Author Archives: Kahniley Sangare

Folk Dance

Nationality: Black
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Las Vegas, NV
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

Stepping

Subject’s Analysis:

“It has origins of West African traditions. It’s very popular in the black Greek community. You create rhythms and beats with stomping and clapping combinations, with dancing too. Different organizations have different styles, there’s energetic, precision, acrobatic, everything is synchronized. You have props that you use. Synchronization. There’s competitions, and you do it to represent your organization. It’s entertainment, as well as something done at gatherings. These include trains as well, these are like line dancing, some [trains] are complicated, and you perform them at competition. I love it, its fun. There’s some people that may not like it because they’re not good at it. I learned it after crossing, it’s not necessary to become an Alpha.”

Collector’s Analysis:

Stepping is a very exciting, unique, and fun part of the Black Greek community. The steps do actually originate from West African origins. The step competitions or “Stepshows” are highly entertaining and could be considered to be festivals. The “trains” are really fun to watch. The frat/sorority lines up, and then go into a routine that goes with the music that’s currently playing (it is considered a huge insult to join in on the end of a train if you do not belong to the organization dancing). Several of the props that are used in the stepshows are really interactive such as canes that are whirled around and tossed between each member. Sometimes the fraternities will even have themes to supplement their routines.

Legend/Story – Belize

Nationality: Belizean-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Deerfield, IL
Performance Date: April 26, 2008
Primary Language: English

The Story of Tata Duende

“It’s a spirit I think, it has something to do with the jungle. It’s a boogeyman character. I was told this story by my father, as a bedtime type story. It was kind of creepy. He was a scary looking little man. I remember that to end the story each time, my father would say, ‘If the pen never bend, then the story never end.’”

Subject’s Analysis:

My friend Suzanne heard the story of Tata Duende several times throughout her childhood. She also mentioned that almost every story that her father told them somehow ended up working in the scary little man-creature into the thread. She said that it was a story used to discourage kids from getting into trouble. In the stories Tata Duende would always do harm to troublesome children. Her father heard the story growing up in Belize, and told it in Belizean Creole each time tweaking it slightly.

Collector’s Analysis:

I think that the story of Tata Duende is a perfect example of a boogeyman character that shows up in almost every culture. As we learned in class these characters exist mainly for the purpose of scaring children into good behavior. So I would say that this story definitely exists as a cautionary tale as well. I have had similar stories told to me before bed, and I feel that this experience is on that happens in almost every culture.

Proverb – Jamaica

Nationality: Jamaican
Age: 73
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Jamaica
Performance Date: April 21, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Man walks too fast, walk two time.

Subject’s Analysis:

I received this entry from my Jamaican grandmother. She said that the meaning was that if you walk to fast, you will have to go back in order to find your way. She said that this proverb is supposed to emphasize patience. She learned the proverb from her mother when she was growing up as a child in Jamaica. This proverb is used as advice to someone who is rushing through a job, or assignment, or rushing in general.

Collector’s Analysis:

I think that my grandmother’s analysis is only a small part of the overall message. While I think that this proverb is about patience, I think that this proverb is also about attention to detail. I believe that what it’s saying is that people must take care and pay attention during their first attempt at something in order to do it correctly, otherwise they will be forced to repeat the task because it was done improperly.

Superstition

Nationality: African-American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Torrence, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

“In my household, I was told as a very small child that non-family members that are on their menstrual cycle are not allowed to hold babies. It was said that the pain that the woman is experiencing in her womb, is transferred from her to the child. In turn the child will get sick, and receive colic.”

Subject’s Analysis:

“I think that it’s true, I find myself doing it at times as well.” She also added that she has learned this from her female family members since an early age. She said as well that she learned it from the women on the Venezuelan side of he family, and it was passed down from her grandmother.

Collector’s Analysis:

I think that this superstition is probably not true, because of the fact that it has no basis in science. It is simply that pain would be transferred from a stranger, which I feel is almost impossible. I believe that it exists merely because of the fact babies come from the womb, and that if someone who is unfamiliar is in pain in the womb. It’s just that connection.

Recipe

Nationality: Black
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Abtioch, CA
Performance Date: April 26, 2008
Primary Language: English

Ingredients:

Chicken (preferably drumsticks)

Flour

Black Pepper

Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning

Garlic Salt

Seasoning Salt

Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

Vegetable Oil

Recipe:

“So here’s the recipe. You take chicken, preferably drumsticks and you wash it with cold water. It has to be cold water, because if you use warm water it will start to cook the chicken early and you don’t want that. Mix together the flour, and seasonings, and then put the chicken in it. Some people dip the chicken in raw scrambled eggs first, but I don’t. Then, you take the vegetable oil, and put it in a frying pan/pot, ect. Put the pan on the stove, and then heat the pan on medium heat. This is important, it has to be medium heat because if you heat it on high, the oil will be too hot and the chicken will just burn. After heating the pan on medium, add the chicken to fry. This is how the trained fried chicken cooker knows when to turn it over (holds up her hands for emphasis): you have to LISTEN, LISTEN, you cannot see when to turn it over. You have to listen. You’ll hear the frying noises, and when they quiet down, you’ll hear it subside. That’s when you know to turn it over. Repeat the same process on the other side, and remove it. Then to prepare it to be served, put it in-between 2 paper towels, and that way you can soak up the oil, and you wont have greasy chicken. This is usually served with mac and cheese, cornbread, black eyed peas, collard greens, general soul food, you know.”

Subject’s Analysis:

“I learned to make fried chicken from cousin and grandmother. I had to learn it from them, because in my household my mother doesn’t cook. I cook it at family gatherings. To me, chicken brings people together. I know that sounds funny but it’s true. I think that homemade fried chicken is like comfort food. I’ve always had it when we have family get-togethers, for people that I don’t usually see. Black people get made fun of for liking fried chicken, because it’s become a stereotype. But that’s not really fair because it’s not necessarily because of the chicken, but because of it’s association with comfort and family.”

Collector’s Analysis:

While it may seem funny to put fried chicken down as a folk food, it is relevant. While few people think of fried chicken to be a personal folk dish, it is. I think that the validity of certain foods as a individual recipes and folk food can be jeopardized by their commercialization as “fast food”, or their classified as a food that only certain people eat. In addition I feel that Terika makes a valid point about the fact that fried chicken has become stereotypically a “black food”, or a food that black people are supposed to like. I think that people just like food because it tastes good, and not because they are genetically predisposed to like it. In addition certain foods can become “comfort foods” that are eaten and have connotations of happy times or family gatherings, as is the case with Terika’s fried chicken.