Slavery is the USA's greatest wound. When researching the origin of spirituals I revisited the lives of slaves and how inhumanely they were treated. Drums were outlawed and the only songs they were permitted to sing were hymns. They managed to concentrate on the stories that had meaning to their current situation (ie: Moses and how he helped slaves escape from Egypt with the parting of the red seas.) Coded messages were woven into these spirituals which helped them plan escapes and poke fun of their masters. Polyrhythms, call-response singing, and melismatic vocals were retained from their African origins. This dirty wound may never heal completely and the weeping may continue indefinitely.
I see why you're into Nyabinghi--there's a book (odd title) called "Waking Up in Jamaica" that has some REALLY good writing about Jamaican connection to african culture (drumming as part of it). Hey, flesh these things out more, Anna--use them as your OWN journal...
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