Middle Passage African Culture

The Middle Passage human trafficked millions of Africans to the New World (Holt & Brown, 2000). The preserved culture came across the journey in the form of memories and strength to endure such a journey and adapt to the New World (Handler, 2009). The culture resides in their person; all of which they known came across with them because of who they are. It is their belief system, their mentality, which displayed their power from within because they survived. There are some records which demonstrate material culture, such as beads, metal or bone jewelry, and pipes may have made it across the ocean, but mostly all arrived with nothing.

Religious traditions were central to the lives of the African slaves (Abraham, 2008). Many of the enslaved converted out of fear being punished; some resisted altogether. The entire reason for conversion was to gain more control. Slave owners integrated brainwashing messages into the sermons that were preached to the slaves. The movie, Birth of a Nation, told the story of Nat Turner and how he was forced to preach the messages of the slave owners into his sermons. The conversion was all about control, control of their minds.

The African culture is well known for its dance, song, and music and much of today’s version are influenced by the indigenous sounds (Terrell, 2015). Much of the southern or soul food was introduced by the African slaves and continues to be a part of modern times. Traditions passed down from generations through storytelling, parables, and style of dress aid in the preservation of the African culture. Our children benefit from the African culture in the form of nursery rhymes. There is much to appreciate, learn, and pass along from the culture of those who endured the