isolation of this area helps preserve its Africanicity and culture. Focuses particularly on the uses of rhythmic chanting in worship and in children's games. (KH)

Describes health and nutritional practices and beliefs among Black Americans, from slavery to the present. Links such practices and beliefs to social, political, and ideological factors. (GC)

Discusses similarities in the contemporary crafts from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Sea Island region of the United States as evidence of African cultural survivals. (GC)

Discusses the decline in publications for black children since the 1960's. Presents an annotated list of black literature for children including African history, African and Caribbean folktales, the African connection with American blacks, biographies and autobiographies, fiction, and poetry. (SA)

In 1868, Africatown was established in Mobile and Prichard, Alabama, by members of the last cargo of slaves brought to the United States. The community deserves recognition as a National Historic District because it is one of the few places in America where most residents can collectively trace their lineage to a group of pure Africans. In its…

Relates how the author/illustrator discovered similarities between African and American culture and found renewed pride in his African ancestry, while researching for a new book, an African variant of "Cinderella." (ARH)

This paper illustrates the ways in which the social environment can confer advantages on Black youth with respect to the playing of Afro-American music. The significance of mechanisms that Blacks have elaborated to maintain certain aspects of their culture for the writing of Black history is also explored. (Author/EB)

Argues that Afro-American music derives from an African continuum, from a musicology, and from tonal and rhythmic values which were and are distinctly African; and that Afro-American tradition is a folk tradition. (Author/JM)

It is traditional among some peoples of the world to celebrate an individual's coming-of-age with ritual. Through these ceremonies, and the tests which sometimes accompany them, a society socializes its youth and transforms them inwardly by molding their moral and mental disposition. Without such ritualization there is a breakdown in the…

Examination of representative stories told by black American children of West African descent in South Carolina shows that specific cultural motifs have been preserved in the oral tradition of black communities. Typical stories are tales of the supernatural, such as the Hag story about mortals who shed their skin at night to do evil deeds.…

Outlines the concurrent development of Black music and Black dance in the United States, and describes the interaction of the two genres throughout their mutually dependent evolutions. Traces the histories of the dances of African American culture, known collectively as "jazz dance," in relation to ragtime, jazz, and the blues. (AF)

This guide was prepared for use in conjuction with the television series JUBA, designed to link Afro-American children directly with their cultural heritage by establishing folklore awareness and curiosity. The four part guide uses language experience and a combination of childrens' natural fantasies and folklore imagery to help children develop…

The articles in this document emphasize the positive, unique aspects of Afro-American folklore. Etta Moten Barnett concentrates on the changes in African music in response to the new geographical and cultural influences in America. Frank Suggs, Jr. describes a strategy for introducing black folklore and black music into the elementary school in an…

This book seeks to raise some of the critical theoretical issues involved in the study of American negro folklore in all its major forms. Along with the presentation of texts, the concern here is for the meaning and significance of the folklore and its interpretations as expressed by a variety of authors. The selections are divided into eight…

This bulletin is a detailed list of source materials and resource packets for teachers, covering specific topics from the perspectives of anthropology, archaeology, and ethnography. All materials listed are available through the Smithsonian Institution. Pricing information is given with each item, and many materials are free of charge. Materials…