What "smh" REALLY Means (information & examples) Part I

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part series on the acronym "smh". Part I provides information and comments about a few examples of "smh".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/10/what-smh-really-means-information_1.html for Part II of this series. Part II provides a portion of the information in that post as well as additional examples of the use of "smh".

The content of this post is presented for cultural and etymological purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to Whoissugar, the vlogger who is featured in one video that is showcased below.

UPDATE: October 7, 2014
Here are links to two other pancocojams post that mention "shakin my head" (smh):
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/10/what-tv-show-glees-shakin-my-head-song.html

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/10/hip-hop-doo-wop-and-country-music-songs.html

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PART I
WHAT IS "SMH" AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
"Smh" is an acronym for "shaking my head". At least to date, "smh" appears to be limited to written communication on the internet (such as blogging, posting on social media sites, and tweeting) and telephone text messaging.

People usually write about something and then add the acronym "smh" at the end of that sentence. For instance, a person might write "Did you see that movie? The reviews said it told the true story about relationships between men and women. smh. Or, less often, "smh" is found at the beginning of a sentence or at the beginning of a short-hand internet/text message statement. For instance, "smh @"XYZ" movie.

Most of the time when people write "smh", they're communicating that they are figuratively shaking their head in reaction to the words and/or actions of another person. When "smh" is written, it expresses that the person feels or felt one or more of the following: disbelief about or negative judgment of what a person has said or done, for example the belief that the person is ignorant, or foolish, or a liar, or racist. "Smh" is also used to express exasperation, disdain, disgust, and/or anger because of those previously listed reasons or for other reasons.

In that regard, it appears to me that "smh" has the same or similar meanings as "kiss teeth" ("suck teeth") does among Black people in the Caribbean and in Africa. I think that "kiss teeth", "suck teeth" have and "smh" (usually) has an element of heightened impatience with the person whose comments or actions caused that person to make that gesture or caused the writer to add "smh" at the end of her or his comments (or at the beginning of those comments). But I think that there may also be an element of impudence in "kiss teeth"/"suck teeth" that I don't think is present in "smh".

I also believe that the reasons for writing "smh" are quite similar to the reasons someone would do a "side eye" or "eye roll". In addition, writing "smh" might also sometimes be motivated by the same reasons that people lightly smack their forehead with their hand (do a "face palm"), although it seems to me that a face palm is usually done because the person is exasperated with his or her foolish, stupid non-serious and non-offensive actions or those types of actions or words that someone else has done or said. Furthermore, I think that the face palm gesture is one that is most often done by non-Black Americans, and I think mostly Black females- write "eyeroll" or write "side eye" at the end of a sentence the same way and for the same reasons that people- I think at least early on, mostly African American people- wrote "smh". [I'll write more shortly about the racial aspects of "smh" and to a lesser degree about the racial aspect of "face palm"].

But in contrast to those other gestures, I think that probably few people who write "smh" take the time and use their energy to actually shake their head. Instead, it's my sense that writing "smh" is a way of conveying the action of shaking one's head (and saying "un un un" along with that gesture).

I listed above what I believe are main reasons why people write "smh" online or in text messages. [I confess I've not used that acronym myself.] However, a person might also write "smh" as a form of wry, self-deprecating sense of humor to note something that she or he realizes about herself or himself or about people (and animals or things) who or that they associate with. Most of the examples from whoissugar's two featured videos in this pancocojams series demonstrate that type of usage of "smh".

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THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ROOTS OF "SMH" & ESTABLISHING A MARKER FOR THE EARLY USE OF "SMH"
I believe that "smh" is used (or at least "early on" was used) more often by African Americans than by non-African Americans, including other Black people. Unlike "side eye", "eye roll", "kiss teeth", and "suck teeth", "smh" isn't an old-school (traditional) African Diaspora or African cultural term. Nor does it appear to be an old school, traditional non-Black term.

I don't know when or where "smh" was first used. However, 2009 is the earliest online mention of this acronym that I've found: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090503231937AA75mhg [hereafter given as Yahoo answers:smh]

That Yahoo query was posted anonymously. Here's that question

"is smh a black internet slang?

i have no idea what it means, but i often see it in message boards and comment areas. the posters are always black people. can someone clue me in?”
-snip-
Notice the use of the term "message boards". The use of the term "message boards" instead of "blogs" provides some clue about when this "asker" saw "smh" used. Other blog posts that i've read in which commenters associated the acronym "smh" with Black people*, such as the 2010 blog thread on http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=128512063 . Here's the initial post on that bodybuilding thread:
"10-22-2010, 12:22 PM#1
mikeyBarracuda
Location: Boca Raton, Florida, United States…
Why do lots of black people say "SMH"?
Yes I know what it means - "shake my head"
But it seems as if a large majority of black people say "SMH" on facebook, through text, etc.
(no racist)"
-snip-
I interprete "no racist" to mean that the blogger wants to assure people that he didn't intend his question or comments to be racist.)

Although Facebook began in 2004, I wonder what the research indicates about when a significant number of Facebook users -whatever that percentage would be- were African American. Beecause of the "digital divide", I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't happen until 2009.

Returning to that Yahoo answers:smh query page, there are six responses to that question "Is smh a Black internet acronym?" Each of those answers was published in 2009. Three of the commenters either self-idenfied as Black or their accompanying photograph was of a person who people would usually identify as Black. One of those three commenters indicated that she or he knew about the acronym "smh", but denied that it was or should be associated with Black people.* Here's that comment:
"msknowitall answered 5 years ago [2009]
"I'm black.. and I have no idea what it means..
Get over it..
Its just an internet slang..
That hasn't caught on yet.."
-snip-
Notice that this commenter writes in 2009 that this internet slang "hadn't caught on yet".

The comment that the person who posted the query ranked as the "Best Answer" was from Christy:
"It means
"shakin my head"
there you're clued in
Example:
Girl: What are you doin?
Boy: Smokin Crack..
Girl: Smh you're a loser
-snip-
Other blog threads also associate the acronym "smh" with Black people and it by the number of racist comments on most of those blogs that many if not all of their commenters are non-Black. Most of those blogs [including the bodybuilding:smh but not the Yahoo answers:smh blog also include profanity and sexually explicit responses.

Speaking of that 2010 bodybuilder:smh thread, one commenter on that thread Bannister11
…Location: New Jersey, United States wrote that
"I thought it was a message board thing but I noticed my black friends who don't frequent forums use it too."
-snip-
I wonder if that blogger meant telephone texting when he said that his black friends who don't blog use the acronym "smh". Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe Black people (and other peeople?) use "smh" elsewhere besides the internet and telephone texting. I'd love to know more about this.
-snip-
*Note: The referent "Black" wasn't defined in that website or in other blog threads in which commenteers noted that "smh" was associated with Black people or commenters asked whether "smh" was mostly or entirely associated with Black people. In spite of the fact that a lot of Black people aren't African Americans, given the prepondance of Americans on the English speaking internet, and the fact that at least on some website (but not the Yahoo:smh site) a number of commenters indicated that they were from the USA, it's reasonable to assume that people meant "African American" when they wrote "Black".)

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THIS USE OF "SMH" AS DEFINED ON INTERNET ACRONYMS WEBSITES
"smh" may mean other things that aren't related to a person's comments about or reaction to something that was said or done, such as the "Sydney Morning Herald" (newspaper). Here are two entries from the internet acronym website: http://pc.net/slang/meaning/smh

"SMH
Meaning: shaking my head

Type: Acronym

Rank: ★ ★ ★ Common

Usage: Online Only (chat, messaging, e-mail)

Comments
Expresses disapproval, disagreement, or speechlessness; used when something is so bad that you just shake your head; can also mean, "I disagree," "I can't believe it," or "Not again..."

Updated: December 19, 2012
-snip-
"SMH
Meaning: Smash my head

Type: Acronym

Rank: ★ ★ ☆ Average

Usage: Online Only (chat, messaging, e-mail)

Comments:
SMH can also be used to say you are smashing your forehead on your hand. It is similar to saying, "D'oh!" after doing something dumb.*
-snip-
I think that "smashing your forehead" is the same thing as "face palm", but I'm not sure about that. (One commenter on the bodybuilding:smh website wrote that "smh" is black people's way of saying "face palm").

Neeither that Internet acronym website nor any other such website that I visited on September 30, 2014] made any mention about "smh" being mostly or entirely associated early on or presently with any specific racial population.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO AND SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THAT VIDEO

56-whoissugar's side-eye Saturday Volume 2...3 days early



Uploaded by whoissugar on Mar 8, 2011
-snip-
Her's a comment that includes "smh" from the video itself:
"SIDE EYE EVENTS...
A male co worker called me "afrocentric," "neo soul," and "black panther" all BECAUSE I AM NATURAL!! SMH He gets the side eye every time I see him..
-snip-
Here are two comments from that video along with whoissugar's responses to those comments:

Tissa Chelle, march 8, 2011
"you crack me up...I can 't stand it when I dont have a video to watch from you...but twitter helps...lol

**
whoissugar, Mar 8, 2011 in reply to Tissa Chelle
"@PureRHOty AWE! Honey, I'm still trying to get the hang of twitter. Apart of me still doesn't get it. smh.
-snip-
“Apart” = a part
Note that whoissugar used smh in her self –deprecating remark about not "getting" (knowing how to use) twitter.
This comment written in 2011 lends further credence to the view that ‘‘smh” is a relatively newly coined acronym.

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Myeka324Mar 8, 2011•LINKED COMMENT
"You are so funny Sug! That's funny what your cat did with the rumba....lawd have mercy! And the iron on the "hell" setting? Lol to that as well...appreciate you too girl and hugs right back at ya! :o) this vid is too much"

**
whoissugar, Mar 8, 2011 in reply to Myeka324
"@Myeka324 Chile, I'm mad how he didn't smell my shirt burning. SMH!"
-snip-
Notice how this example of "smh" is also written in good humor, and not in anger, disbelief, disdain, or disgust, as a number of other examples of smh are written.

Many of the comments that will be featured in Part II of this series demonstrate those types of emotions. That post will be published ASAP.

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/puttin-on-black-side-eye-videos.html "Putting On The Black: Side Eye"

**
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-kiss-teeth-suck-teeth-means.html "What Kiss Teeth (Suck Teeth) Mean"

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My Comments About A "Black People Talking White" Video

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video of a young African American woman holding forth about Black people labeling other Black people who "speak correctly" as "speaking White" and "acting White". This post also includes my transcripton of this video, my critique of her conclusions, and my critique of the woman's manner of speaking.

Hat tip to Scientistocrat, the diarist of a dailykos dairy where I first learned about this video:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/26/1332727/-African-American-Woman-Beautifully-Debunks-the-Concept-of-Speaking-White

I'm unsure of the name of the woman who speaks in the video (who I refer to as the videographer. However, another dailykos commenter referred to her by the last name "Dillard".

I appreciate the opportunity focus on this subject and thank the videographer for raising that topic via her video.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO
Black Lady Describes How Speaking Properly Shouldn't Be Viewed As "Talking White"



retrieved from http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6af_1411736298 Life Leak on September 27, 2014

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TRANSCRIPTION

“Alright, Here me out. I just have to say-I saw this on a post on facebook. Um, and I wanted to talk about it on video.

There’s no such thing as “talking White”. Or, you know, you’re talking- speaking White. Um, it’s actually called “speaking fluently”-speaking your language correctly. Um, I don’t know why we’ve gotten to a place where as a culture, um as a race, if you sound as though you have more than a fifth grade education it’s a bad thing. You know, um, there’s nothing wrong with that. In other cultures, if you speak your language correctly and fluently, it’s actually admired. “Wow! This person’s e- This woman’s educated.” “This man is educated.” “Where did you go to school”. Um, this person took the time and had the drive to get it right, to speak correctly. Um, I find it, our culture is one of the few that frowns upon…personal evolvement. So I just ask that you think about that. I know that it’s something that we don’t like to talk about. But, um, having proper diction doesn’t belong to the Caucasian race. I, that really gets under my skin. Having proper diction is what you’re supposed to do. And I have to say if you only speak one language- I can understand if you’re a bilingual, that’s different. Um, but if you only speak one language, even like your native tongue, and you don’t speak it correctly that’s not cool. If you don’t know how to enunciate your words, that’s not cool. It shouldn’t be frowned upon.

So let’s stop saying that, you know, this person talks White, acts White. Think about what you’re saying. Because, you know, in the same conversation, you say that the White man is bringing us down, but you don’t realize that you’re actually elevating this race, by saying that they are the only ones that are allowed to speak as though they are educated. And that’s not right.

Think about it."
-snip
*Transcription by Azizi Powell. New paragraphs were added as I
heard them given. Additions and corrections are welcome.
-snip-
MY CRITIQUE ABOUT THE WOMAN'S CONCLUSIONS
Before critiquing the woman's manner of speaking, I feel that it's important to note the sub-title for that video that appeared on that Live Leak website. That sub-title is "She be speakn da truf.”

I assume that the woman who made that video didn't add that sub-title and may not have approved of it if she had been asked to do so. I believe that that sub-title treats with derision African American English and those who speak that form of English, whether we speak it some of the time or all of the time, and whether we purposely speak or write forms of African American Vernacular English some of the time or all of the time.

I should note that I'm assuming from the woman's diction that she is African American although "Black people" is never defined by her or by that website in which the video is embedded. I'll add more about the videographer's diction and her attire in subsequent comments.

I should also note that I know nothing about the Live Leak website. Perhaps derision is what they do. It certainly seems to me that many of the comments posted to that discussion [I didn't read all of them] were racist and sexist -such as those that focused on the woman's low cut t-shirt. Perhaps those are the kinds of commenters who frequent that site. But I wonder if that Blackfaced minstrelized-like sub-title helped give permission to that website's commenters to "show their true colors". Also, it seems to me that the judgmental, "I'm better than they are" tone and words of that Black woman who spoke in that video also gave permission to the racists- if not the sexists- to "do their things".

To be clear, "She be speakn da truf” is an example of one form of African American Vernacular English. Some people who use that form of African American English do so much if not all of the time. However, many African Americans who might say (or write) "She be speakn da truf" do so consciously and purposely, code switching from what the videographer refers to as "correct English" - that I refer to as "Standard American English". In other words, we know how to and do speak and write standard American English, but we sometimes use that form or other forms of African American Vernacular English [AAVE] for various reasons, but particularly when we are "chillin" (relaxing) in informal settings.

In other pancocojams posts I've presented my theory that on certain YouTube comment threads some African Americans will purposely use "downhome", "old school" (meaning "well regarded old fashioned) religious words such as "Lawd have mercy!" and newer coined Black talk such as "Sang it sister!" and "He be killin it" as ways of signaling to others that they are Black, and as a way of celebrating that blackness. I call this conscious, purposeful use of what is considered to be "incorreect English" and "Blackisms" to be "Putting on the Black". Here's a link to one pancocojams post on this subject: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/puttin-on-black-online-black-talk-code.html.

Click links found in that post and/or that "putting on the Black" tag and the African American English tag below for links to those pancocojams posts.

Much of my problems with this video is the woman's tone and her generalizations. I got the sense that this woman thought more highly of her ability to speak correct English than she actually does. More on that later. But I also think that this woman unfairly categorizes people who speak AAVE much or all of the time as unintelligent (although she didn't use that word-She said "uneducated"). I certainly believe that it is highly beneficial for people in nations where English is the official language (and elsewhere) to know how to "correctly" speak what mainstream societies call "Standard English". But I believe that that people may still be intelligent if they live in English speaking nations and they don't ever speak the way that upper class White people decided was and is correct.

{Confession: That last sentence is an edited version because what I wrote before was difficult for me to understand and probably wasn't what anyone would say was "correct English".)

At the end of her comments the woman said "So let’s stop saying that, you know, this person talks White, acts White."
-snip-
I agree with that sentence, in part, because Black people shouldn't use "acting White" or "talking White" as a put down.

However, I dislike that comment because it generalizes White people.

[This was also an editing change because I typed too fast and thought that I had written something that wasn't there and what was there completely changed the meaning of what I wanted to say. My apologies to previous readers.]

All White people don't speak so-called correct English. And some Black people who have been told that we speak or write like White people -and I've been told that a number of times off the Internet and on the Internet- may also proficiently - or more than proficiently speak and/or write other languages. (Unfortunately, I can only speak and write English- Standard English and some forms of African American English.)

However, languages don't have any color-not even African American Vernacular English. People who aren't Black are able to speak AAVE quite well, at least potentially given knowlege of and experience with speakers of that language. Also, all White people don't talk the same and don't act the same. So what does "talking and acting White really mean?

After saying "So let’s stop saying that, you know, this person talks White, acts White" the videographer continued with these statements:
"Think about what you’re saying. Because, you know, in the same conversation, you say that the White man is bringing us down"...,
-snip-
I think that part of this woman's problem (or part of my problem with her) is her generalizations - Note my comments above about when she says "White people".

Another example of her generalizations is her conclusion that every Black person who might believe that there is such a thing as "talking White" and "acting White" also believes that "the White man" is bringing us down." That phrase "the White man" sounds so 1960s to me. In the year 2014, you would think that she would say "institutional racism" (or "structural racism") is bringing us down.

Continuing her comments, that woman said "but you don’t realize that you’re actually elevating this race, by saying that they are the only ones that are allowed to speak as though they are educated. And that’s not right."
-snip-
Putting aside the fact that White people speak other languages besides English, I think that apart from formal settings people sould be "allowed" to use other forms of standard English rather than that form that have been deemed to be "correct English" by "the powers that have been and largely still are". And even in formal settings, other forms of English including some forms of fAAVE are becoming more acceptable, not to mention that African American vernacular continues to be appropriated by non-Black people and is merged into Standard American English.

Returning to an earlier portion of that woman's video comments, she said "... but if you only speak one language, even like your native tongue, and you don’t speak it correctly that’s not cool. If you don’t know how to enunciate your words, that’s not cool. It shouldn’t be frowned upon."

"That's not cool" is an example of African American vernacular that has been appropriated by Standard American English. And like most Black slang that has been merged with Standard American English, it's no longer "cool" to say "cool". Other words long ago have taken "cool's" place to mean "up to date with the latest Black urban culture (such as "sick" or "def"- although African American young people -who are the prime drivers of Ameerican Slang- may have already put those words aside and moved on to other words. But given that woman's rather high handed, judgmental tone and her position that only correct English is the bomb ("the bomb" being another old way of saying that "correct English is the best thing rhat was ever created), isn't her use of any Black slang word more than a little incongruent?

And, did anyone else notice that although she surely didn't mean to say this, because of her sentence structures, the woman's next two sentences actually mean "It shouldn't be frowned upon if you don't know how to enuciate your words."

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MY CRITIQUE OF THE WAY THE WOMAN'S MANNER OF SPEEAKING
I got the sense that the woman in the video thinks more highly of her way of using what she (and many others) consider to be "correct English" than she should. Perhaps I should rephrase that to say that I don't think that that woman is as skilled a public speaker as she may think she is. I've already written that I have problems with her tone. I think she comes across as a snob, and that's definitely not the same as saying that someone talks or acts White. I've also already noted that some Black people (and some White people) have said that I talk (and write) White, although I've not gotten that I act White, at least I've not directly heard this. As to my critiquing of this woman's (I wish I knew her name!) video and her manner of enuciation, I base it on my years of being "one of the only one" or "the only one" (Black person) in high school classes, college classes, and later post-graduation from school, the only one on non-profit state and international child adoption boards and committees, and on county public health boards. (I was also the "only one" on an international online folk music blog). Those experiences gave me plenty of opportunities to learn much about what purports to the "correct usage of Standard American English".

That said, here are my problems with the ways that that videographer talked (given in no particular order) :
* She often used subsitutes for pauses ("you know", "um", "ah").

* She often pauses mid-thought [mid sentence] and added some other comment. That is sometimes shown in the transcript as words between two hyphens.

* She pronounced the word "a" as "ah". This is a very common way of pronouncing that word among African Americans and I believe many other Americans. However, since she is holding forth on the topic of speaking "correct English", you would think she would pronounce that word, and other words the way that people who hold that view think is correct.

* She didn't always pronounce the "t" at the end of words (such as the word "that").

* She didn't aways pronounce the "g" ending in words

* In the sentence “Having proper diction is what you’re supposed to do”, it seemed to m that the word “supposed” was pronouced “sposed”.

* In her sentence, "I have to say if you only speak one language- I can understand if you’re a bilingual, that’s different", "a bilingual" is not correct English.
-snip-
I'll end there, although I could say more.

I'm curious what you think of this video and my comments. If anyone knows more about the videographer, please share that information. If she is interested in responding to my comment, I'm also interested in that exchange.

Also, I've included a comment below a quote from Levar Jones, the
unarmed man who was shot by a South Carolina highway patrolman when that (now former) patrolman stopped Jones for failing to wear his seat belt while driving.

Aside from the serious sociological and cultural aspects of that story, I believe that quote is a good example of a combination of Standard American English and African American Vernacular English.

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Heavenly Kingdom Kids - "Nagwode" & SuperKids - "Nagode Allah"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features videos of two Nigerian children's groups singing a song praising God. The song by Heavenly Kingdom Kids is entitled "Nagwode". The song by SuperKids is entitled "Nagode Allah". According to a commenter on the discussion thread of the
featured Heavenly Kingdom Kids video "They're singing nagwode allah, which means thank you God in the Hausa language(thank you- nagwode) and Allah. They are Christians from the igbo tribe of eastern Nigeria. In Nigeria, we sing and praise God in different languages regardless of where you come from." [Hilly Thomas, August 2014].

I think that "Nagode" is another way to spell the Hausa language word "Nagwode". The SuperKids group is also Christian.

Although these two songs have a similar title and both refer to God using the Hausa word "Allah" (which comes from Arabic)*, the songs have different lyrics and tunes.

*Most Hausa people are Muslims.

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The content of this post is presented for cultural, religious, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Heavenly Kingdom Kids and SuperKids for their musical legacies. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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INFORMATION SOUGHT ABOUT THESE GROUPS
I'd like to add more information about both of these groups, such as when the groups started, the names of the members of each group,
and their current ages of these singers.

Please share any information that you know about these groups.
Thanks! 

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FEATURED VIDEOS

Example #1: Nagwode - Heavenly Kingdom Kids



CHORDSvision Page, Published on Mar 20, 2013
-snip-
I believe that the main language for this song is Igbo. However, the lyrics that are transposed on the video screen are
primarily given in English.

Here are the introduction, the chorus, and the verses of that song.Additions and corrections are welcome.

LYRICS: NAGWODE [Thank You]
[as sung by Heavenly Kingdom Kids]

Introduction:
Lead singer: Praise the Lord!
The rest of the group - [Hallelujah!]
The Lord is good.
[All the time].
Thank you ooo [oh]

Chorus:
Thank you Lord Jesus, thank You.
Thank You, thank you, thank You.
For what You have done for me.
That's why I am saying thank You.

Muche Nagwode Allah.
Thank you Lord Jesus, thank You.
For what You have done for me.
That's why I am saying thank You.

[Repeat the chorus several times with the lead & group parts]

[Spoken:]
Praise the Lord for He is good.
For His mercies endureth forever.
For what You have done for us, Jesus.
That's why we say, "Come and receive Glory".
We are saying "Thank You Sir, You've done well.
Receive all praise in Jesus' name, Amen.

[Sung]
Lead singer - Thanks, You've done well.
Group - [My King, You've done well.]
Thank You.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, thank You.
For what You have done for me.
That's why I'm saying "Thank You."

Chorus [repeated several times]

[spoken]
Lead - Praise the Lord!
Group - Halleluya!
Lead - Our Lord is good.
Group - All the time.
Lead - All the time
Group - Our Lord is good.
Lead - Thank You, Jesus, for what You have done.
Lead -Children.
Group- Yes, Aunty.
Lead - Do you like this?
Group - I like that.
Lead - Do you like this?

[repeat those last two lines several times]

Chorus [repeat several times with the lead & group parts]
-snip-
The words "Thank You Sir' and "Thanks, You've done well" aren't how most American English speakers would phrase those sentiments. However, Psalms 126-3 says "God has done great things". Those wordd mean the same thing as those lyrics from the song "Nagwode".

Also, "The Lord is good/ All the time" that is given as a call and response lines is very similar to the call & response saying among African American Christians. The first part of that saying is "God is good". People respond to those words by immediately saying "All the time".

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Example #2: The Superkids - Nagode Allah

thesuperkids, Published on Feb 21, 2014
-snip-
A summary of another one of this group's videos indicates that the lead singer Adaeze is seven years old (2014).

Here's my transcription of this song:
(Additions and corrections are welcome.)

LYRICS: NAGODE ALLAH
(as sung by SuperKids)

Chorus:
Nagode Allah (Thank you, God]
Forever You are my number one.
Allah [God]
Nagode Yesu (Thank you, Jesus]
Forever You are my number one.
Yesu [Jesus]

[Repeat the chorus a number of times.]

Thank you, Father.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Holy Spirit.
You are my teacher.
You are my writer.
You are the voice that sings my songs.

Chorus

Yes, I like butterflies
Colors like rainbows
Shining like super stars

[repeat]

Thank you.

[Instrumental]

Bless my daddy.
Bless my mommy.
Bless the friends all over the world.

Bless my teachers.
Bless my preachers.
Bless my friends all over this town.

Chorus

Thank you Jesus for caring for me.
Thank you Jesus for blessing my mommy and my daddy.
Thank you Lord Jesus for blessing my brothers and my sisters.
Thank you for all my friends all over the world.
Lord, please bless us.
Nagode [Thank you] Jesus.
Jesus Lord, You're my number one!

Nagode Allah (Thank you, God]
Forever You are my number one.
Allah [God]
Nagode Yesu (Thank you, Jesus]
Forever You are my number one.
Yesu [Jesus]

Nagode Allah [Thank you, God]
Forever You are my number one.
Allah [God]
Nagode Yesu [Thank you, Jesus]
Forever You are my number one.
Yesu [Jesus]

Allah [God], Thank You
Yesu [Jesus], thank You.
Allah [God], thank You.

[repeat]
-snip-
* These lyrics are from the introduction, chorus, and verses of this song that are transposed on the video screen. The chorus is repeated throughout the song.

Other videos of The SuperKids give the group name as "Adaeze and the Superkids". Adaeze is the lead singer of the SuperKids group.
"Adaeze" is an Igbo female name that means "princess".

The official website of that group [http://www.superkidsmusic.com/index.htm] lists "Adaeze" as the lead singer, provides her full name and her parents' full names. These are Igbo language names. Also, a commenter on the discussion thread of
another video of this group indicates that the subtitles for that song are in the Igbo language. Given all of that information, I believe that the members of the SuperKids group are Igbos from Eastern Nigeria.

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Baganda, Buganda, Muganda, Uganda & Janheinz Jahn's Book "Muntu"

Edited by Azizi Powell

Here' a comment from the YouTube discussion thread of a Bakisimba (Ugandan) dance*:

mega munguryek Kennedy, 2014
"i love the baganda dance though am not a muganda"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmtVS9YICwM

That comment and the different prefixes for the root word "ganda" ("baganda" and "muganda") along with the words "Buganda" and Uganda" that I've read sparked my memory of the book "Muntu" that I read many years ago. I'v decided to showcase that book in a pancocojams post in case some visitors to this blog weren't familar with it. But first here's some information that clarified for me the differences between "Buganda", "Baganda", "Muganda", and "Uganda":

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buganda
"Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala. The 6 million Baganda (singular Muganda; often referred to simply by the root word and adjective, Ganda) make up the largest Ugandan ethnic group, representing approximately 16.9% of Uganda's population.[2]

Buganda has a long and extensive history. Unified in the fourteenth century under the first king Kato Kintu, the founder of Buganda's Kintu Dynasty, Buganda grew to become one of the largest and most powerful states in East Africa during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the Scramble for Africa, and following unsuccessful attempts to retain its independence against British imperialism, Buganda became the centre of the Uganda Protectorate in 1894; the name Uganda, the Swahili term for Buganda, was adopted by British officials. Under British rule, many Baganda acquired status as colonial administrators, and Buganda became a major producer of cotton and coffee"...
-snip-
Italics added by me to highlight those sentences.

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Here are a few reviews of Janheinz Jahn's Book "Muntu"
http://www.amazon.com/Muntu-African-Culture-Western-World/dp/0802132081
"Over a quarter of a century has passed since Muntu was first published in English, but this landmark examination still provides one of the most in-depth looks at African and neo-African culture. In his insightful study, Janheinz Jahn surveys the whole range of traditional and modern African thought expressed in religion, language, philosophy, literature, art, music and dance. He demonstrates that African culture, far from being doomed to destruction or homogenization under the onslaught of the West, is evolving into a rich and independent civilization that is capable of incorporating those elements of the West that do not threaten its basic values. Muntu (the Bantu word for “human”) presents an invaluable insight into the foundations of the unique and vital tapestry of cultures that compromise Africa today.
-snip-
Series: African Culture and the Western World
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Grove Press; Reprint edition (January 18, 1994)
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

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African Culture for the Westerner
By farington on March 27, 2012
Format: Paperback
"[Janheinz Jahn's Book "Muntu] does two remarkable things: it gets below the surface of African culture, and it translates some important African philosophical concepts into terms Westerners can understand. The discussion of "ntu" and the basic categories that derive from it is masterful, laying out the essential principles of an African world-view (though it is a bit complex at times and merits more than one reading). The discussion of "nommo"--in the beginning was the "Word", how naming and incantation are basic to an African's approach to creation--has universal value beyond simply understanding African culture. This book doesn't describe African culture, like so many others: it explains it.

One caveat, if you're coming to this book hoping to find a link between African and African-American culture, you'll be disappointed. All you'll get is the image, detailed by the author, of Richard Wright standing dejectedly in Ghana bemoaning the utter foreigness of it all. According to the author, African-Americans are Western, Africans are not. On the other hand, the author has examined African culture in a way that makes it very approachable to any Westerner, and he is actually opening more doors than he is closing."

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From http://www.azaniansea.com/2009/09/book-review-muntu-by-jaheinz-jahn.html
"I can’t say enough about this book. Over 50 years old, it is still worth revisiting for the force for which it makes its defense of African thought, philosophy and religion. Janheinz Jahn, a German scholar, originally wrote Muntu in 1958, around the time of intellectual ferment of luminaries like Fanon, Cesaire, and Senghor. The American edition first appeared in 1961 and was named book of the year by at least one major publishing organization. Jahn lays out the characteristics of African thought as illuminated through New World African religions like Santeria and Voudoun...

I will let William J. Austin, who has reviewed Jahn's work here, have the word on explaining the basic philosophical principles of African thought and aesthetics, according to Jahn:

The text is neatly divided into the major categories of African culture and religion, two forces which, as Jahn points out, flow in and out of one another like a river and its tributaries. Although Jahn makes mention of the cultures formed in northern Africa via the commingling of African and Arabic/Islamic impulses, his focus here is on “Black Africa,” or that larger portion of the continent below the Sahara. This section of Africa, however various in its individual cultural expressions, was surprisingly united in an overall religious structure that informed the ritual of worship, as well as the more pedestrian day to day activities. This over-arching structure contains four major forces: Muntu, Kintu, Hantu, and Kuntu. Muntu, or “human being,” finds its earliest known expression in the culture of the Bantu tribe. As a “force” it is plural, reflecting the myriad variations of humanity. Muntu, however, is not a self-activating force, but rather ‘sleeps,” dormant, while awaiting its activation via a more active sub-force known as Nommo. Nommo, quite simply, is language. The priests and elders of a tribe are most invested with Nommo, and maintain the power to enliven natural objects, and even man-made ones, through a ritualistic process of naming. But all human beings participate in Nommo to some degree. In fact, it is not until a parent names a child, that the child may be considered human, may be said to participate in Muntu. What we have, then, in the concepts of Muntu and Nommo, is not unlike the structuralist/post-structuralist emphasis on language as the begetter of personhood, of humanity. The linkage is certainly there, but it also obtains between Nommo and the Biblical declaration that “In the beginning was the word.”

In any event, Jahn’s detailed analysis makes clear the amazing similarities that reach across seemingly isolated cultures. Like Muntu, Kintu is plural, and represents the force or “spirit” in all non-human objects, animate and inanimate, including animals. Hantu is place and time, and Kuntu, perhaps the most complex concept of the four, represents modality, i.e., quality, style, rhythm and beauty. All four forces are united linguistically by the suffix and concept of NTU, or the essential compatibility and coherence of all things, human and non-human. The many in the one, the one in the many — this is familiar philosophical ground, and more evidence that Nommo does indeed unite all cultures, races, creeds, in their differences.

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*Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/baganda-buganda-muganda-uganda-janheinz.html for a pancocojams post on the Baganda's Bakisimba dance.

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Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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Five Videos Of The Bakisimba Dance (Uganda)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features five videos of the Baganda's Basikimba dance. Information about the Baganda people is included in this post. Information about the Bakisimba dance is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who keep alive the dance traditions of the the Baganda people. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE BAGANDA PEOPLE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Uganda
"The Baganda are found in the central region of Uganda and are the largest and most influential ethnic group in the country. The Kingdom of Buganda is the longest existing monarchy in the country. The kingdom is ruled by a king, known as a Kabaka. The kabaka has traditionally been the main patron of the music of Buganda. Musical instruments include various forms of drums, making percussion an integral part of the music.

The massive and sacred royal drums are just one of the many drum types. The ngalabi is another common drum. It is a long round shaped drum with a high pitched sound used in synchronization of both instruments and dances. The drums are used in unison with various other melodic musical instruments ranging from chordophones like the ennanga harp and the entongoli lyre, lamellophones, aerophones and idiophones and the locally made fiddle called kadingidi. The locally made xylophone, called amadinda, is one of the largest in sub saharan Africa.

The Baganda have a variety of vibrant dances that go along with the elaborate instrumentation. The bakisimba dance is the most common and most performed. There are others like nankasa and the amaggunju. The amaggunju is an exclusive dance developed in the palace for the Kabaka. The traditional music to-date is still held dear by many people within the region and is promoted and protected by the monarchy and tribal loyalists"

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE BAKISIMBA DANCE
From http://www.monitor.co.ug/artsculture/Reviews/Bakisimba-dance-inspired-by-the-drunkard-s-quick-steps/-/691232/1924464/-/121b9uz/-/index.html by Edgar R. Batte, Posted Wednesday, July 24 2013
..."Godfrey Lubuulwa, band leader of Baxmba Waves which gets its inspiration and name from the royal Bakisimba dance explains that the Bakisimba dance emphasises waist movements and intricate footwork.

He says, “Dancers wear animal skins around their waists to exaggerate these movements, while ankle bells are attached to emphasise the foot work....

That is the power that comes with dancing Bakisimba-muwogola, one of Buganda’s oldest traditional dances, with a rich historical connotation. To explain this, one of the people I talk to is the multi-instrumentalist Albert Bisaso Ssempeke.

He notes that Bakisimba is not just a dance but more importantly a beat that was developed into drum beats during the reign of Sekabaka (former king) Ssuuna the second, of Buganda Kingdom.
“Kabaka Ssuuna II ruled during the 18th century and one time he went out to visit in one of his counties where his subjects were waiting to meet him. One of the surprises they had prepared was a drink, a mixture of sweet banana (embidde) and millet (omuwemba),” he recounts a history that was told to him by his father, a fallen royal musician to the Kabaka of Buganda, Mutesa II.

He was served the drink in calabash locally known as endeku as they were no fine glasses like is the case today. He liked the taste of the brew, so he drunk on and on and naturally, got drunk.
But as Herman Ssewanyana, leader of Percussion Discussion Africa explains, it was unheard of for one to say the Kabaka had got drunk. So when the Kabaka got drunk he said, abakisimba be baguwomya, translated to mean those who planted the sweet banana are the reason the brew tastes this good. So from his words came the rhythm accompanies to the Bakisimba dance and drums for as the Kabaka left, each of his steps was recounted by his words, abakisimba be baguwomya, and when you keenly listen to the drum arrangement, you will hear just that.

“As the subjects applauded the Kabaka, his entertainer, who he moved with wherever he went, took note and decided to play drums to this sequence. That is how Bakisimba came about,” Bisaso narrates...

Melodies are sung and played on top of this strong rhythm and later a dance. It is one of the most popular and recognised rhythms and dances in Uganda. It is a mid-tempo groove played on almost every celebrated activity,” Lubuulwa explains"...

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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order according to their publishing date on YouTube, with the oldest dated videos given first.

Example #1: Mesach Semakula - Njagala Nyimbire Omutanda | Myafricanmusic.com



Gnkagabi, Uploaded on Jun 4, 2008

Mesach took this song to the next level. If you have not seen the famous bakisimba (Buganda) traditional dance, this is not a video you want to miss. Thanks Mesach for preserving the Baganda culture. Catch all your favorite Ugandan artists in this song...
-snip-

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Example #2: Baakisimba dance part 1



Wade Patterson, Uploaded on Jul 9, 2011

Royal baakisimba dance from Buganda. Performed by Tebifaanana Abifuna Cultural Group, recorded outside of Kampala in late 1994 by Wade Patterson, Glendon Jones, Chris Zimmerman and Okello Kelo Sam.

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Example #3: Baakisimba dance part 2



Wade PattersonUploaded on Jul 9, 2011

Royal baakisimba dance from Buganda. Performed by Tebifaanana Abifuna Cultural Group, recorded outside of Kampala in late 1994 by Wade Patterson, Glendon Jones, Chris Zimmerman and Okello Kelo Sam.

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Example #4: Nankasa, Bakisimba, Muwogola by BITONE FOLKS



PrinceKayemba's channelUploaded on Aug 26, 2011

Nankasa, Bakisimba Muwogola a dance from Buganda designed and choreographed by Prince Kayemba

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Example #5: Traditional dance of Buganda tribe, Uganda.MOD



RevivalCentreUg's channel Published on Mar 15, 2012

Students of Revival Grammar Secondary school perform some traditional dancing of the Buganda tribe, Uganda.

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Five Videos Of Misty Copeland, American Ballet Theater Company Soloist

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features five videos of American Ballet Theater Company Soloist Misty Copeland.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Misty Copeland for sharing her talent and skill with the world. Thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT MISTY COPELAND
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misty_Copeland
"Misty Copeland (born September 10, 1982) is an American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States (along with New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet).[1] She is the third African-American soloist and first in two decades with ABT, where she has endured the cultural pressure associated with this role.[2]

Copeland is considered a prodigy who rose to stardom despite not starting ballet until the age of 13...

In 1997, Copeland won the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Award as the best dancer in Southern California. After two summer workshops with the ABT, she became a member of the Studio Company in 2000, a member of the corps de ballet in 2001, and a soloist in 2007.[5] Stylistically, she is considered a classical ballet dancer.[6] As a soloist since the autumn of 2007, she has been described as having matured into a more contemporary and sophisticated dancer."

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FEATURED VIDEOS

Example #1: "I Will What I Want:" How Misty Copeland Beat the Ballet Odds



Fusion, Published on Aug 2, 2014

Misty Copeland, the ballerina featured in the Under Armor video "I Will What I Want" has had a hard path to be where she is today. In 2007, Copeland became the first African-American female soloist in two decades to be part of New York City’s acclaimed American Ballet Theatre. Fusion’s Alicia Menendez visited Copeland during a rehearsal, where they discussed Copeland's new memoir, "Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina" and how others have responded to her critique of the lack of diversity in ballet.

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Example #2: Misty Copeland - I WILL WHAT I WANT



Under Armour, Published on Jul 30, 2014

Misty Copeland's destiny was not to be a ballerina. But will trumps fate.

Follow the Under Armour I WILL WHAT I WANT movement at http://www.IWILLWHATIWANT.com

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Example #3: Anaheim Ballet Special Guest: Misty Copeland!



AnaheimBallet, Uploaded on Jul 29, 2011

Anaheim Ballet: More Than Dance...

A ballet video featuring special guest: Misty Copeland of American Ballet Theatre

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Example #4: Misty Copeland Performs Derek Hough Choreography at Youth America Grand Prix Dala



Ayesha Faines Published on May 16, 2014

American Ballet Theater Soloist dazzles on stage at New York City's Edward Koch Theater where she performs a contemporary ballet choreography by Derek Hough of ABC's Dancing With The Stars. Misty Copeland is the first african-american soloist to perform with the prestigious American Ballet Theater company in over 20 years. In recent years Copeland has become one of the few ballerina's to achieve celebrity status, particularly after performing at the Madison Garden with singer Prince. Her fascinating life and rise to fame is chronicled in her new auto-biography Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina.

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Example #5: MISTY COPELAND SOLO



Chapulo7, Published on Feb 26, 2013

ALL COPYRIGHTS RESERVED.
CHOREOGRAPHY BY MARCELO GOMES
GALA DE BALLET "DESPERTARES" 2012 MEXICO CITY.

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Sweet Honey In The Rock - No Mirrors In My Nana's House (with lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases the song "No Mirrors In My Nana's House".
Information about the vocal group "Sweet Honey In The Rock" and a video of that group's performance of this song are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, inspirational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with theeir owners.

Thanks to Ysaye M. Barnwell for composing this song and thanks to thee musical legacy of Sweet Honey In The Rock. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
From http://sweethoneyintherock.org/
"Sweet Honey In The Rock® is a performance ensemble rooted in African American history and culture. The ensemble educates, entertains and empowers its audience and community through the dynamic vehicles of a cappella singing and American Sign Language interpretation for the Deaf and hearing impaired. Sweet Honey’s audience and community comes from diverse backgrounds and cultures throughout the United States and around the world, and includes people of all ages, economic/education/social backgrounds, political persuasions, religious affiliations, sexual preferences and differing abilities."

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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Honey_in_the_Rock
"Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. They are an American Grammy Award–winning (and many times nominated) troupe who express their history as African-American women through song, dance, and sign language.[1] Originally a four-person ensemble, the group have expanded to five-part harmonies, with a sixth member acting as a sign-language interpreter. Although the members have changed over three decades, the group continues to sing and has helped to produce several children's records as well as those intended for adults.

Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon, who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company.[1] Reagon retired from the group in 2004. The name of the group was derived from a song, based on Psalm 81:16, which tells of a land so rich that when rocks were cracked open, honey flowed from them. Johnson has said that this first song in which four women blended their voices was so powerful, that there was no question what the name of the group should be. The ensemble's most powerful messages are proclaimed through an enormous catalog of songs addressing the world's woes. They are currently occupied with immigration injustices, congressional greed and lack of compassion for hurting citizens, the environmental imbalance, racial issues and women's issues."...

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LYRICS: NO MIRRORS IN MY NANA'S HOUSE
from CROSSINGS by Ysaye .M. Barnwell ©1992

There were no mirrors in my Nana's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
There were no mirrors in my Na's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
And the beauty that I saw in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).

I never knew that my skin was too black.
I never knew that my nose was too flat.
I never knew that my clothes didn't fit.
I never knew there were things that I'd missed,
cause the beauty in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun);
...was in her eyes.

There were no mirrors in my Nana's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
And the beauty that I saw in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).

I was intrigued by the cracks in the walls.
I tasted, with joy, the dust that would fall.
The noise in the hallway was music to me.
The trash and the rubbish just cushioned my feet.
And the beauty in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).
...was in her eyes.

There were no mirrors in my Nana's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
And the beauty that I saw in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).

The world outside was a magical place.
I only knew love.
I never knew hate,
and the beauty in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).
...was in her eyes.

There were no mirrors in my Nana's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
There were no mirrors in my Nana's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
And the beauty that I saw in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).

"Chil', look deep into my eyes."
"Chil', look deep into my eyes."
"Chil'..."

Source: http://www.ymbarnwell.com/lyrics.php
-snip-
Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell is a member of the vocal group Sweet Honey In The Rock.

The word "nana" means "grandmother" or "grandparents" in a number of languages throughout the world, including the Twi language of the Akan people in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/what-nana-means-in-akan-culture-its-use.html for a pancocojams post on the word "nana".

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: No Mirrors In My Nana's House



tubelogin, Uploaded on Nov 18, 2009
-snip-
This animated version of "No Mirrors In My Nana's House" was shown on the American children's television station "Nick Jr". The composer of this song is Ysaye M. Barnwell and the illustrator for this video is Chris Rashchka.

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What "Nana" Means In Akan Culture & The Use Of The Word In Jamaican Maroons & By African Americans

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post continues a pancocojams series that explores the meaning of certain Akan (Twi) names and other words that are used by people of the African Diaspora. This post focuses on the use of the Twi word "nana" and its derivative "nanny" by Jamaican Maroons and by African Americans.

Other posts in this series can be found by clicking on the tags "Akan culture" or "Akan Day Names".

The content of this post is presented for cultural and eytmological purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Akan people throughout the world. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, all those who are featured in these videos. And thanks to the publishers of those videos on YouTube.

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WHAT "NANA" MEANS IN AKAN CULTURE
From http://www.odwirafo.com/nanasom.html
"the Twi language of the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast, Nana is a gender-neutral title representing the highest office in society. It is also a term used to denote Grandmother, Grandfather, Elderess, Elder, venerable Ancestress and venerable Ancestor."

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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nana_(title)
"Nana is a Ghanaian title.

Amongst the Akan clans of Ghana, the word Nana generally denotes social eminence derived from either nobility or advanced age. It is most often used as a pre-nominal honorific by individuals who are entitled to it due to the former of the two ( E.g. kings and chieftains such as Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, the reigning Asantehene of Asanteman )."

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THE USE OF THE TWI WORD "NANA" AMONG JAMAICAN MAROONS
Jamaican Maroons - Granny Nanny
From http://jis.gov.jm/heroes/nanny-of-the-maroons/
"Nanny was a leader of the Maroons at the beginning of the 18th century. She was known by both the Maroons and the British settlers as an outstanding military leader who became, in her lifetime and after, a symbol of unity and strength for her people during times of crisis.

She was particularly important to them in the fierce fight with the British, during the First Maroon War from 1720 to 1739. Although she has been immortalised in songs and legends, certain facts about Nanny (or “Granny Nanny”, as she was affectionately known) have also been documented.

Both legends and documents refer to her as having exceptional leadership qualities. She was a small, wiry woman with piercing eyes. Her influence over the Maroons was so strong, that it seemed to be supernatural and was said to be connected to her powers of obeah. She was particularly skilled in organising the guerilla warfare carried out by the Eastern Maroons to keep away the British troops who attempted to penetrate the mountains to overpower them.

Her cleverness in planning guerilla warfare confused the British and their accounts of the fights reflect the surprise and fear which the Maroon traps caused among them"...
-snip-
A video of a song that mentions "Granny Nanny" is given in Example #2 below.

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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanny_of_the_Maroons
"Queen Nanny or Nanny (c. 1685 – unknown, circa 1755), Jamaican National Hero,[1] was a well-known leader of the Jamaican Maroons in the eighteenth century. Much of what is known about Nanny comes from oral history as little textual evidence exists. However, historical documents refer to her as the "rebels (sic) old obeah woman," and they legally grant "Nanny and the people now residing with her and their heirs . . . a certain parcel of Land containing five hundred acres in the parish of Portland . . ." (quoted in Campbell 177, 175). Nanny Town was founded on this land.

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THE USE OF THE TWI WORD "NANA" AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS
"Nana" as a referent for a person's grandmother
The word "nana" is sometimes used in the United States, including by African Americans, as a referent for a person's grandmother. However, that word may have come from multiple sources. My sense is that if African Americans or other Americans use "nana" as a referent for "grandmother", most of them weren't and still aren't aware that that word was and still is used that way in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Be that as it may, I've included a video below [Video Example #3) of Sweet Honey In The Rock's song "No Mirrors In My Nana's House".

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Nana as a title for an African American spiritual leader
From http://www.africaspeaks.com/reasoning/index.php?topic=2013.0;wap2 "Nana Dinizulu"
"In 1965, the late Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu I, whose research had revealed to him that his ancestors came from Ghana, traveled to the Akonedi Shrine in Ghana for an oracular consultation, which was done by Okomfohemmaa Nana Akua Oparebea's mother. Nana Dinizulu was directed to his ancestral home through divination. He was completely overwhelmed. He was initiated and upon his return brought to the USA, Nana Asuo Gyebi, Esi Ketewaa and Adade Kofi shrines. In 1967, he established the traditional African religious and cultural organization, Bosum Dzemawodzi in New York.

In 1971, the late Nana Dinizulu requested, received and established the Akonedi Shrine in the U.S.A. Nana Dinizulu was given the titles of Omanhene and Okomfohene of Akans in America, as he was the first to introduce Africans born in America (African Americans) to the Deities of Ghana, West Africa. He invited Okomfohemmaa Nana Akua Oparebea to visit the USA.

In 1971, Okomfohemma Nana Akua Oparebea accepted the invitation and traveled to America. Once here she established Nana Asuo Gyebi, Esi Ketewaa and Tegare shrines in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, California and Toronto, Canada. When returning to Ghana, she took young men and women to train at the Akonedi Shrine at Larteh . She taught Nana Dinizulu how to train Okomfo" (traditional Priests and Priestesses) to serve the Deities. Since that time, many other Shrines and Deities have been brought to America by other Akomfo who were trained in Larteh, at other Shrines in Ghana, and by accomplished Akomfo in the USA."...

****
FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: KING OSEI TUTU II VISITS ATLANTA


oupipeestudios Uploaded on Apr 6, 2007

Ghana's great king visit to Atlanta [in 2004]

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Example #2: Forward Forever United- Saluting Jamaica's National Heroes



Jamaican Sinting Published on Oct 15, 2012

Remember our Primary school song about the Jamaican National Heroes?...
-snip-
The words to the Jamaican patriotic song "Forward Forever United" are given in the publisher's summary. The first verse is:
"Granny Nanny of Nanny Town
symbol of unity and strength
lighted the flame of freedom
in the hearts of earlier Jamaicans"

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Example #3: No Mirrors In My Nana's House



tubelogin, Uploaded on Nov 18, 2009
-snip-
Here's the first verse of that song by Y.M. Barnwell ©1992

"There were no mirrors in my Nana's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
There were no mirrors in my Na's house,
no mirrors in my Nana's house.
And the beauty that I saw in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun)."
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/sweet-honey-in-rock-no-mirrors-in-my.html for a pancocojams post about that song.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

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Pancocojams Update: 1 Million + Page Views !!!

Edited by Azizi Powell

On August 29, 2011 I decided to create a blog that would focus on a folkloric approach to African American & other Black music and dance videos. Shortly thereafter, I decided to also feature information, videos, and comments about other Black cultural subjects such as Black talk (particularly African American Vernacular English), and the way we wear our hair (now and in the not too distant past).

I've learned a lot by researching these posts and I've enjoyed many of the posts that I've published. And, THANKS to all those who have visited this blog, a little more than three years after I started this volunteer blog, I noticed that pancocojams has reached the 1 million page view mark (all time history). Actually, as of right now (September 23, 2014 at 12:03 AM EST) this blog has had 1,000,107 page views (not counting my page views) since it was launched on August 29, 2011.

I sincerely appreciate your visits and your comments.

Here's some data that I want to keep for my records and that you may be interested in:

THE TOP TEN PANCOCOJAMS POSTS (Sep 22, 2014 1:00 AM - Sep 23, 2014 12:00 AM)
1. How "Bye Felicia" Became A Popular Catchphrase
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-bye-felicia-became-popular.html

2.Langston Hughes - "Note on Commercial Theatre" (You've Taken My Blues And Gone)
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/02/langston-hughes-note-on-commercial.html

3. The Origins And Meanings Of "Shante You Stay" & "Sashay Away"
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-origins-and-meanings-of-shante-you.html

4. 3 6 9 The Goose Drank Wine, The Clapping Song (Rhyme, Song Lyrics, & Video Examples)
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/3-6-9-goose-drank-wine-clapping-song.html

5. Stand Battles & The Changing Meaning Of Majorettes In African American Culture
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/stand-battles-changing-meaning-of.html

6. Seven Gospel Songs From The Emmanuel Singers SCOAN
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/seven-gospel-songs-from-emmanuel.html

7. Rock Steady Military Cadences (with sound files & lyrics) http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/rock-steady-military-cadence-with-sound.html

8. The Right Rhyming Pattern For Shabooya Roll Call Verses http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/right-rhyming-pattern-for-shabooya-roll.html

10. What "Grittin On Someone" Means (in African American Vernacular English)
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-grittin-on-someone-means.html
-snip-
I really like the eclectic nature of that list and the other lists I'm documenting. I like that because it fits me.

You may have noticed that I try not to stay too long on one genre of music or dance or one subject such as vernacular/slang meanings. When I find that I'm doing that, I change it up -because I like it like that, and I hope at least some of you do too.

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THE TOP TEN SEARCH WORDS (Sep 22, 2014 1:00 AM – Sep 23, 2014 12:00 AM)
1. bye felicia

2. lkj bass culture

3. black gospel funeral songs

4. emmanuel singers

5. http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/07/lady-love-iwueze-featuring-destined.html

6. kumbaya lyrics

7. majorette dance teams

8. s african big booty black woman

9. sansa kroma lyrics

10. where did bye felicia come from

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ALL TIME TOP TEN POSTS (August 29, 2011 - September 23, 2014)
1. The Right Rhyming Pattern For Shabooya Roll Call Verses

2. Che Che Kule - Origin, Lyrics, & Videos
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/che-che-kule-origin-lyrics-videos.html

3. Kumbaya Lyrics (As Sung By The Soweto Gospel Choir)
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/kumbaya-lyrics-as-sung-by-soweto-gospel.html

4. How "Bye Felicia" Became A Popular Catchphrase

5. Concentration 64 Handclap Game
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/concentration-64-handclap-game.html

6. Rock Steady Military Cadences (with sound files & lyrics)

7. Seven Black Female Singers With Blond Hair
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/seven-black-female-singers-with-blond.html

8. Solly Mahlangu - 'Wahamba Nathi (Siyabonga Jesus), videos, lyrics & comments
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/12/solly-mahlangu-wahamba-nathi-siyabonga.html

9. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. "This Is A Serious Matter" (Text Examples & Videos)http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/alpha-kappa-alpha-sorority-inc-this-is.html

10. Stand Battles & The Changing Meaning Of Majorettes In African American Culture

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TOP TEN AUDIENCES [NATIONS] FOR PAGE VIEWS [ALL TIME]
1. United States

2. United Kingdom

3. Canada

4. France

5. Germany

6. Ukraine

7. Russia

8. Australia

9. Netherlands

10. China

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I've worked on this post non-stop. It's now 12:53 AM EST and the stat is now 1,000,244. I think that's not bad for a volunteer pastime-if I do say so myself. :o)

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More

Temne And Ibo (Igbo) Nation Dances & Songs From The Carriacou Big Drum songs and dances.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of two part series on Carriacou Big Drum songs and dances. This post showcases videos of Big Drum songs and dances that are performed by the descendants of Temne Nation and Ibo Naton [Igbo] (ethnic groups) who were enslaved in Carriacou.

Part I of this series showcases the Cromanti Cudjoe (Beg Pardon) song and dance. This post also provides information about Carriacou and the Carriacou Big Drum tradition.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all the ancestors who are honored by these ritual drum calls and dances. Thanks also to all those featured in these videos, thanks to Cultural Equity, the publisher/s of those videos on YouTube, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT CARRIACOU AND THE BIG DRUM DANCES
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carriacou
"Carriacou is an island of the Grenadine Islands located in the Southeastern Caribbean Sea, Northeast of Grenada...

It's the largest in the Grenadines and in the Grenada Grenadines. It is the 3rd largest island in the Grenadine Islands (Vincentian and Grenadian Grenadines)...

It's part of the Carriacou and Petite Martinique Constituency and also Carriacou is a dependency of Grenada...

The inhabitants of Carriacou perform the "Big Drum" or "Nation" dance which celebrates their West African ancestors that were brought to the island during slavery. These Big Drum dances are usually performed at "Maroons" village festivals or fetes, where food and drink are prepared. They can also be danced at wakes and tombstone feasts in honor of dead relatives. The Quadrille dance is also performed on the island of Carriacou during festivals and historic events."...
-snip
From http://www.lameca.org/dossiers/bigdrum/musiq_eng.html
"The Big Drum or Nation Dance (also at one time called called Gwa Tambu) is a traditional religious and social ritual that has been sustained on Carriacou, Grenada since the slave era and the early importation of Cromanti people. It teaches history and reinforces knowledge, family lineage, and tradition in our time.

The Big Drum ritual survives as a community event hosted by any family that wishes to celebrate or toast good luck in the dedication of a new house, the launching of a new boat, a wedding, a memorial or any event that improves the social status of the host family. With food, rum, ritual behavior, the Big Drum performance holds religious and social meaning in the songs, drumming, and dances.

The Chantwell and her troop of about 12 singers, surrounded by the crowd of guests who form a circle around them, dance and sing the repertoire with the drum trio accompanying them....

Nine West African groups, speaking various languages, were brought into slavery on Carriacou. The Cromanti nation, made up of mixed Akan groups (Fanti, Asanti, Akwapim) was named after the Dutch-built Gold Coast slave castle Kormantin and exited Africa from that site (Meredith 1812:130). We suggest, given structural cues from the songs, that The Cromanti were, most likely, the nation that established the Big Drum, as the largest and most influential of those enslaved on Carriacou (McDaniel 1998: 42). And as other people were traded and sold, the Igbo, Manding, Chamba, Temne, Banda, Arada, Moko, and Kongo repertoires were appended to the ritual, with their peoples forming a nine nation congress of multinational representation (Pearse 1978-79:638).

The nine nations of Carriacou remained somewhat in tact exhibiting a historical, political/cultural sensibility in their society. The oldest, most treasured, and spiritual Nation items of the Cromanti, Igbo, and Manding are set at the beginning of the event with the other 6 Nation dances performed later intermixed with secular dances...

[Nations listed:
Nation
Cromanti
Igbo
Manding
Arada
Congo
Chamba
Banda
Temne
Moko]

...We find ancestral petition prominent in the oldest texts, social concerns in the Creole songs, and a call to enjoyment and dance in the Frivolous poetry. Anancy is not a mysterious name, but one of a well known and provocative deity, a spider with uncommon stealth and trickery. Anancy is known in many West African cultures, and here it belongs to the first nation, the Cromanti, with word phrases that may be Hausa....

[Transcription of "Anancy-O" (Cromanti) song]

...An Igbo song follows [a song about a Yoruba god Oko*]. “Ovid-o Bagade,” a social metaphor, tells of the fear faced by a paranoid farmer, Ovid, who plants and yields unexpected evil. “Bagarde, Don’t be afraid,” sings the chorus.

Ovid-o Bagadé [Igbo]
Mwen planté shu mwen
Li turné ba legé
Ovid-o bagardé, bagardé éh-hé
Mwen planté shu mwen
Li turné maljo-jo (melangen, balissé)
Ovid-o bagardé, bagardé éh-hé

[Translation]
I plant tanya
And it turns to nothing
Ovid, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.
I plant tanya
And it turns to fear (eggplant, bush)
Ovid don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid."...
-snip-
*This writer indicates that "Oko is a Yoruba god, a member of the Nigerian Orisha pantheon, guardian of crops and fertility. But Yorubas did not enter Carriacou as a group...Virtually forgotten within the Nigerian Orisa ritual of Trinidad, the memory of Oko wandered. The enslaved population of Trinidad thought it absurd to entreat the god of agriculture and fecundity to work in the favor of the colonialists, increasing their holdings and wealth (Simpson 1962:1217). However, the Yoruba deity, Oko, was appropriated by those who traveled away from the drought-ridden landscape of Carriacou and worked in the cane fields of Trinidad soon after the end of slavery in 1838 (Hill 1973:23)."...

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Tiwe Tiwe-o (Cheer Up Pike)



Cultural Equity Published on Jul 29, 2013

Sung at this stage so that people who don't know how to dance the nation of the host family (in this case, the Kromanti) get to dance.

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Example #2: Tewe-M Kouman M Ye (Temne nation dance)



Cultural Equity Published on Jul 29, 2013

Boula, Lennox Corian; koupeé, James "Laka" Moses; David Gibbs, foule; Denise Duncan, chak-chak. Dancing: Denise Duncan, Suzanne Duncan, Angela Theresa Billy Matheson, Princess Noel
-snip-
Here's information about the Temne ethnic group:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temne_people
"The Temne people are currently the largest ethnic group in Sierra Leone, at 35% of the total population[1] The Temne are predominantly found in the Northern Province and the Western Area, including the national capital Freetown...

There were Temne speakers along the coast in what is now Sierra Leone when the first Portuguese ships arrived, in the 14th century. Temne were indicated on subsequent Portuguese maps, and references to them and brief vocabularies appear in the texts. Trade began, albeit on a small scale, in the fifteenth century with the Portuguese and expanded in the late sixteenth century with the arrival of British traders, and later traders of other nations. Slaves, gold, ivory and local foodstuffs were exchanged for European trade goods—mostly cloth, firearms, and hardware...

Sierra Leone's national politics centers on the competition between the north, dominated by the Temne and their neighbour and political ally, the Limba; and the southeast, dominated by the Mende, who are a Mande people like the Mandinka, Bamana, and Malenke (of Guinea, Senegal, Mali, etc.). The current president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, is the first Sierra Leonean president from the Temne ethnic group; he receives most of his support from Temne-dominant areas in the north and western regions of Sierra Leone."...

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Example #3: Temne-o (Nation song)



Cultural Equity, Published on Jul 29, 2013

In this dance, participants dance one by one. When someone new wants to dance, she raises her hands in the air, and the dancer in the ring will receive her and wheel her out.

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Example #4: Ibole Ibole Woy Yo (Ibo Nation Song)



Cultural Equity, Published on Jul 29, 2013
-snip-
Here's some information about the Ibo (igbo) people:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people
"The Igbo people, formerly known as the Ibo, are an ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects. Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa...

Before British colonialism, the Igbo were a politically fragmented group. There were variations in culture such as in art styles, attire and religious practices. Various subgroups were organized by clan, lineage, village affiliation, and dialect. There were not many centralized chiefdoms, hereditary aristocracy, or kingship customs except in kingdoms such as those of the Nri, Arochukwu, Agbor and Onitsha...

Due to the effects of migration and the Atlantic slave trade, there are descendant ethnic Igbo populations in countries such as Cameroon[11] and Equatorial Guinea,[12] as well as outside Africa. Their exact population outside Africa is unknown, but today many African Americans and Afro Caribbeans are of Igbo descent. According to Liberian historians, the fifth president of that country, Edward James Roye, was of "pure" Igbo descent."...

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

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Cromanti Cudjoe (Beg Pardon) - Carriacou Big Drum Song & Dance

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of two part series on Carriacou Big Drum songs and dances. This post showcases the Cromanti Cudjoe (Beg Pardon) song and dance. This post also provides information about Carriacou and its Big Drum tradition with particular emphasis on the Cromanti Cudjoe drum song and dance tradition.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/09/temne-and-ibo-igbo-nation-dances-songs.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases videos of the Temne and Ibo (Igbo) nations (ethnic groups) Big Drum Song & Dances. That post will be published ASAP.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all the ancestors who are honored by these ritual drum calls and dances. Thanks also to all those featured in these videos, thanks to the publishers of those videos on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT CARRIACOU AND THE BIG DRUM DANCES
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carriacou
"Carriacou is an island of the Grenadine Islands located in the Southeastern Caribbean Sea, Northeast of Grenada...

It's the largest in the Grenadines and in the Grenada Grenadines. It is the 3rd largest island in the Grenadine Islands (Vincentian and Grenadian Grenadines)...

It's part of the Carriacou and Petite Martinique Constituency and also Carriacou is a dependency of Grenada...

The inhabitants of Carriacou perform the "Big Drum" or "Nation" dance which celebrates their West African ancestors that were brought to the island during slavery. These Big Drum dances are usually performed at "Maroons" village festivals or fetes, where food and drink are prepared. They can also be danced at wakes and tombstone feasts in honor of dead relatives. The Quadrille dance is also performed on the island of Carriacou during festivals and historic events."...

****
From http://www.lameca.org/dossiers/bigdrum/musiq_eng.html
"The Big Drum or Nation Dance (also at one time called called Gwa Tambu) is a traditional religious and social ritual that has been sustained on Carriacou, Grenada since the slave era and the early importation of Cromanti people. It teaches history and reinforces knowledge, family lineage, and tradition in our time.

The Big Drum ritual survives as a community event hosted by any family that wishes to celebrate or toast good luck in the dedication of a new house, the launching of a new boat, a wedding, a memorial or any event that improves the social status of the host family. With food, rum, ritual behavior, the Big Drum performance holds religious and social meaning in the songs, drumming, and dances."
-snip-
A longer excerpt of that article is included in Part II. Included in that excerpt is a list of the nine African nations (ethnic groups) that are part of Carricacou's Big Drum rituals.

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THE EYTMOLOGY OF THE NAME "CROMANTI CUDJOE"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coromantee
"Coromantee (derived from the name of the Ghanaian coastal town "Kormantse"), also called Coromantins, Coromanti or Kormantine was the English name given to Akan slaves from the Gold Coast or modern-day Ghana. The term Coromantee is now considered archaic as it simply refers to Akan people, and was primarily used in the Caribbean. Coromantins actually came from several Akan ethnic groups – Ashanti, Fanti, Akyem, etc. – presumably taken as war captives.

Owing to their militaristic background and common Akan language, Coromantins organized dozens of slave rebellions in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Their fierce, rebellious nature became so notorious among white plantation owners in the 18th century that an Act was proposed to ban the importation of people from the Gold Coast despite their reputation as strong workers. The Akans had the single largest African cultural influence on Jamaica, including Jamaican Maroons whose culture and language was seen as a derivation of Akan. Names of some notable Coromantee leaders such as Cudjoe, Quamin, Cuffy, and Quamina correspond to Akan day names Kojo, Kwame, Kofi, and Kwamina, respectively."...
-snip-
This excerpt was reformatted for this post for increased reading clarity.

****
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cudjoe
"Cudjoe, or Captain Cudjoe (c. 1680 – 1744),[1] sometimes spelled Cudjo - corresponding to the Akan day name Kojo or Kwadwo - was a Maroon leader in Jamaica, and the brother of Nanny of the Maroons. He has been described as "the greatest of the Maroon leaders."

The Jamaican Maroons are descended from runaway slaves who established free communities in the mountains of Jamaica during the long era of slavery in the island. African slaves imported during the Spanish period may have provided the first runaways, apparently mixing with the Native American Taino or Arawak[citation needed] people that remained in the country. Some may have gained liberty when the English attacked Jamaica and took it in 1655, and subsequently. For about 52 years, until the 1737 peace treaty with the British rulers of the island - which is still in force - the Maroons stubbornly resisted conquest.

Cudjoe is believed (according to Maroon oral tradition) to have been the son of Naquan, a chief of the Akan people or Coromantee people from what is modern-day Ghana.[citation needed] Naquan was taken captive and sold into slavery in Spanish Jamaica in the 1640s but he initiated a revolt and led his tribesmen into the mountainous interior of the island, establishing the first community of Maroons,[3] as the runaway slaves were called, after the Spanish word cimarron, meaning "wild".

The two main Maroon groups in the 18th century were the Leeward and the Windward tribes, the former led by Cudjoe in Trelawny Town and the latter led by his sister Queen Nanny (and later by Quao).[citation needed] Captain Cudjoe had endless energy and was greatly motivated to stay a free man. He was strong, courageous and relentless. Cudjoe was also a very skilful, tactical field commander and a remarkable leader"...

Cudjoe Day is celebrated in Jamaica on the first Monday in January...

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From http://www.afropedea.org/kromanti
"Kromanti is one of three languages of Jamaica. It is related to the Akan language group, especially Fante, Asante, and broader Twi family. The lexicon is based on archaic English forms. Kromanti is similiar to the creole languages of Suriname. It is spoken by the Eastern Maroons of Moore Town, in Eastern Jamaica. Maroons were run-away slaves who formed independent communities, after the 17th century. The Maroons kept the language thriving until it began to diminish in the early 20th century, spoken only by the elderly population...

The language is under threat of vanishing because of the secretive nature of Maroon society. The young is slowly losing knowledge of the tongue. The language is mainly used in special ceremonies called Kromanti Play, which invokes the ancestor spirits and addresses the ancestors.

Many Kromanti leaders had names originating from Akan culture Cudjoe, Qauo, Cuffee , Quashie, and Queen Nanny-- Cudjoe refer to Kojo meaning a son born on Monday; Qauo refers to Kwau meaning a son born on Thursday, Cuffee refers to Kofi, a son born on Friday. Queen Nanny comes from the title nana given to chiefs."

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Anansi-O Sari Baba (Kromanti beg-pardon song)



Cultural Equity Published on Jul 24, 2013

Winston Fleary: "This is an Akan song for transubstantiation and communion, the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection. Anancy is the God of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, king of gods, the Creator. He feeds you with the food of the Gods. The throwing of rice is to beg for the continuous regeneration of children in the family. The other old lady throws sweet water to beg for harmonious living among the family. The rum is thrown 'spirit to spirit.' Water salutes life created from water." In Hausa "Tsari Baba" means the father's pardon, the ultimate protection. (From L. McDaniel, The Big Drum Ritual of Carriacou, University of Florida Press, 1998.)

Boula, James "Laka" Moses; kòt drum, Winston Fleary; foule, David Gibbs
Chantwèl: Winston Fleary

Dancing in a line that becomes a circle (=unity):

Anthony "Sugar Patch" Douglas pours water in the ring

Mrs. Duncan Lang (Lucian's cousin) pours rum in the ring

Suzanne Duncan throws rice in the ring

Another of Lucian's granddaughters in pink pants throws corn

Bontin Scott sprinkles water

Denise Scott follows

When this is done, the dances turn each other, two by two
Anansi o, e
Anansi o sari baba
Anansi o, e
Anansi o sari baba

This would continue:
Fennwa kontre, Nenen
Si mwennn merit, Nenen
Pardonnen mwennn
Si mwennn merit
Tine tine mwennn

If I have done anything wrong, Godmother
We beg your pardon
If I deserve it, Godmother
Pardon me
I'm sorry, sorry

Director/camera: John Melville Bishop; Sound/camera: John Horace Terry; Line producer: Naomi Hawes Bishop; Cultural liaisons: Geoffrey Clarfield, Mireille Charles; Producer: Anna Lomax Wood; Executive Producer, Kimberly Green; Transcriptions: Ronald Kephart; Comments and translations: Winston Fleary.

Friends from Carriacou! Please add to the experience by sharing your knowledge and leaving a comment. Corrections? Send us an e-mail through the channel.
-snip-
Extraplating from these notes about this Big Drum song, the term "Anansi-O Sari Baba" comes from two different West African cultures: "Anansi" from the Akan [Ghana/Ivory Coast] and "O Sari Baba" from the Hausa [Nigeria].

"Anansi" is best known in the Caribbean as a wily, triskster spider/man. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi
"Anansi (/əˈnɑːnsi/ ə-NAHN-see) [is] the trickster is a West African god. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the god of all knowledge of stories. He is also one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore.

He is also known as Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, and Anancy; and in the southern United States he has evolved into Aunt Nancy. He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man.

The Anansi tales are believed to have originated in the Ashanti people in Ghana. (The word Anansi is Akan and means, simply, spider.) They later spread to other Akan groups and then to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria."
-snip-
A "chantwell" is the leader of group chanting because he or she "chants well" (very good).

In American English "I beg your pardon" is usually only used when asking someone to excuse them for some small offense such as accidentally stepping on that person's toes. However, I think that in the context of this Big Drum song "beg pardon" means asking for forgiveness for bigger things. In that sense, "beg pardon" is like Christians asking God for forgiveness and mercy.

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Example #2: Kromanti Cudjoe (Invocation to awaken the Ancestors)

.

Cultural Equity Published on Jul 29, 2013

A salute to Kromanti Cudjoe, the Maroon drummer who is considered the great ancestral drummer, and father of the Big Drum Nation Dance celebrations that brought all the nations together.

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