Pinning Birthday Dollars

Written by Azizi Powell

Sometimes people consider a custom as a cultural fail because they don't realize where the custom comes from and what it means. That's what occurred on this website that I happened upon: Poorly Dressed-Seriously Questionable Syle Moments http://cheezburger.com/4674067968?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=sharewidget

That post, which is titled "Dolla Bill Fashion, Victim #2", features a Black woman & Black man seated at a bus stop in Houston, Texas (as noted by the signage in the photograph). The Black man looks at the heavy set middle aged Black woman who has a number of dollar bills pinned to the top of her sleaveless dress.

Although a few people ridiculed that photograph, a number of other commenters identified the practice of pinning dollar bills on a person's dress or shirt top as a birthday custom that is particularly practiced by African Americans in a number of different states (although more commenters in that discussion thread mentioned New Orleans, Lousiana than any other location).

A blogger named Heather posted two comments that provide information about the custom of pinning birthday money. Here's one of those comments:

heather
May 16, 2011
This is an old New Orleans tradition. It is rooted in our African American culture. This is not a “new” ritual at least not to those of us from New Orleans. And, although it’s roots are in the black community, everyone in NOLA celebrates with this tradition if they are so inclined. It doesn’t matter what color you are! We are a gumbo of people in NOLA who truly assimilate and appreciate each others culture, i.e. jazz, creole cooking, etc....

You all may be interested in reading this. New Orleans has deep ties to West Africa due to slave trading. So, this makes sense:

It’s also a West African custom to give money to musicians and dancers while they are performing. Paper money is given in appreciation of the performance. The dollar bills, or other paper money, are either laid at their feet or put in their clothing. This is called “dashing” or “spraying”.

That custom-and the West Africa custom of dashing newlyweds with dollar bills at their wedding reception-are also done in the United States and other places where West Africans live. These gifts are expressions of appreciation and good fortune.

These traditions of “dashing” are probably the source of the custom among some African Americans of giving people (especially children) celebrating their birthday gifts of dollar bills. Those dollar bills are then pinned to the birthday celebrant’s shirt, blouse, or the dress top (near his or her heart).

Lastly, many New Orleanians were scattered to the four corners of this country during Katrina. Some of our New Orleanians evacuated to Houston and have remained there. Hence your picture.

Update 3/7/2013
I'd like to add a friendly correction to the comment that Heather wrote.

If I understand it correctly, "dashing" isn't the same as "spraying" or showering a person with paper money. Instead, "dashing" means to give a person a small token of your appreciation. For instance, waaay back in the 1980s, I met an American who had traveled to West Africa, and was selling African clothing & artifacts including small traditional African musical instruments. I purchased some things from him, and he dashed me a few items.

Other than that slight correction, I agree with what Heather wrote.

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Here are the comments that I posted to that discussion thread (with minor revisions):

Azizi
September 29, 2011
The custom of spraying money is a traditional Yoruba custom for special occasions such as birthdays, and weddings. Paper money is placed on the honoree’s face and floats down to the ground where it is collected by a designated person. As Heather mentioned in her comment above, “spraying” (dashing) was done to shower good fortune on the honoree-that good fortune literally and symbolically is represented by the paper money that is supposed to come down like rain upon that person.

The African American custom of pinning dollar bills to the birthday person (for adults, it seems to me that the honoree is usually female) derives from that Nigerian custom. Maybe African Americans are more practical than Yorubas. We pin the dollar bills on to make sure that none goes missing-and a dollar bill is pinned on the top of a person’s dress or shirt to indicate that it’s that person’s birthday and to therefore receive other dollar bills from those seeing that pinned money (whether they are known or unknown to the birthday celebrant).

This custom of pinning money is found among some African Americans in the city where I live, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, I don’t remember it occuring in my hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey. I don’t think it’s done in every African American community, but it’s not just a Southern custom (though it could have been carried to the North, Midwest, West, and other USA regions by Black folks who lived in the Southern USA.

It’s likely that this custom of pinning birthday dollars on your dress or shirt top occurs more among working class or poor African Americans.That said, pinning dollar bills to one’s dress top (or shirt) is definitely not a poor fashion statement. It’s a cultural thang.
-Azizi, September 29, 2011
-snip-
I wrote that "spraying money was done". I should have written that "spraying money was & still is done..."

Also ditto what Heather wrote about the Nigerian tradition of people spraying drummers and other musicians with paper bills to signify their appreciation for their music.

I also agree with those who wrote that this is a custom among some waitresses and some Latinos (who as was mentioned above, may also be dark skinned), as well as some White folks. However, I want to reiterate that I believe that this custom originated in Nigeria and not among Latinos from Texas or elsewhere...

To quote one more commenter from that "Poorly Dressed" blog:

Teelabrown
April 21, 2011

Yeah! It’s a birthday tradition! Don’t be hating on it. It’s fun and you get to wish strangers Happy Birthday and contribute a buck. It’s something that works better for teen girls and children, but this lady seems to be doing just fine.

-snip-
Click the "spraying money" tag for additional pancocojams posts about this custom.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-custom-of-wearing-birthday-dollars.html for a 2017 pancocojams post about the custom of wearing (pinning) birthday dollars in the United States.

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FEATURED VIDEOS

[Revised October 8, 2016]

Example #1: Nigerian Money Dance



Uploaded by kjbrown3 on Dec 19, 2010

At this 50th Jubilee - Money is sprayed on the birthday celebrant. This is a joyous custom reserved for significant occasions such as a wedding, child christening or a funeral.

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Example #2: Nigerians spraying Dollars in Europe ORIGINAL VERSION



Abraham Omokhuale, Published on Jan 19, 2015

Nigerians spraying Dollars in Europe ORIGINAL VERSION

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Example #3: Edo Guys Spray Money Uncontrollably at an Event



Azu Trend, Published on Jul 11, 2015

Edo Guys Spray Money Uncontrollably at an Event

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Example #4: Akobe performance @ Prince igiehon baby dedication Nederlands



jfroze djjeff, Published on Dec 8, 2015

Akobe performance @ Prince igiehon baby dedication Nederlands

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Nigerians in Amsterdam spray money using a machine during naming ceremony

UTV Ghana Online Published on Jun 28, 2016
Nigerians in Amsterdam spray money using a machine during naming ceremony
-snip-
This video and Example #4 documents that Nigerians in Europe practice the custom of spraying money. This video also documents the new custom of using a machine to spray the paper money.

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Black Mexicans & Black Peruvians

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post was inspired by the Henry Gates' PBS series Black In Latin America

http://video.pbs.org/video/1915580662/
Black in Latin America: Mexico and Peru: a hidden race
The almost unknown history their significant black populations.

“Far more African slaves came to Mexico and Peru together than came to the United States in the entire history of the slave trade.”


From http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/featured/qa-with-professor-henry-louis-gates-jr/164/

Q&A with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr

...why do you think there is a lack of knowledge about the black populations in Latin America?

Well, incredibly, there were 11.2 million Africans that we can count who survived the Middle Passage and landed in the New World, and of that 11.2 million, only 450,000 came to the United States. That’s amazing. All the rest went south of Miami as it were. Brazil got almost 5 million Africans. In part, this reflects our ignorance as Americans who don’t know that much about the rest of the world. But also, it is in part the responsibility of the countries in South America themselves — each of which underwent a period of whitening. In the hundred year period between 1872 and 1975, Brazil received 5,435,735 immigrants from Europe and the Middle East and this was a conscious policy after 1850 to “whiten” Brazil which was such a black country. Brazil is the second blackest nation in the world. Brazil has the second largest black population — black being defined by people of African descent in the way that we would define them in this country. It’s second only to Nigeria. But no one knows this. So it’s those two reasons, that the countries themselves went through long periods of being embarrassed about how black they were and secondly, our own ignorance. That’s why this series is so important. It’s meant to educate Americans, and people in Europe and the rest of the world, but it’s also meant to educate people in South America, too. And in each of these countries there is a political campaign against racism, for affirmative action, and for their right to exist where they don’t as census categories. For example, in Mexico and Peru, they are fighting for the right to be identified as black. As in France, many people in these countries thought that if you put that social identity in the census that it reinforces racism. But doing that also prevents people from organizing around race when they are discriminated by race. It’s a paradox. And it’s fascinating to see what is similar and dissimilar in each of these countries.

For Black in Latin America you visited Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. How did you choose to focus on these particular six countries?

… No one thinks of Mexico and Peru as black. But Mexico and Peru together got 700,000 Africans in the slave trade. The coast of Acapulco was a black city in the 1870s. And the Veracruz Coast on the gulf of Mexico and the Costa Chica, south of Acapulco are traditional black lands. Here’s the punchline, Barack Obama the first black president in the New World? No way. Vicente Guerrero in 1829. Mulatto, just like Barack Obama. First President of Mexico.

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Afro Mexicans



Uploaded by unique5589 on Sep 15, 2010

This video is about the African presence in Mexico. It includes a brief history of Afro Mexicans and famous Afro Mexicans. It is in English and Spanish.

The term Afro Mexican is referring to someone of African and Mexican origins. Of course, African descendants have other roots and lineages too...

It should be noted that many persons of African descent in "Latin" America and the Caribbean do not refer to themselves as, "Afro + nationality" but either as "negros", "afrodescendiente" or by their nationality.

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african presence in mexico



Uploaded by ahsed76 on Jan 27, 2009

brief intro into an exhibit focused on Africa's presence in Mexico,and mexico's "third root"

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Black Beauty in Peru



Uploaded by LaMorenaReina69 on Nov 22, 2009

Peruvians of African ancestry are descendants from Africans and Malagasy Slaves that were brought over during slavery. Slavery was abolished in Peru in 1856 by President Ramon Castilla. Afro peruvians today celebrate their heritage with festivals such as Verano Negro. There is an estimate of 2 million Peruvians who are of African Ancestry.

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Peru afro dance of Chincha



Uploaded by kawash125 on Jan 9, 2007

this is a typical dance of Chincha in Peru.

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House of Prayer Shout Bands

Edited by Azizi Powell

Shout Bands



Uploaded by SeekerTruth2011 on Mar 7, 2011
Sounds of Zion Shout Band

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Selected information and videos of African American shout bands are featured in this post for historical, aesthetic, and religious purposes. This is not meant to be a comprehensive presentation of this music tradition.

My thanks to all of the uploaders of these videos.

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WHAT IS A SHOUT BAND?
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shout_band
"A shout band is a traditional, soul based musical style that arose in some predominantly African American Protestant churches in the 1920s.

The shout band tradition of the southeastern United States originated from the exuberant church music of North Carolina. African American brass players formed bands, predominately trombone-based, inspired by jazz, blues, Dixeland, gospel, and old time spirituals: a more soulful version of a New Orleans Brass Band. The United House Of Prayer For All People, a Holiness Denomination founded in 1919 in Massachusetts, is particularly known for its Shout Bands."

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From http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/madison-clouds-of-heaven-a-trombone-shout-band/Content?oid=1197720
"Madison Clouds of Heaven, a trombone shout band
by Grant Britt
June 07, 2006

[The trombone shout band] tradition originated with House of Prayer founder and evangelist Sweet Daddy Grace...Grace originally traveled with a single trombone player, but the excitement the horn stirred up soon led to the formation of entire brass bands. Bandleader Cedric Mangum even says New Orleans funeral bands are a spin-off of the shout-band mold. But now, the Madison Clouds of Heaven trombone shout band serves as the Charlotte [North Carolina] House of Prayer's traveling ambassadors.

"We do our ministry through our music," says Mangum, who follows no set program. "We allow the spirit of the Lord to guide us, and that's how we normally do our performances."

The band's membership ranges from 30 to 35 members, performing in what Mangum calls Jubileeing, an old-time gospel style based on a call and response format used by many groups like the Dixie Hummingbirds.

Like older gospel groups, the band uses one repeating, pulsating chord for hypnotic effect. The technique, termed backtiming, builds excitement in the congregation shout band and paves the way for the run man.

"Once we get into a set backtiming, meaning the background plays a certain note continuously, then the run man comes in to give us some special effects, meaning some other type of runs that go on top of that," Mangum says. It's like the rhythm section with the lead singer soaring over it. "We call it building the spirit."

...Establishing a name outside the church is a fairly recent development [for shout bands]. The United House of Prayer's bishop started allowing shout bands to play secular venues only in the last 15 years. Since then, the word has gotten out in large part due to a Folkways Records compilation, Saint's Paradise, a Smithsonian Institute collection that features the Clouds of Heaven along with other sacred Charlotte bands, like Madison's Lively Stones and McCollough Sons of Thunder."

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SHOUT BAND VIDEOS
[Selected videos are assigned numbers for the sake of this post. No preferential ranking is intended by these numbers.]

Video #1 - Sounds of Zion Shout Band
Embedded at the beginning of this post.

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Video #2 - Harlem Soul



Uploaded by Yojimbot1 on Mar 20, 2011

The United House of Prayer for All People [located in Harlem on 124th and Frederick Douglass Blvd] performs "Touch the Hem of His Garment"

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Video #3 - He Looked beyond my faults!



Uploaded by Facility5 on Mar 21, 2011
MGS playing
-snip-
Note: According to a commenter, this band is the Glorious Sounds from Washington, D.C.

The Bishop (religious leader) of the House Of Prayer denomination is referred to as "Daddy". That is likely who the person in the video is referring to when he says "Thank you Daddy".

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Video #4 - Zeb Harrison and Sound OF Praise



Uploaded by MrMoses11 on Jan 19, 2011

Pre-Christmas program -Pastor Alfred C.Harrison church.

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Video #5 - Trombone shout band: Kenny Carr and the Tigers



Uploaded by carolinashout on Oct 8, 2009

Kenny Carr and the Tigers Shout Band, Carolina Shout, 2001, University of South Carolina

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RELATED LINK
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/videos-of-south-african-gospel-brass_7.html to find videos of South African brass bands.

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Why I Started Wearing African Dresses

Written by Azizi Powell

This is an essay I wrote in January 2006 (with minor revisions).

I've a confession to make. The real reason why I started wearing African dresses was to impress a certain man. Yeah I know-wrong reason. But my excuse was that I was only 20 years old.

I had just started going out with an African American man who had given himself the Arabic name of "Zayd". A little later in our relationship, Zayd would give me the Swahili name "Azizi", and that's the name most people know me by.

Zayd owned & operated an African book, jewelry, and clothing shop in northern New Jersey not too far from the college that I attended. He impressed me as a handsome, intelligent, somewhat older man who had traveled to Africa a couple of times. Perhaps because of that travel, Zayd knew an African man who was affiliated with the United Nations. As a result of this contact, Zayd received an invitation to a United Nations reception for some African dignitary, and he invited me to attend this reception with him.

Well, I didn't have the faintest idea what to wear to a United Nations reception, and being a poor college student, I had no money to go out and buy a dress.

I shared my dilemma with a college classmate who I had recently met. That Black girl lived with a White family as a foster child or in some such arrangement. When she heard about my dilemma, she convinced me that my best bet was to buy a sewing machine pattern and make my own dress. So we went out and bought a pattern, and then we took the pattern back home to her house, and enlisted the help of her White foster sister. That girl was around our same age, and had the sewing machine skills that we lacked. With their considerable help, I ended up with a long, light green "African dress" that looked quite good on me -if I do say so myself. So my aura was shining brightly at that reception.

I don't remember what the other women wore that evening, but I do remember pretending not to notice the looks of admiration that I received from the men. Yeah, I had it goin on that night. After that success, I bought a couple of long dresses from Zayd's store (or did he give them to me? Probably both). And that's how I started to wear African long dresses in my daily life.

A year or so after I started wearing African clothing, I joined a cultural nationalist organization that was based in Newark, New Jersey. Zayd was one of the leaders of that organization. Poet, playwright, activist Amiri Baraka (formerly kn own as LeRoi Jones) was another one of that group's leaders. Through that organization I met several women who were members of New York's Grandassa models*, and I even modeled with them one time. These women and a few other African American women who were members of that Newark organization taught me how to wrap fabric on my head. I would sometimes wrap those geles in the shape of a rounded crown. But I preferred wrapping them the Nigeria way with pieces of fabric sticking out. During this time and for a long while afterwards, my entire outdoor wardrobe consisted of long "African" dresses or tops & long wraparound or sewed skirts.

A few years after I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I met a Yoruba woman named Olabisi (Bisi) Ogunleye. Bisi's husband was attending the University of Pittsburgh. She was a wonderful seamstress & she made some African dresses for me from authentic Nigerian material. Bisi also shared some Yoruba stories and songs with me that I adapted for my school & community presentations as an "African storyteller". And one Thanksgiving Bisi invited me and my then husband over for dinner. That was our first time eating fu fu. And even though Bisi said that she hadn't made that traditional Nigerian dish with a lot of hot spices because she knew most African American weren't used eating food that was too hot, I quickly reached for a glass of water because that food was burning my mouth.

Bisi joined me in some of the community cultural presentations that I did. And when I stopped working at Carnegie Library as an African storyteller, she was hired to fill this position. About a year later, Bisi and her husband and children returned to Nigeria and we lost touch with each other. Blessings on you, Bisi, wherever you are. Thanks for helping your African American sister.

Time passed. Time passed. Time passed and around about 1987 I stopped wearing African clothing all the time. But I still wear authentic African wraparound skirts and matching tops, or 'real' African dresses, and I still wear African geles for cultural presentations or just because I want to. And if somebody asks me why I started to wear African clothing, I say it's to celebrate my African culture. But I know the real reason I started wearing those clothes. And now so do you. :o)

*The Grandassa models were a Harlem (New York City) based group of afro-centric Black female models.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/12/descriptions-of-grandassa-models-their.html for more information about that group of models.

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Here are two videos that demonstrate how to wrap Nigerian headwraps (geles) and Nigerian wrap around skirts (lapas)

How to tie Gele, Aso Oke, Head wrap, Head tie, Scarf, Damask, Single



Uploaded by DupsiesAfricanAttire on Jan 19, 2010
How to tie Gele (Paper-like material used in West Africa and other parts of Africa as a head wrap, Headtie or stole/shawl)

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How to Tie a Wrapper, Lapa, Iro, Wrap Skirt



Uploaded by DupsiesAfricanAttire on Jan 19, 2010
How to tie a wrapper, Lapa, Iro (Worn in Africa. Usually worn with a matching top. Can also be worn with other tops). Can also be worn around the neck...

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Here is a video of a traditional Yoruba (Nigerian) wedding that showcases traditional Nigerian female & male fashions:

[This video was added on October 8, 2016 to replace the former video which is no longer available.

Folayemi and Olusanmi -- A Traditional Union



KauriFilms's channel, Uploaded on Sep 10, 2011
Music:
"I Love U" by P-Square
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The Banjo Is NOT A Native American Musical Instrument

Written by Azizi Powell

First off, I wanna say that banjos are definitely not my favorite musical instrument. Nor do I think that "banjo music is the happiest music in the world" (as indicated in the "About" statement of the facebook group American Banjo Museum).

I used to detest banjo music because of its association in my mind with slavery and White 'blackfaced' minstrels. And I'm still vehemently dislike the negative racial stereotypes, "darky" references, and dialectic language found in many American banjo songs.

But I've learned to be more accepting of American banjo & fiddle music & actually like some old time songs - especially as they are performed by African American groups such as The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sankofa Strings, and the Ebony Hillbillies. I very much support these groups' efforts to raise the awareness of African Americans and other people to this music, and I consider this blog post a part of that effort.

Perhaps because we African Americans are more self-confident about our racial identity, we can now go back & embrace this music that we had such a large part in creating. As the Ghanaian adinkra proverb Sankofa says "It is never too late to go back and claim what we have left behind."

Part of "going back and claiming it" is being alert to erroneous assertions that the banjo originated in the United States. It appears that some banjoists and some banjo groups may want to distant the banjo from its African roots. However, nowadays most musicologists and historians acknowledge that the prototype for the banjo came from one or more African musical instruments.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo

Banjos with fingerboards and turning pegs are known from the Caribbean as early as the 17th century. 18th and 19th century writers transcribed the names of these instruments variously as "bangie", "banzar", "banjer", and "banjar". Instruments similar to the banjo (e.g. the Japanese shamisen, the Persian tar, and Morroccan sintir have been played for many centuries. Another likely ancestor of the banjo is the akonting, a spike folk lute played by the Jola tribe of Senegambia, and the ubaw-akwala of the Igbos. Similar instruments include the xalam of Senegal and the ngoni of the Wassoulou region including parts of Mali, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast as well as a larger variation of the ngoni developed in Morrocco by sub-Saharan Africans known as the gimbri.

From http://www.shlomomusic.com/banjoancestors_earlybanjos.htm

Banza and strum strum were just two of the many names for the earliest forms of the banjo, which first made its appearance in the Caribbean, most likely sometimes in the 1630s or ‘40s. From 1689 through the early 19th century, European observers documented other terms for these instruments such as Creole bania (Surinam), banjil (Barbados, Jamaica), bansaw (St. Kitts) and merry-wang (Jamaica). Two of the most common names were banzar in French, Spanish, and Portuguese colonies, and banjar (also banjer, banjor, banja,banjah etc) in the English colonies.

The first documentation of the banjo in North America was in 1737

From http://usslave.blogspot.com/2011/06/banjo-african-american-music.html

The banjo is a product of Africa. Africans transported to the Caribbean and Latin America were reported playing banjos in the 17th and 18th centuries, before any banjos were reported in the Americas.* Africans in the US were the predominant players of this instrument until the 1840s.

*I believe that "the Americas" here means "North America".

I've no problem whatsoever with musicians of any race or ethnicity playing the banjo. But I do believe in giving credit where credit is due. The banjo is NOT a "native American instrument" (as promotional literature for a US banjo club reads). The prototype for the banjo in the Caribbean, the United States, and other American nations, came from enslaved Africans' memories of that instrument. Yes, the banjo has changed since then. But the banjo's history in the Caribbean and the Americas is intricately tied to the history of Black folks.

Now run & tell that!

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Here are videos of an African akonting player from Senegal, West Africa, an ngoni musical group from Mali, West Africa, and an African American banjo & fiddle group:

Advanced Akonting playing by Ekona Jatta



Uploaded by UlfJagfors on Oct 1, 2006

This video features one of the best Akonting player, Ekona Jatta from Mlomp, Casamance region, Southern Senegal.In slowed down and up the speed tempo he demonstrates advanced Akonting playing

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Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba at the Jools Holland 2007



reebeeking | March 10, 2008 | 3:23
live Mali Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba Africa

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Carolina Chocolate Drops "Cornbread and Butterbeans"



knoxnews | May 12, 2008
Carolina Chocolate Drops performing "Cornbread and Butterbeans" at WDVX's Blue Plate Special.

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Click http://www.cocojams.com/content/videos-traditional-musical-instruments for a related page from my Cocojams website.

Also, click for another related Cocojams page http://www.cocojams.com/content/american-banjo-fiddle-songs

http://www.shlomomusic.com/banjoancestors_earlybanjos.htm is a well researched online page for information about the early use of the banjo in the Caribbean and the United States.

In addition, click http://www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139880625/the-banjos-roots-reconsidered to read an article from NPR on the African origins of the banjo. That article focuses on the akonting. Hat tip to Mudcat Discussion Forum member Desert Dancer for her post on that article.

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Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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Responses To Racism In Australia - Hilda's Story

Written by Hilda Fish (February 6, 2006)

Note:
This post was written by "Hilda Fish" on a Mudcat discussion thread entitled "Responses To Racism" http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=88950. Hilda Fish" is the screen name for an indigenous female from Australia who also used to post on Mudcat, an international online Blues & Folk music discussion forum.

I consider Mudcat to be a rich resource for lyrics and information about many songs from those genres & some other genres including my primary interest "children's playground rhymes". Members & guests routinely discuss other subjects besides music in that forum's BS section. I was an active poster on Mudcat Discussion Forum from August 2004-December 2009, but I rarely post there now.

Hilda Fish gave me permission to include this post in a book concept that I've since put aside. Unfortunately, I've lost touch with Hilda, but I don't think that she would be opposed to my publishing this post on this blog. Also, the owner of Mudcat (and my facebook friend) Max Spiegel, has given me permission to repost forum members' comments as long as I have prior written permission from them.

“Freda” is a White Australia woman who is a Mudcat member, Hilda Fish’s close friend, and also is my online friend. “Strange Fruit” is a Billie Holliday song about lynching.

I started that "Responses To Racism" thread in the hopes that members of that forum would discuss others ways to respond to racist posts except ignoring them. In one of my posts to that thread I wrote that it’s important for Black people and other People of Color to know that “someone's got our back”. What that saying means is that when people find themselves in a difficult situation, it helps for them to know that they can count on support from other people regardless of those persons' race/s or ethnicity/s.

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Hilda's Story

I just can't see that there is a problem saying THAT IS OFFENSIVE - THAT IS RACIST - IT DEMEANS ME - IT DEMEANS YOU - IT DEMEANS WHAT IS HUMAN IN US ALL. IT IS NOT RIGHT. IT IS NOT SOMETHING I'M PREPARED TO LET GO BY UNCHALLENGED. IT IS CRUEL, DANGEROUS AND MURDEROUS AND IF I WAS IN YOUR FACE YOU'D CERTAINLY FEEL HOW I FEEL ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING. GET THIS INTO YOUR HEAD - RACISM IS AN INSULT. I AM CALLING YOU A RACIST. GO AWAY!!!!! To name it and attack it is a good start I think.

A story - I was once at a pub with a friend. It was a social meeting between a big group of people of like mind. Various people were getting up to talk about things. It was all pretty progressive and 'good'. Then this guy got up and in response to an article in a newspaper stated that Aboriginal people were more aligned with animals than human - that white people were superior and it was time that Indigenous (Black) people got the picture. And so on. Everyone listened politely while I started steaming. Oh dear I thought, waiting for my 'friends' to rip him to shreds one way or another. They didn't. There was a lot of polite discussion about how what he said was unacceptable. Un...f...acceptable! I was dying there by what he said and I was dying there because no-one (here you are Azizi) was watching my back. Here we go again I thought. I have to stand up and name this crap and condemn it because no-one else is gonna. They don't even see it. Or they believe in 'freedom of speech', 'politeness'. I thought for a minute and realised no-one was going to listen so I launched myself out of my chair and gave him a mighty smack in the mouth. Everyone grabbed me but I did get a good kick in. I was hauled out of the pub and banned. Well. I was shaking and in a shocking way but I felt good - not belittled or victimised - but good.

Now those who know me know that I am pretty mouthy sometimes but not violent. The worst I mostly do is getting into a swearing frenzy and walk away but truly, mostly I am polite, ladylike, blah blah blah. Some Koories* in the front bar came out and sat with me. We sat together and then various people including my friends came out and condemned me at first for being 'violent'. We talked and basically I said they were gutless for not naming and challenging it - they said they had left that to me. Why me? They saw it too. Why always us to deal with this stuff? Everyone knows about the lynchings and the shootings and all the terrible stuff that is given permission through racist words and racist deeds. Sometimes I am beyond words as my people are sometimes so beyond words that all we can do is scream, go mad, and yes, smack someone in the mouth. The guy said he'd never speak like that again in front of me if that is the result. What did I care what the racist creep thought. He hadn't cared about me or my blood. All I can say is name it, challenge it, reject it in all its forms. Its not a polite discussion you know. Good phrase Azizi - "need to know and see is that somebody's got our back". I'd like to rely on that as one human being to another. Life has shown that I can't - yet.

And yeah, come to Sydney Azizi and stay with me or Freda. You can see how Australia practises its racism!! There are many forms (just joking heh heh). Oh, the first time I heard "Strange Fruit" was in Melbourne at a folk club such a long time ago. Everyone thought it was a terrific song - I was the only Aboriginal there and I cried and cried and cried once I got what it was about. Everyone thought I was drunk!! How awful and sad is that song? What can I say?

Rest in peace all my brothers and sisters on this planet who no longer walk the earth because someone did not like your skin. I honor your short lives and your suffering and will not forgive so easily and well not let racism have a healthy life wherever I meet it. Rest in peace. That's the bottom line isn't it?

* "Koories" is a self-referent for certain populations of Australian indigenous people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koori

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Here's a video of Billie Holliday singing "Strange Fruit":

Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit



Uploaded by MonsieurBaudelaire on Nov 25, 2006

Rare Live Footage of one of the first anti rascism songs ever.

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In Praise Of The South Shore Drill Team

Edited by Azizi Powell

The South Shore Drill Team - Bud Billiken Parade 2010



Uploaded by 773area773 on Mar 2, 2011
South Shore Drill Team doing it at the Bud in 2010!

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This blog post showcases The South Shore Drill Team, a Chicago, Illinois performing arts group that I've not yet had the pleasure of seeing in person. But I love the videos of this group & I love what I've read about that group's history & purpose.

The South Shore Drill Team reminds me of groups who marched in the "Black" parades that were held in my hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey. I especially remember the male teenage drill teams that paraded when the [Black] Elks conventioned in Atlantic City. I lived about two blocks down the street from Atlantic City's Soldier's Home. As a child I knew that building best as the meeting place for a drum & bugle corp. Watching that corps practice in the Soldiers' Home yard, and experiencing them parading down my street even before their "real parades" nurtured in me a life long love of drum & bugle corps & drill teams. And the South Shore Drill Team certainly appears to me-and to many others- to be one of the best of the best drill teams.

Here's an excerpt from The South Shore Drill Team's website http://www.southshoredrillteam.org/about.html
"In 2010, South Shore Drill Team celebrates 30 years of serving youth. Founded in 1980 with a handful of neighborhood children, the team has grown to serve 350 young people ages 8-21 annually...

Well-known for its amazing precision drilling, the team is a favorite of parade-goers everywhere. In addition to its unique marching style, South Shore Drill Team has a wide repertoire of dance, including classical and contemporarymusic, hip hop, jazz, and modern dance. Team members have traveled extensively throughout the United States and toured Morocco in North Africa in 2005. The group was featured in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off...

The organization’s purpose extends far beyond entertainment. It was begun by former Chicago Public School teacher Arthur Robertson, and its focus remains on education. All members are required to be students in good standing, and their grades are monitored. The team offers tutoring for those who struggle in school. Despite the fact that the majority of members come from schools where thedrop-out rate is as high as 55%, the team sees 99.5% of its members graduate with their class and most go on to college or technical school, breaking a cycle of poverty.

In addition to Education Support, the team offers programs in Employment Training and Leadership Development. Training and Leadership Development. Members learn about self-discipline, teamwork, and responsibility. An estimated 5,000 young people have beenpart of the group. Team alumni include teachers, police officers, entrepreneurs and business managers, people in the entertainment field, and medical professionals. For more than 30 years, South Shore Drill Team has been helping young people build a future for themselves."

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Here are a few videos of Chicago, Illinois' South Shore Drill Team:

Video # 1: The South Shore Drill Team - Bud Billiken Parade 2010

This video is presented at the top of this page.

Here's some information about the Bud Billiken Parade from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Billiken_Parade_and_Picnic

The Bud Billiken parade is an annual parade in Chicago Illinois oldest and largest African American parade. Since 1929 it has been held the second Saturday in August... The idea for the parade came from Robert S. Abbot, the founder of the [African American] newspaper The Chicago Defender. The focus of the parade is the betterment of Chicago youth.

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South Shore Drill Team 2011 - WGI Indianapolis Regional FINALS-February 20, 2011



Uploaded by 773area773 on Mar 1, 2011

Editor: From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Guard_International "Spawning from Drum Corps International DCI, Winter Guard International WGI was founded in 1977, as a visual performing arts organization that hosts regional and national competitions for color guards (known as winter guards) and indoor percussion ensembles.

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South Shore Drill Team



Uploaded by Bigballalaw on May 22, 2011
West Virginia Strawberry Festival 2011

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The Real Caucasians (Definitions of "Caucasians" and Videos Of People From The Caucasus Region)

Written by Azizi Powell

The other day a blogger chastised another commenter for referring to White people as "Caucasians", writing that he was surprised that people were still using the term "Caucasian". So that started me to wondering-What does "Caucasian" mean and is it or isn't it a correct referent for White people?

My first stop online was http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucasian where I found this definition:

1. of or relating to the Caucasus or its inhabitants
2. of, constituting, or characteristic of a race of humankind native to Europe, North Africa, and southwest Asia and classified according to physical features —used especially in referring to persons of European descent having usually light skin pigmentation

— Caucasian noun

— Cau•ca•soid adjective or noun

First Known Use of CAUCASIAN
1658

-snip-

The #2 portion of that definition, particularly its inclusion of "North Africa", and "southwest Asia" confused me. Wanting more information, I visited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_race. Here's an excerpt from that page:
"The term Caucasian race or Caucasian is used to refer to people whose ancestry can be traced back to Europe, North Africa, West Asia, South Asia and parts of Central Asia. It was once considered a useful taxonomical categorization of human racial groups based on a presumed common geographic and/or linguistic origin.

In the United States, it is currently used primarily as a distinction loosely based on skin color alone for a group commonly referred to as Whites, as defined by the American government and Census Bureau. In Britain, "Caucasian" follows the North American definition, but in continental Europe, "Caucasian" currently refers exclusively to people who are from the Caucasus. However, it is rare and becoming increasingly politically incorrect in Britain to categorise people as Caucasian because of the vagueness of its definition."

That page further stimulated my curiosity. And my next online stop was even more interesting. Here are several entries from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=caucasian. Definitions posted on urbandictionary.com come from that site's visitors. Other visitors can give a posted definition a thumbs up or thumbs down rating for accuracy (and probably also writing style). Warning: Some definitions posted on urbandictionary.com are gag entries and/or are racist, sexist, profane, and/or homophobic, and therefore-in my opinion- aren't suitable for children or teens.

As of September 19, 2011 the highest ranking urbandictionary.com definition for the referent "Caucasian" was that provided by Evey_9 Nov 16, 2006 [1113 up, 490 down]. If I correctly understand what Every_9 wrote, he or she takes the position that continental or nationality referents should be used instead of the referents "Caucasian" or "white".
"Caucasian

The incorrect term used to label a "white" man or woman. The word Caucasian refers to a person who is from the region of Caucasus, which is in Europe bordering Turkey and Iran. Therefore, I am not a Cauasian being that I am not from Caucasus. I am, in general, European. Also I am not "white" being that I do not blend in with white paint, or white paper. I prefer to think that I have some amount pigmentation in my skin, thank you very much.

A Jamaican man being called African, even though he is Jamaican.

A Mexican woman being called Dominican, even though she is Mexican.

A Peruvian being called Puerto Rican, even though they are Peruvian.

A Palestinian being called Israeli, even though they are Palestinian.

A German being called Caucasian, even though they are German.

THERE IS A DIFFRENCE."
-snip-
Here's the #6 rated entry for the word "Caucasian" as of 9/18/2011:
"Caucasian

554 up, 487 down
1. of or relating to the Caucasus, a region in the east of Europe imbetween the Black Sea and the Aral Sea, especially referring to the peoples, languages, and cultures native to that region.

2. A term used briefly in the early years of the 20th century by anthropologists to refer to the race of human beings that inhabits Europe, Iran, parts of Central Asia, and the north of the Indian Sub-Continent. This use of the word derives from the theory that all of these populations ultimately originate in the Caucasus region. The word has passed out of common use in academic circles, but is still used in North American English to refer to ethnic Europeans - ironically because of this the largest groups considered to be Caucasians, the inhabitants of South Asia and Iran, would not be considered as such under this definition.

1. "Georgian is the most widely spoken South Caucasian language, spoken mainly in the Caucasian nation of Georgia."

2. "The suspect is a Caucasian male, considered dangerous, proceed with caution."
by MKHH Jun 19, 2005"
-snip-
Although the final entry for the word "Caucasian" that I'm reposting from urbandictionary.com only has a few ratings [14 up, 17 down], it's last sentence but not its first echoes the blogger's comment that initially sparked my curiosity about the appropriateness or inappropriateness of that word:
"Caucasian

This is an incorrect term and also offensive to define white people, as Caucasians are not white but brown.

Caucasian people are from Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, those countries so forth.

Please remember that White people are not Caucasian, it's stupid, ridiculous and offensive to say it.

I am from Turkey and I'm a Caucasian person.

I am White but not Caucasian.

Mike JM Sep 4, 2010"

-snip-
FEATURED VIDEOS

Talysh-Azerbaijan Caucasian Girls Dance



Uploaded by WarrioRDFB on Mar 19, 2009

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Two dances from Caucasus region by Gülay Princess & The Ensemble Aras (live 1994)



Uploaded on May 23, 2009


Two dances from the oriental musical »Eine Entführung in das Serail« performed by Gülay. Based on an original melody from Azerbaijan arranged by Josef Olt. This Oriental Musical was created and directed by Gülay Princess and Josef Wolfgang Olt. »Eine Entführung in das Serail« (»An Abduction to the Palace«) was put on stage in 1994 at The AKZENT in Vienna, Austria. The company was represented by three singers, five dancers, three performers, one storyteller and eight musicians. The audience were the guests of the sultan and spent a festive evening at his palace. Video recorded by Heinz Wimmer.

Official website of Gülay Princess:
http://www.gulayprincess.com

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Why I Add Videos To My Websites

Written by Azizi Powell

Just the other day one of my facebook friend wrote that she didn't like a video that I had posted on my facebook wall. That comment provides me with an opportunity to share the following statement that I add to my website pages:

These videos are provided for their sociological, folkloric, historical, aesthetic, and/or entertainment value.

To be clear, I share videos that I believe have particular sociological, folkloric, historical, aesthetic, and/or entertainment value/s.

On my facebook page (which is under my name cocojams jambalayah), and on my website http://www.jambalayah.com, I post videos that I like for one reason or another. On my website http://www.cocojams.com, I add videos that supplement the text (lyrics/words) and/or demonstrate the performance activity/activities of featured songs, rhymes, or chants. And on this cocojams.com page http://www.cocojams.com/content/videos-traditional-musical-instruments, I present videos that showcase how an instrument is played.

Here's an excerpt from About jambalayah that provides more information about that site and about my reasons for embedding videos on my websites & this pancocojams.com blog:

http://www.youtube.com is an amazing video archive that includes a great many creative performances from musicians, vocalists, and dancers from all around the world. However, because there are such a huge number of videos uploaded to YouTube, it's often quite difficult to find high quality, creative, classic, and culturally significant videos on that site. The difficulty of identifying music/dance video gems on YouTube is further increased by factoring in a criteria that those videos be appropriate for viewing by children in schools and other public settings.

Jambalayah.com is a website which helps the general public identify a portion of YouTube music/dance videos that are high quality, creative, classic, and/or culturally significant. I call these examples "video gems". The majority of the video gems showcased on Jambalayah.com are from African American cultures and from other Black cultures throughout the world.

By no means do I believe that the videos featured on Jambalayah are the only music/dance gems on YouTube. And I'm fully aware that some people may not agree with my assessment that certain videos showcased on Jambalayah are "gems".I'm also fully aware that any other online collection of YouTube music/dance video gems-including any collections by other African Americans-would likely be somewhat different or even very different than this collection. And I'm interested in finding out about other online video sites such as jambalayah.coms.

That statement also applies to pancocojams. I write on pancocojams about subjects that I'm interested in. I also include posts written by guest bloggers. Those posts must meet the cultural focus and the standards of this blog. Videos are included with most of these posts because they illustrate the points shared in those posts and because they enrich the experience of reading those posts.

I'm grateful to all those persons who uploaded on YouTube videos that I've reposted. I'm also grateful to YouTube for making the embedding process so easy that even a technological challenged person like me can do it. Thanks also to Blogger for making this site available and easy to use. Also thanks to my facebook friend Lizzy Cornish for teaching me how to embed videos on my now defunk myspace site.

Here's the very first video that I posted on cocojams.com & simulataneously on jambalayah.com:



Uploaded by SesameStreet on Jan 29, 2009

-snip-

And here's an example of a video gem that I found while "surfing" YouTube:

Playing For Change - Stand By Me | Song Around the World



Uploaded by PlayingForChange on Nov 6, 2008

http://playingforchange.com - From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. Featured is a cover of the Ben E. King classic by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it travelled the globe.

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Little Sally Walker (A Story. Tellin It Like It Is & Like It Was)

written by Azizi Powell

A Story. Tellin It Like It Is & Like It Was
(c) Azizi Powell, May 10, 2004

Little Sally Walker may not be as popular as “Miss Mary Mack” but she’s got a following all her own. And I’m one of her biggest fans.

Did you know that there once was a time that every Black child from North Carolina to New York knew Little Sally? My girl, Sally - she sure got around.

Little Sally’s got a lot of aliases. When I was growing up in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1950s, Sally was known as “Little Sally Ann”. Here’s how we sang about Little Sally Ann:

Little Sally Ann
sittin in the sand
a weepin and a cryin
for a nice young man.
Rise, Sally, rise.
Wipe your weepin eyes.
Now turn to the East
and turn to the West.
And turn to the very one
that you love best.

Well, I never knew what Sally’s last name was. But when I moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the late 1960s, I found out that folks here said Sally’s last name was “Walker”, which I know a lot about ‘cause my sister and my cousin married some WaIkers. Anyway, here’s how children in Pittsburgh sing “Little Sally”:

Little Sally Walker
Sittin in a saucer
A weepin and a cryin for
a nice young man.
Rise, Sally rise.
Wipe your weepin eyes
Turn to the east and turn to the west
And turn to the one that you
love the best.

I hear tell that way back when, children down South added some more to that song tellin Little Sally to

put your hands on your hip
and let her backbone slip.
Aah, shake it to the east, Sally
Shake it to the west, Sally
Aah shake it to the one
that you love the best.

There’s even another version of Little Sally Walker that this famous Black singer by the name of Leadbelly (You ever heard of him?) used to sing. It went like this:

Little Sally Walker
sittin in a saucer
a’weepin and a’moanin
like a little turtle dove...

(That song isn’t sung much anymore, probably ‘cause folks nowadays don’t know that a turtle dove’s some kind of bird that acts all lovey dovey or something. That’s what I think anyways.)

My girl Sally even shows up in some songs they used to play on the radio like that “Spirit In The Dark” song that Aretha Franklin made. Aretha's song goes like this:

It’s like Sally Walker
sittin in her saucer
that’s how you do it.
Ain’t nothin to it.
Rise, Sally, rise.
Put your hands on your hips
and cover your eyes
and move with the spirit in the dark.


And talkin ‘bout movin, now I hear tell that Sally girl done really changed up. The other day my grand babies and their friends showed me a whole new side to Sally Anne Walker. Well, maybe it’s not new to you, but it was new to me. Here’s how she goes now:

Little Sally Walker
was walkin down the street.
She didn’t know what to do
so she stood in front of me.
I said ooh girl do your thing.
Do your thing, STOP!
I said ooh girl do your thing.
Do your thing, and SWITCH!

That switching thing isn’t about shaking their little hips back & forth. It means “changing places”. Here’s how they did it. My grandbabies and their friends made a circle and one girl-I guess she was “Little Sally Walker” was in the middle of the circle. So while the other children are singing that song, little Sally Walker’s walking around the circle, kinda struttin you know. And then when they sang “she stood in front of me”, Little Sally does just that. And then when the song goes “ooh girl do your thing”, little Sally does some kind of hip swingin dance. And that one Little Sally’s standin in front of starts doin the exact same dance, only she does it her way. Then when the song says “Stop!”, they both stop movin. They kinda freeze in place, you know what I mean. Then the other children playin that game start singing again, and Little Sally and the one she’s standing in front of go back to doin that same dance they were doin before. Then when the song goes “Switch!”, the old Little Sally Walker changes places with the one she was standing in front of, and the new Sally Walker starts struttin around the circle. When it comes time for her to do her dance, she does somethin different from the other Sally Walker. But whatever she does, you can see she puts her whole soul in it. Because if it’s one thing about Little Sally Walker that everybody knows, is that she’s got soul.

Which is funny in a way cause Little Sally Walker's really WHITE. No, wait a minute. I’m not kiddin. I found out her real name was Sally Waters and she was born overseas in Europe. How she got started was like this: way back when, a woman who was gettin married had to step over a saucer of water on her way to the wedding ceremony. I swear I’m not making this up. That’s how those Little Sally sittin in a saucer words came about. It was to purify the water. Ain’t that somethin? We jumped over brooms, and they stepped over saucers.

Anyway, I don't care if Sally first came from White people. We made her Black with all those shake it to the East Sally Shake it to the west Sally, let your back bone slip hip shakin motions. Not to mention that Black people are all mixed up with Black, White, Indian, Hispanic, and Asian and I don’t know what else kind of folks. That’s the way it’s been for a real long time, and that’s the way it’s probable gonna always be. Anyhow, ole Sally Walker’s all right by me. Wherever she came from, she’s one of us now. And that’s all I’m gonna say ‘bout that subject.

The end.

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Editor:
I believe that the title "Little Sally Waters" is the earliest version of "Little Sally Walker", "Little Sally Ann", and "Little Sally Walker Walkin Down The Street". From my reading, I gather that this children's game song originated as a British marriage and/or fertility ritual.

VIDEOS AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Example #1: Bessie Jones - Little Sally Walker



ichagall | April 20, 2010
-snip-
Editor:
The beginning portion of this video features African American folklorist/author Bessie Jones instructing children & adults how to play a version of the children's game song "Little Sally Walker".

The other game song that is featured on that video, "Johnny Cuckoo", will be the subject of a seperate Pancocojams post. The words to that rhyme, and my comments about it can be found on the Cocojams link given at the end of this post.

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Example #2: Billy Preston - Little Sally Walker (1965)



Uploaded by nyrainbow2 on May 26, 2008

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Example #3: Rufus Thomas - Little Sally Walker



Uploaded by paul2mtr on Jul 15, 2011

-snip-
Click http://www.metrolyrics.com/little-sally-walker-lyrics-rufus-thomas.html for the lyrics to this song.

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Example #4: Little Sally Walker Walking Down The Street



by AnnaGraceBananaFace on Feb 25, 2009
-snip-
"Little Sally Walker Walking Down The Street" is an updated version of "Little Sally Walker". I remember seeing African Americans girls (around 7-10 years old) playing this game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. I think that the multiple number of "Little Sallys" toward the end of this video might have been done to make sure that as many children as possible got a turn in the middle. Whenever I've seen this game played, there has only been one "Sally" in the middle at a time, and only one person she or he stands in front of & then switches places with.

"Little Sally Walker Walking Down The Street" is a children's game. However, the much older game "Little Sally" is relegated to a very young children's game (pre-five year olds), while the newer "Little Sally" game is considered to be suitable for play by girls five years old and older, because it provides opportunities to show off dance moves. In my direct experiences, girls self-initiate this game and it is usually only played by girls. However, I've seen a number of YouTube videos in which coed groups of White teens/yound adults or an interracial coed groups of teens/young adults play this game. It's my sense that inspite of the opportunities to show off their dancing skills, African American and Latino boys over the age of five wouldn't self-initate this game and would be less likely to participate in this game or any other hand clapping game with or without solo dancing opportunities*. It should be noted that the name "Sally" doesn't appear to change if a boy happens to be picked to go in the middle. The use of that female name serves as documentation that this originated as a girls only game.

In my opinion, the number of YouTube videos of this game performed by children, and often teens & adults demonstrates how the African American influenced "show me your motion" children's circle (ring) games are still being played in updated fashions. As is the case with the "traditional" show me your motion games, in this updated version, the one who is picked to join the person in the middle is supposed to exactly imitate the dances and/or other movements that the middle person does. Of course, this rule is waived with very young children.

It's also worth noting that a number of YouTube videos document that certain populations of teens and young adults also may play "Little Sally Walker (walking down the street)" as a stress reducer or just for fun. That game may not be initiated by the students themselves but might be started at the suggestion or direction of a teacher (after a test or at the end of the school year) or a director of a theater production before the play's performance.

A similar "fun, stress reducer" children's game that has also been adopted by some teens and young adults is "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky". I wrote "certain populations" because I have strong doubts that these games are played with the same frequency if at all by all or predominated African American or Latino classes or groups. It's my theory that those two children's games are examples of ways that race/ethnicity and not just age and gender can influence which playground games are played & sometimes even how those rhymes are played.

*I have seen African American boys over five years of age play the competitive hand slap game "Stella Ella Ola" (also known as "Slap Billy Ola"). However, in my experiences of this game (in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the late 1990s & the early 200s) was that boys didn't initiate this game, boys only played this game along with girls, and that boys didn't play this game after the age of 12 years or so (when they left elementary school). In other words, while the competitive nature of handslap games such as "Stella Ella Ola" and "Slap Billy Ola" make them more attractive to African American boys than non-competitive circle games, hand slap games (and handclap games) are generally considered to be girls games.

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RELATED LINKS
For additional text examples, comments, and videos of the old and new versions of "Little Sally Walker", visit this page of my Cocojams website: http://www.cocojams.com/content/childrens-game-songs-and-movement-rhymes

For text examples, comments, and videos of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky", visit this page of my Cocojams website: http://www.cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes For examples of "Stella Ella Ola" and "Slap Billy Ola" click http://cocojams.com/content/handclap-jump-rope-and-elastics-rhymes-2

Additional comments about "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" can be found on this page of my Cocojams website: http://www.cocojams.com/content/text-analysis-down-banks-hanky-panky

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South African Isicathamiya Music

Written by Azizi Powell

About seven years ago I happened upon the book African Stars- Studies in Black South African Performance (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) by Veit Erlmann. Here's an editorial review of that book:

Erlmann (anthropology, Freie Universat, Berlin) writes with sympathetic authority on the South African musicians, composers, and dancers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who paved the way for such contemporary figures as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Unlike David Coplan's In Township Tonight! (Longman, 1986), which attempts to provide a comprehensive history of modern black South African performing arts, this study features concentrated, scholarly essays on several significant individuals. Quietly challenging those who view the evolution of the performance styles in terms of sociopolitical mass movements, Erlmann gives credit where it's due to such influential creative talents as African American choral singer Orpheus McAdoo and South African composer Reuben Caluza. For African studies and performing arts collections with an interest in world music and dance.
- Anne Sharp, Ypsilanti District Lib., Mich.

http://www.amazon.com/African-Stars-Studies-Performance-Ethnomusicology/dp/0226217221
-snip-
Although I found the entire book fascinating reading, I was particularly interested in its chapters on isicathamiya music. Here's some information from other online sources about that genre of South African music:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isicathamiya:

Isicathamiya (with the 'c' pronounced as a dental click) is a singing style that originated from the South African Zulus. In European understanding, a cappella is also used to describe this form of singing.

The word itself does not have a literal translation; it is derived from the Zulu verb -cathama, which means walking softly, or tread carefully. Isicathamiya contrasts with an earlier name for Zulu a cappella singing, mbube, meaning "lion". The change in name marks a transition in the style of the music: traditionally, music described as Mbube is sung loudly and powerfully, while isicathamiya focuses more on achieving a harmonious blend between the voices. The name also refers to the style's tightly-choreographed dance moves that keep the singers on their toes.

South African singing groups such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo demonstrate this style. Isicathamiya choirs are traditionally all male. Its roots reach back before the turn of the 20th century, when numerous men left the homelands in order to search for work in the cities. As many of the tribesmen became urbanized, the style was forgotten through much of the 20th century.

Today, isicathamiya competitions in Johannesburg and Durban take place on Saturday nights, with up to 30 choirs performing from 8 pm to 8 am the following morning

-snip-
From http://www.southafrica.info/about/arts/922562.htm
"In the mid-1800s, travelling minstrel shows began to visit South Africa.

At first, as far as can be ascertained, these minstrels were white performers in "black face", but by the 1860s genuine black American minstrel troupes had begun to tour the country, singing spirituals of the American South and influencing many South African groups to form themselves into similar choirs.

Regular meetings and competitions between such choirs soon became popular, forming an entire sub-culture unto itself that continues to this day in South Africa.

Orpheus McAdoo and the Virginia Jubilee Singers were among the most popular of the visiting minstrel groups, touring the country four times (some of his troupe's members, in fact, decided to stay in South Africa). McAdoo was a hero to South Africans of colour, as a model of what a black man could achieve.

This tradition of minstrelsy, joined with other forms, also contributed to the development of isicathamiya, which had its first international hit in 1939 with "Mbube".

This remarkable song by Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds was an adaption of a traditional Zulu melody, and has been recycled and reworked innumerable times, most notably as Pete Seeger's hit "Wimoweh" and the international classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Here are three video examples of Isicathamiya choirs:

Solomon Linda And The Evening Birds Original Version, The Lion Sleeps Tonight



Uploaded by FLORENCOM on Nov 7, 2007

Solomon Linda And The Evening Birds Original Version, The Lion Sleeps Tonight (El león duerme esta noche) 1939

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Ladysmith Black Mambazo - "Homeless"


LadysmthBlackMambazo, Uploaded on Jan 13, 2011

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Zulu Isicathamiya choirs



Uploaded by 4824611; February 27, 2009

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I've Known Rivers

written by Azizi Powell

This post is in praise of African American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) and his poem "I've Known Rivers". This post is also in praise of some of the musicians/vocalists who have interpreted that poem.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes

"First published in The Crisis in 1921, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", which became Hughes's signature poem, was collected in his first book of poetry The Weary Blues (1926)."

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
by Langston Hughes

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

-snip-

According to http://www.duboislc.org/ShadesOfBlack/LangstonHughes.html "Lincoln's determination to end slavery was said to have started when,
as a young man, he visited New Orleans for the first time." That website includes more biographical information about Langston Hughes.

-snip-

Gary Bartz NTU Troop (1973)



Uploaded by Ruhkukah5150 on Jul 26, 2010
Recorded Live. Montreux Jazz Festival 1973.

-snip-

4Hero remix: Courtney Pine - I've Known Rivers (2009)



Uploaded by 1994RapLover on Jun 16, 2009
hot jazzy remix, too fresh!

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Paul Laurence Dunbar's "A Negro Love Song"

Written by Azizi Powell

[Revised June 21, 2017]

Late 19th century poet, novelist, and essayist Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) seldom gets any props from afro-centric African Americans. That's because his compositions that have received most of the attention & approval from European Americans were written in dialect that is reminiscent of White blackfaced minstrels. I'll leave for other (possible) posts my thoughts about Dunbar's dialect writing, why he wrote that way, and why those compositions were much more warmly accepted by White literary critics & other White folks than Dunbar's other writings. Instead, this post focuses on Paul Laurence Dunbar's "A Negro Love Song" because I like it.

Obviously, there are no film clips of Paul Laurence Dunbar reciting any of his poems. However, there are YouTube videos of others reciting "A Negro Love Song" which was first published in 1913. And there are several videos of White singers who covered Dunbar's poem under the name "Jump Back Honey Jump Back". Hopefully, those vocalists credited Dunbar for their use of all the words to that poem, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. To make sure that viewers of those videos were aware of the source of those lyrics, I added that information to three of those videos's comment thread, reinforcing another viewer's comment:
"Great poem PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR!!!!! THE ORIGINAL OWNER"
-ACurlThing

I shared information about the true composer of the song known as "Jump Back Honey Jump Back" - echoing what ACurlThing wrote - not because I thought that White people shouldn't record poems or songs written by Black people. I added that comment because I feel strongly that people should credit the known sources of their creative work. Failing to do that happens very often on YouTube and elsewhere. I strongly believe that we African Americans and others need to be much more diligent about protecting our legacy from those who wrongfully claim it.

-snip-
The title and refrain for the song 'Jump Back Honey Jump Back" which was written by African American singer and pianist Hadda Brooks in 1950 borrows its words from Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem. Click http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/entertainment-pioneer-hadda-brooks http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/entertainment-pioneer-hadda-brooks for information about Hadda Brooks, who was known as the "Queen of Boogie".

Also, the jump back baby jump back" refrain in R&B singer Rufus Thomas's late 1965s song "Jump Back" "is clearly modeled on Paul Laurence Dunbar's "jump back honey jump back" line. Hopefully, Rufus Thomas acknowledged Paul Laurence Dunbar's contribution to that "Jump Back" song. Here's a link to the words of Rufus Thomas' song: Rufus Thomas-Jump Back I didn't expect to find Rufus Thomas' performance of "Jump Back" on YouTube, but it's there (at least for now). Click
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPqcccmiOMc

By the 1960s I'm sure the phrases "jump back honey jump back" and "jump back baby jump back" were used in a number of songs and rhymes. What prompted my interest in that poem at this time was that phrase's use in a civil rights chant. Sam A. Robrin, a guest on this Mudcat Discussion Forum thread http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=115045 "Not Last Night But The Night Before-rhyme" wrote this comment about that chant:

"I came here to get the rest of a Civil Rights - era crowd song that Pete Seeger references in an issue of BROADSIDE (#57, if you care to look it up):

Last night and the night before,
(Jump back, Wallace, jump back!)
Twenty-five troopers at my door,
(Jump back, Wallace, jump back!)
I got up and let 'em in....

Anyone know more about its use during the Alabama freedom marches"?

-snip-

As I wrote on that thread, I've no knowledge of that chant, and would be interested in learning more. However, there's no doubt that the "Wallace" that was mentioned in that chant was the then arch segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace.

-snip-

Without any further comments, here's the words of this post's featured poem (I've found examples of that poem in today's mainstream American English, I've chosen to post the poem the way Dunbar wrote it)

A NEGRO LOVE SONG
(Paul Laurence Dunbar)

SEEN my lady home las' night,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hel' huh han' an' sque'z it tight,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Hyeahd huh sigh a little sigh,
Seen a light gleam f'om huh eye,
An' a smile go flittin' by --
Jump back, honey, jump back.

Hyeahd de win' blow thoo de pine,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Mockin'-bird was singin' fine,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
An' my hea't was beatin' so,
When I reached my lady's do',
Dat I could n't ba' to go --
Jump back, honey, jump back.

Put my ahm aroun' huh wais',
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Raised huh lips an' took a tase,
Jump back, honey, jump back.
Love me, honey, love me true?
Love me well ez I love you?
An' she answe'd, " 'Cose I do" --
Jump back, honey, jump back.

http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/dunbar/poetryindex/a_negro_love_song.html

-snip-

Here's a video of a recitation of that poem:

A Poem for April 9, 2011 - A Negro Love Song by Paul Laurence Dunbar



Uploaded by hopeanitasmith on Apr 9, 2011

A Poem A Day to celebrate National Poetry Month. Remembering poets of the past and present.

Thank you, Paul Laurence Dunbar!

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The Reasons Why I Sing

Pancocojams Creativity Series

Editor:
This is the first post in what I hope will be a series of Pancocojams guest postings. The purpose of the series is to promote creativity while sharing information about creative people. Please send posts [essays] for possible addition to this blog series on creativity to cocojams17@yahoo.com

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The Reasons Why I Sing
by Barbara Ray

I truly never dreamed my passion for singing would grow to be this strong.

When I was a young child I had dreams of being on stage singing, dancing and acting. I loved watching Eartha Kitt but I think Lola Falona was my utmost favorite. I still have a vague memory of my father taking me to see a live show. I believe it was Lavern Baker performing and she came out on the stage in a white fur coat.

As I matured those dreams left or maybe they were just no longer predominate in my mind. My real life dreams were having a house with the white picket fence, having children, and growing old with my husband. Well I'm happy the part came true about having children. I thank God for my children and I'm thankful that they have given me grandchildren.

God has given me a gift to perform and I'm just so very thankful. I want to share this gift with the world. And as I walk this path I have met so many people that show me favor and I know it's only because of the goodness of the Lord shining through them upon me. So as long as God grants me the will and good health I will continue to sing for it is a constant prayer of mine - your will in my life, Lord, your will.

-snip-

Roger Barbour Blues Band Featuring "Ms. B" (Barbara Ray)



Uploaded by HAP1030 on Sep 8, 2009
Roger Barbour Blues Band Featuring "Ms. B" (Barbara Ray)and also featuring Richard Wilson.

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Please send posts [essays] for possible addition to this blog series on creativity to cocojams17@yahoo.com

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Why I Sing (Pancocojams Series On Creativity)

Written by Azizi Powell

This post marks the introduction to a periodic series on Pancocojams called "Why I ___" [for instance:"Why I Sing"; "Why I Write"; "Why I Dance"]

The purpose of the series is to promote creativity while sharing information about creative people.

Please send posts [essays] for possible addition to this blog series to cocojams17@yahoo.com

A post can include one or two videos as well as online contact information [such as website, or email, facebook, or twitter address] for the person writing the post.

Thanks!

Here's the video that inspired this series:

Kirk Franklin & Family - Why We Sing (Official Video)



Uploaded by joashstilltheman on Jan 28, 2010
This is from the album Kirk Franklin And The Family Live

Editor's note:
This is a new arrangement of "Why We Sing". This song was first released in 1993.

-snip-

Here's the lyrics to that song:

Why We Sing
(Kirk Franklin)

Someone asked the question
Why do we sing?
When we lift our hands to Jesus
What do we really mean?

Someone may be wondering
When we sing our song
At times we maybe crying.
And nothings even wrong

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
That's the reason why I sing

Glory Hallelujah
You're the reason why I sing

Glory Hallelujah
I give the praises to You

Glory Hallelujah
You're the reason why I sing

And when the song is over
We've all said Amen
In your heart just keep on singing
And the song will never end

And if somebody asks you
Was it just a show
Lift your hands and be a witness
And tell the whole world No

And when we cross that river
To study war no more
We will sing our songs to Jesus
The one that we adore

-snip-

Click to visit Kirk Franklin and the Family

Also, click Jambalayah-Kirk Franklin "Why I Sing" to find a 1994 video of Kirk Franklin & The Family singing this song.

****

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Two Versions of Nina Simone's Mississippi Song

Written by Azizi Powell

It's rare that I listen to any song that contains profanity, however this song is a definite exception.



Uploaded by jeff8323 on Oct 1, 2008

-snip-

Here's my transcription of the lyrics to the version of this song.

Nina Simone - "Mississippi Goddam" (1963)

The name of this tune is Mississippi Goddam
And I mean every word of it

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Can't you see it
Can't you feel it
It's all in the air
I can't stand the pressure much longer
Somebody say a prayer

Alabama's gotten me so upset
Tennessee made me lose my rest
And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

This is a show tune
But the show hasn't been written for it, yet

Hound dogs on my trail
School children sittin in jail
Black cat cross my path
I think every day's gonna be my last

Lord have mercy on this land of mine
We all gonna get it in due time
I don't belong here
I don't belong there
I've even stopped believin in prayer

Don't tell me
I'll tell you
Me and my people just about due
I've been there so I know
They keep on sayin "Go slow!"

But that's just the trouble
"go slow"
Washing the windows
"go slow"
Pickin the cotton
"go slow"
You're just plain rotten
"go slow"
You're too damn lazy
"go slow"
The thinking's crazy
"do it slow"
Where am I going
What am I doing
I don't know
I don't know

Just try to do your very best
Stand up be counted with all the rest
For everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

I made you thought I was kiddin'

Picket lines, school boy, cops
They try to say it's a communist plot
All I want is equality
for my sister, my brother, my people and me

Yes you lied to me all these years
You told me to wash and clean my ears
And talk real fine just like a lady
And you'd stop calling me "Sister Sadie"

Oh but this whole country is full of lies
You all gonna die and die like flies
I don't trust you any more
You keep on sayin "Go slow!"
Go slow!

But that's just the trouble
[go slow]
Desegregation
[go slow]
Mass participation
[go slow]
Reunification
[go slow]
Do things gradually
[go slow]
But bring more tragedy
[go slow]
Why don't you see it
Why don't you feel it
I don't know
I don't know

You don't have to live next to me
Just give me my equality
Everybody knows about Mississippi
Everybody knows about Alabama
Everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

That's it!

-snip-

Note: My transcription of this song differs from those found on online lyrics sites in these ways: I left off the "g" in words like "sitting"'; I believe the response is "go slow" and not "do it slow" ; and I think Nina Simone sang "picket lines, school boy, cops, and not "school boy cots".

-snip-

Here's another version of Nina Simone's song "Mississippi Goddam" :

Nina Simone -"Mississippi Goddam"



Uploaded by cartaxocriavideo on Apr 8, 2011

To differentiate it from this song's more widely known form, perhaps this version could be called "Mississippi Goddam" (Go Slow)

This is the video which is posted under the title "Nina Simone-"Mississippi Goddam" as #67 in Time Out London's list of 100 Songs That Changed History.

Here's the write-up that accompanies that song:

The roots of one of one of the most nuanced protest songs ever were anything but calm. After a spate of Klan killings in 1963, the murder of four children at Alabama's 16th Street Baptist Church sent Nina Simone into such a rage that she initially attempted to assemble a crude zip gun. Talked down by her husband, she took her fury immediately to the piano and within an hour had 'Mississippi Goddam'. Incredibly, it transcends its manic creation. After lulling the listener in with a jaunty show tune rhythm, Simone subtly changes key from G to E at which point she bombards them with a relentless, beautiful torrent of anger and outrage over the slow speed of change. Though banned in several Southern states, it was a long-overdue articulation that resonated hugely until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and beyond.

Here's my transcription of that version's lyrics:

Nina Simone - "Mississippi Goddam" ("Go Slow" version)

Hound dogs on my trail
School children sittin in jail
Black cat crossed my path
I think every day’s gonna be my last
Lord have mercy on this land of mine
We all gonna get it in due time
I don’t belong here
I don’t belong there
I even stopped believin in prayer
Don’t tell me
I’ll tell you
Me and my people just about due
I been there so I know
They keep on sayin
Go slow
That’s what they say
Go slow
That’s what they say
Go slow
That’s what’s the trouble
[Go slow]
Washin the windows
[Go slow]
Pickin the cotton
[Go slow]
With nothing but rotten
[Go slow]
We’re too damn lazy
[Go slow]
I think it’s crazy
[Go slow]
Where am I goin
What am I doin
I don’t know
I don’t know
Try to do your very best
Stand up. Be counted with all the rest.
Cause everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam.

Yeah! Hit it!

(Scatting)

Picket lines, school boys, cops
They try to say it’s a communist plot
But all I want is equality
For my sister, my brother, my people and me.
My people and me.
You lied to me all these years.
You told me to watch and clean my ears.
And talk real fine just like a lady.
You’d stop callin me "Sister Sadie."
Oh but my country’s full of lies
We’re all gonna die
And die like flies
Cause I don’t trust nobody anymore
They keep on sayin "Go Slow"
Yeah, that’s what they say.
Go slow
Well, that’s just the trouble
[Go slow]
Desegregation
[Go slow]
Mass participation
[Go slow]
Reunification
[Go slow]
Do things gradually
[Go slow]
Will bring more tragedy
I don’t see it
I don’t feel it
I don’t know
I don’t know
You don’t have to live next to me
Just give me my equality
Cause everybody knows about Mississippi
Everybody knows about Alabama
Everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam.

-snip-

I don't know whether this song changed history or not. But I do know that both versions of Nina Simone's Mississippi song articulate what I feel when I read or hear about another racial atrocity in Mississippi or wherever.

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