Isaiah
05-11-2005, 06:04 PM
“America is not like a blanket — one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt — many pieces, many colors, many sizes all woven and held together by a common thread.” — The Rev. Jesse Jackson
As Jackson infers, American culture is multi-faceted and derived from many disparate contributions. Each individual culture in the United States brings its own aesthetic and thus becomes a part of this country’s complex quilt. Signs of African cultural heritage and tradition are often subtle and may appear to be decorative.
The religious traditions of Africans forced to journey to America can be seen in the objects and symbols that remain in African American cemeteries today. These artifacts suggest the strong and vibrant history of a people, who, in spite of the adverse conditions of slavery, found ways to perpetuate their heritage. They were able to retain their family traditions and religious commitments to the deceased, either by iconography or by more direct representation. This aesthetic developed from combining (or creolizing) writing systems, the particular use of color and asymmetric forms, and the making of objects for daily use. Content was associated with religious beliefs.
Marks and objects in cemeteries that look merely decorative to the uninformed eye may be African signs and symbols. This iconography in cemeteries can be divided into three categories: 1) sign systems of African origins, 2) secular objects as surrogates for ideograms and 3) revival of African traditions, interpreted in new ways. Examples of such African retentions (subconscious transmissions from prior generations) exist in burial grounds and established cemeteries, particularly in the Southern United States.
CHECK OUT THE WEB SITE BELOW!
http://www.folkart.org/mag/cemetery/cemetery.html
Peace!
Isaiah
As Jackson infers, American culture is multi-faceted and derived from many disparate contributions. Each individual culture in the United States brings its own aesthetic and thus becomes a part of this country’s complex quilt. Signs of African cultural heritage and tradition are often subtle and may appear to be decorative.
The religious traditions of Africans forced to journey to America can be seen in the objects and symbols that remain in African American cemeteries today. These artifacts suggest the strong and vibrant history of a people, who, in spite of the adverse conditions of slavery, found ways to perpetuate their heritage. They were able to retain their family traditions and religious commitments to the deceased, either by iconography or by more direct representation. This aesthetic developed from combining (or creolizing) writing systems, the particular use of color and asymmetric forms, and the making of objects for daily use. Content was associated with religious beliefs.
Marks and objects in cemeteries that look merely decorative to the uninformed eye may be African signs and symbols. This iconography in cemeteries can be divided into three categories: 1) sign systems of African origins, 2) secular objects as surrogates for ideograms and 3) revival of African traditions, interpreted in new ways. Examples of such African retentions (subconscious transmissions from prior generations) exist in burial grounds and established cemeteries, particularly in the Southern United States.
CHECK OUT THE WEB SITE BELOW!
http://www.folkart.org/mag/cemetery/cemetery.html
Peace!
Isaiah