Perceptions of the Supernatural Among African-Americans

The author, Curtis J. Evans, argues that African Americans and images of black religion in American culture have been key to the development of American ideals and culture, as well as a reflection of the nation’s failures as a country. Throughout the text, Evans never truly offers any added narrative to the events in history he speaks on, but simply historicizes the burden that has been placed on black religion, and by natural extension, black people. He documents the changes in how black religion was viewed in America and how black America responded to these views.

Culture is such a broad and complex term that can be defined in numerous ways. It is said that in part is the integrated pattern of human knowledge, communication, belief, art, literature, and music one acquires upon learning and transmitting characteristics from previous generations. Culture is symbolic communication, and its symbols are learned and carefully perpetuated in a society through its institutions. In Black Culture and Black Consciousness by Lawrence W. Levine, he carefully attempts to uncover Afro-American culture during the antebellum and postbellum periods. More often than none, historians like to emphasize the things that get lost in the culture of Afro-Americans when they are taken from Africa and forced to live as enslaved people in North America. However, in Levine’s book, we discover that he carefully

It was “faith-based” and passed down to the following generation.1 The majority of slaves in southern Louisiana have African beliefs and superstitions. These were handed down to their offspring. Maybe this was driven, in part, so as to be in line with their inner African spiritual conscious. In these setting slaves were involved with, spells, magic, and root work, which was part of slave life. They believed in signs and wonders, invisible spirits, trances, spirit possession, visions, dreams.2 Their norm was inclusive of conjure-men, exhorters, and snake gods. Not to be left out was hush harbors, spirits and spirit

The development of Black Theology in the United was one that shocked the nation as a whole. While in slavery, Blacks had to sneak and hold church services. This was partly because Whites felt that Blacks were not able to be accepted into heaven, and they believed that once one as a Christian they could no longer be enslaved. So to appease their conscience they would not allow Blacks to take part in theology. Due to these issues Black Theology soon originated within the United States.

African Americans cannot bring an end to the warring souls in their communities if they do not know not what warring souls are. Therefore, African Americans must be taught. This teaching can come from schools, churches, or community events. Regardless, of where a person gains his or her knowledge, it is key that they understand what warring souls are. The scholar W.E.B. Du Bois saw warring souls as “souls that are at conflict and war with one another” because “one soul is alien, it is imposed from the outside” (T’Shaka 133). Thus, African Americans must understand that the war their soul is fighting is with a soul that is being force upon them. According to T’Shaka the alien soul is the western world, and the western world view (133). The way in which the Western world treats and views

Africans have, since the early settlement of America, has had a great influence in the nation’s growth. These contributions to the United States from enslaved Africans have been greatly portrayed in American culture. Varying from cuisine, to song and dance are not only portrayed today but it has a deep-rooted impact throughout the United States. During the middle passage, enslaved Africans were forced to abandon their everyday lives, their families and their homes and forced to adapt to a new lifestyle they knew nothing of. However, upon arrival into the New World, due to their prior knowledge and wisdom from back home, they were able to quickly adapt and custom themselves to this new lifestyle in order to survive with the hope of potentially one day returning back to Africa. Unfortunately, African contributions to the culture of the United States has received little to no recognition and it has been taken credit for by Europeans and Whites since the early establishment of the United States.

Inmy research paper I will be defining African American Culture and I also will be discussing things such as slavery, family relations, hairstyles, art forms, food, heath issues, symbolism, traditional beliefs and also why this topic is relevant to today culture and how this information can benefit Black American in today society. African American Culture in the United States refer to the cultural contributions of African ethnic groups to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American Culture.   African

Supernatural experiences and gender discrimination. Ana Castillo’s So Far From God (1993) has many instances of magical realism within it. Political messages can be interpreted through the novel’s use of this magical realism. Several instances of patriarchy within Latino culture set the stage for women to move beyond gender roles within this novel. I interpreted the use of magical realism to be used as a symbol for woman to move beyond patriarchy to find independence and identity. What does this say about the status of women (in terms of gender roles) within this novel’s Latino culture? Are they free to live their lives through gender discrimination? Through the support of scholarly sources, I will analyze ways in which Castillo’s writing

Abstract: Since the Transatlantic Slave Trade, African Americans have been dependent upon those of fairer complexions to educate them about the culture and history of their own people. Unfortunately, the trip over to the Americas caused them to lose touch with several parts of their being; native tongues, culture/heritage and most of all their self-righteous. Somewhere along the way they forgot that they are creators of every major practice; from metallurgy to agriculture; practices that essentially influenced the entire world. The Transatlantic Slave Trade essentially and effectively brainwashed a group of people. It caused people of the African diaspora to lose sight of who they really are; installing negative and inferior perception of their ancestry, while also installing white superiority through their mindsets. African Americans innately depended on white people for every part of their life, even later slavery. In regards to education, African Americans depended on white Americans to build infrastructures for the education of black people. This unfortunately continued the cycle of white dependency. While African Americans thought they were enhancing their knowledge, all they were doing was becoming more equipped servants to their white

Voodoo is the modernized term for Haitian Vodou. It developed in Haiti during the slavery era when African-Caribbean slaves were working on plantations. It has roots in African American spirituality, in Native American practices, and in Roman Catholicism. The central understanding in voodoo is that it is more about what you do than it is what you believe. While it may be referred to as a religion, this is actually more of a way of life for those who practice and participate in rituals. In doing these rituals, the practitioners are engaging in worship of the Lwa which is Haitian Creole for a group of spirits. These spirits act as an intermediary between the practitioners and God with whom they believe in a plane that is too high for humans

Author of “The Negro Family”, E. Franklin Frazier believed that the centrality of the Bible, structure of Black worship, and notion of God that evolved from the invisible institution to the Black Church was a confirmation of the power of white power. He contends that these developments were adaptive methods used by slaves to worship in a confined space. However, Frazier’s beliefs are undermined by Gayraud S. Wilmore’s description of Vodun in his book Black Religion and Black Radicalism. While admittedly Vodun’s organization was probably “infiltrated by Roman Catholicism” and exhibited some white influences, the ultimate goal of New World Africans in practicing Vodun was to adapt and

The Black Sacred Cosmos was developed through the conjoining of the African traditional past with Western Christianity. It explains the influence of the Middle Passage, and the efforts of enslavers to force assimilation of the Africans to Western religious beliefs and cultural practices. Traditional African religions encompassed all portions of life; believers found something sacred in their daily experiences. Modern day black religions encompass life as well, but there are certain days like Sunday, or Saturday in the Adventist church, where we may dedicate more time to God. Traditional religions were tied to family lines, from birth to death.

In response, the African-American community focused inward and forged their own culture concentrated on their churches, cemeteries, social clubs and saloons. The strongest bond was within the congregations of its closely-knit churches, some of which went back to the early 1800’s.

Enslaved peoples owned by Christians in Colonial North America were forbidden to practice any religion but Christianity. During the “Great Awakening,” Africans were exposed to stories from the Bible and they began to see parallels to their own experiences. Folk spirituals grew out of the experiences of enslaved peoples beginning in the American Colonies during the 1600’s. Slaves brought the call-and-response format with them and utilized it in the new world. Lyrics of these folk spirituals reflected the lives and hard conditions of slavery. Slaves also used spirituals as a way to communicate with one another without the master knowing. Since demographically, more African-Americans lived in the southern colonies, folk spirituals flourished in

When an average American thinks about voodoo, the image of a sinister gothic being most likely comes to mind. One that practices black magic and tortures their enemies by sticking pins into dolls. One that performs satanic rituals, sacrifices, and participates in cannibalism. With copious blockbuster movies publicizing this view of the religion, it is clear why. But is this the reality of voodoo or has it been fabricated to a great extent? The reality of these animal and human sacrifices is very much there. Although, most outsiders view these sacrifices satanic and devious, for Haitian voodooists it symbolizes their devotion to the spirits. However, the slaying of humans is obviously not accepted publicly or broadcasted the same way as if it was an animal so it is secluded more into secrecy, not letting any outsiders see. So, now the question is, is the Haitian voodooist human and animal sacrifices similar to how we depict it?