Introduction
Folklore is a critical feature of human life that has been part of human social existence in all parts of the world. Folklore pertains to all aspects of human ways of life that are disseminated majorly through oral communication and behavioural examples. Folk groups are characterized by common traits that give each group a sense of identity. As such, folklore genres are some of the key characteristics that play chief roles in determining the identity of a community or a folk group.
It is imperative to note that varied definitions of folklore are given depending on the diverse views and perceptions. Some critics argue that folklore is old-fashioned and may fade away in the near future. However, it is evident that folklore connects people to their past while remaining a chief part of the present life.
This essay gives a deliberated discussion on folklore of the African-American folk group. In particular, the paper discusses the folk songs in the group. After giving a brief history of the African-American folk group, the paper discusses folk songs and folk singers during the slavery era. The subsequent part is on the evolution and development of folk songs among the African-Americans after the slavery era. Of particular interest is the emergence of the folk blues and hip-hop.
The essay is based on library research, obtaining key information from articles in peer-reviewed journals. The authors of the articles adopted academic and empirical approaches to the study of the African-Americans.
It is imperative to note that African-American folk songs express community-based traditions articulating common knowledge, culture, history, and general feelings of the group. Folk songs and, music in general, is a significant tradition in the African-American folklore. The songs connect the African-American group to their rich and significant past. Additionally, the folk songs have evolved throughout the dynamic and eventful history of the African-American people. As such, the ancestral wisdom and culture are passed down to generations through the songs. It is worth noting that most of the folk songs in the African-American society reflect philosophies, knowledge, and general emotional states.
The African-Americans History & Membership
The African-American folk group has its ancestral origin in Africa, especially sub-Sahara and West Africa (Bryc, Durand, Macpherson, Reich, & Mountain, 2015). African-Americans came to settle in the United States because of forced mass migrations of the Africans by European empires in between the 15th and the 19th centuries. During the slave trade era, more than 11 million Africans were forcibly moved from their ancestral homes and transported to Europe and the Americas. Precisely, most of the Africans were shipped to work as slaves in the European territories in the US.
Empirical studies have revealed the composition and membership of the African-American by linking them to the exact geographical locations in Africa. Studies on the mitochondrial DNA have classified the Africa-American to those that came from west-central Africa, southwest Africa, and the Sub-Saharan Africa (Salas, Carracedo, Richards, & Macaulay, 2005). Notably, Africans from some of the Northern parts of Africa, especially Morocco, are not regarded as African-Americans. It is imperative to note that the term African-American gained preference in the 1970s. Before the 1970s, other names such as Negros were commonly used but faced criticism due to their racist aspects.
Although slave trade was abolished and most of the African-Americans freed, oppression and racism were perpetuated by most white Americans leading to the unifying of the many African-Americans and the consolidation of folk songs.
The use of songs has been very popular in the group especially in the expression of oppression.
African-American folk songs
Folk songs are important aspects of the African-American customs. They vary from zydeco, jazz, blues, and hip-hop and they express a number of themes. Some of the outstanding themes in the African-American folk songs include slavery, struggles of personal empowerment, human rights, perseverance, and the African-American history in general. As such, African-American folk songs depict a full picture of the circumstances the African-Americans has gone through in their history in the United States (Graziano, 2004).
Slave Spirituals and Work Calls
As earlier mentioned, the African-American customs consolidated in the slave trade era. African slaves worked for their white masters under strict supervision and harsh demands. Therefore, the slaves had to work in unity while encouraging each other on perseverance. Folk songs played a vital role in the American slave fields. The songs were meant to pass news and information amongst the slaves and pass time in the harsh unconducive slavery environments (Graziano, 2004).
It is imperative to note that the choral arrangement of most of the slave spirituals and work calls borrowed a lot from the African cultures. Some of the apparent aspects in the folk songs included words interjections, melody variations, and the call response structure among others. Additionally, the African rhythm and the improvisation was a common aspect among the slave folk singers.
Evidently, the slave spiritual and work calls songs have greatly influenced the current folk songs, especially on matters of fighting for human rights, perseverance, and human empowerment.
During these oppressive times, perseverance themed songs characterized even religious ceremonies and rituals. For instance, “We Shall Overcome” and “I shall Not Be Moved” were some of the songs used by the African-American congregations in attempts to instill perseverance and give hope to the oppressed the group.
African-American folk songs after the civil war
The Emancipation Proclamation saw the change of federal laws concerning slavery and the freeing of more than 3 million slaves, especially African-American. Most of the freed African-Americans moved to northern cities, including Chicago and Detroit. However, others did not move but remained in the former slave owners’ states.
Nonetheless, the freeing of slaves did not end racial discrimination and violation African-American human rights. Therefore, the African-American folk songs were still themed with overcoming, endurance, faith, and the fight for human rights.
After the end of slavery, most of the African-Americans were working along railway lines. They constructed new railroads, especially in the rural American west. Others worked as domestic workers while others would sell merchandise along city streets. During this time, most of the songs were about the newfound freedom and the ties the African-Americans had with their waged/salaried jobs. The modern blues music is said to have originated from the era when the African-Americans started working for pay.
During this era, Folk-blues were sang and performed by organized groups of musicians. Touring entertainment groups, advertising shows, and burlesque troupes employed most blues folk singers to sing and perform in front of audiences. The folk-blues, however, were integrated with country-western music as the interaction with the country music singers became inevitable. As a result, the folk-blues become relatively country oriented (Graziano, 2004).
Oftentimes, artists who understand the cultural aspects and circumstances of African-Americans compose the group folk songs. Therefore, the African-American as a folk group easily adopts the songs. Leadbelly used music to tell the hard truth. Sometimes, Leadbelly would sing to seek pardon from imprisonment. He is to date regarded as one of the greatest influences of the African-American folk songs and music in general (Graziano, 2004).
Folk-Blues and the Advent of Rock & Roll
One of the most significant influence on the African-American folk songs is the era of blues and, eventually, the rise of rock & roll. Folk-blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Memphis Minnie made the genre popular even among other folk groups.
Folk-blues singers such as Keb Mo further integrated the genre with rock making it difficult to distinguish the two (Graziano, 2004).
Civil Rights folk Songs
The fight for equal rights by the African-Americans heightened between the 1950s and 1960s. African-Americans were struggling for racial parity, especially under the law. African-American folk singers were among the most vocal contributors to the fight for equality under the law. For instance, Folk singer Odetta and many others worked with Martin Luther King Junior to sensitize the African-Americans on the need for equality under the law. It is imperative to note that most folk singers were against the violent method of fighting for equality; rather they spread the word of direct action through non-violence (Graziano, 2004).
The folk singers stood in solidarity to impart the African-American community to reteach the songs of the slavery era. Civil Rights folk songs (that were somewhat radicle), such as “We Shall Overcome”, and “Oh Freedom” became very popular among the African-Americans fighting for equality. Ultimately, the protest, solidarity and the folk songs paid as the African-Americans became equal with the white Americans under the law.
Hip-Hop folk songs
Hip-hop, a genre of folk songs, emerged in the 1970s and quickly took roots among the African-Americans living in urban areas and cities. The genre borrowed rhythms from diverse musical genres, including the antique African drums and some modern music genres. Hip-hop folk singers majorly adopted rhythms and rapping to express deep-rooted emotions of disillusionment. Notably, there were mixtures of celebrations and frustrations among the African-Americans during the 1970s (Graziano, 2004).
The 1980s saw the rise of folk singer that revolutionized hip-hop. Hip-hop artists formed groups like the NWA while other sang alone like LL Cool J. As such, the folk music was brought into public consciousness. Some of the popular themes among the hip-hop folk singers were racism, violence, governance, and the abject poverty that most African-Americans experienced. Additionally, hip-hop artists rapped about relationships/love, work, and other day-to-day aspects of the community (Graziano, 2004).
Synthesis
The influence of folk songs in shaping the African-American narratives, ritual, and their ways of life, in general, is apparent. The folk songs have greatly featured in the history of the folk group, especially on matters of perseverance and enhancing hope. In the modern times, contemporary singers strongly influence the path of the American music industry as a whole. Additionally, music influences the politics civil rights, education, civil opinions, and the evolving history of the US in general.
The use of folk songs is not unique to the African-American society. The use of folk blues songs to express disappointment, perseverance, and in the fight for human rights is common among many folk groups around the world.
Conclusion
It is apparent that folklore is a key aspect of humanity. Folklore connects a folk group to its past while influencing the present.
This essay has discussed folklore in the African-American society. Particularly, the paper has discussed the evolution and the role of folk songs in the African-American as a folk group.
African-Americans have a rich history that is characterized by many events. Outstandingly, the aspect of oppression has characterized the existence of African-Americans. First, the African-Americans were forcefully evicted from their ancestral home during the slave trade. Second, they were forced to work for the white Americans as slaves. Third African-Americans were initially not considered equal to their white counterparts. Lastly, the African-Americans are most of the time discriminated against based on their race.
With such as an oppressive history and environment, the African-Americans have used folklore to ease their pain and make their circumstances relatively tolerable. The African-Americans have used folk songs to instil attributes of perseverance and hope amongst themselves. Additionally, African-Americans have used folk songs, especially blues to express their sorry predicaments while fighting for their rights. Hip-hop, on the other hand, has played a key role in the expression of disillusionments among the African-American society, especially disappointments emanating from racial discrimination and abject poverty.
Decisively, the role of folk songs in any society is apparent, as the essay has discussed the impact of the folklore genre in the African-American folk group and other groups as well.
References
Bryc, K., Durand, E. Y., Macpherson, J. M., Reich, D., & Mountain, J. L. (2015). The Genetic Ancestry of African Americans, Latinos, and European Americans across the United States. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 96(1), 37–53. Web.
Graziano, J. (2004). The Use of Dialect in African-American Spirituals, Popular Songs, and Folk Songs. Black Music Research Journal, 24(2), 261-286. Web.
Salas, A., Carracedo, Á., Richards, M., & Macaulay, V. (2005). Charting the Ancestry of African Americans. American Journal of Human Genetics, 77(4), 676–680.