Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. - Culture - Nairaland
Nairaland Forum › Nairaland General › Culture › Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. (11379 Views)
| Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 9:01pm On Jan 27, 2015 |
I decided to make this into its own thread, because I did not want to further derail the African American women beauty thread. But anyways here's a recent post I made in that thread towards a post to Fulaman198. His response: Fulaman198:Mines: Actually 40 million+. The Caribbean population combined is 20 million. So yes that character is correct in saying that AA population is much larger than the Caribbean population.On this site there seems to be an over-exaggerating idea that AA's are not a homogeneous population and AA blacks having large populations of non-AA ancestry, while that may be only partially true, the bulk of AA's in America whether they be from the Northeast, West or Midwest traces their cultural and historical roots back to the south; pre-Jim crow. That imo is what makes the "African American". Again the Caribbean and African population are far too small to influence on African Americans. Another myth is that AA's have roots in the Caribbean when slaves were bought into continental North America. Another myth. That's only partially true. The truth is slaves were needed for their specific skills, like rice cultivating. Many of the slaves in South Carolina, Georgia and many of the southern states were taken directly from Africa. For example slaves from the Senegambia region were in high demand for their skills in rice: |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 9:07pm On Jan 27, 2015 |
Another myth on here is that AA's do not have their own culture or that their culture is white-washted. For that I'll just post three quotes from a thread on another site that I made brutally refuting this myth: This is going to be a long ass thread with me trying to debunk some many misconceptions. And not trying to cause any division, but what made me want to create this thread is because I see a lot online that Africans, Caribbeans and whites have this big fallacy that Black American culture is largely "Europeanized" due the African traits being erased during slavery. This is not true. One can point to the Gullah's and Creoles as proof of Black American culture not being Europeanized, but I'm gonna go deeper. The things...People look passed the part that Africa is a large and diverse continent, but not only that slaves were taken all the way from Senegal all the way down to Angola. First off most the Africans that came to America came DIRECTLY from Africa, just like any other place in the diaspora, I think people sometimes confuse the slave trader stopping in an island such as Hispaniola as a resting point to refuel, before heading to North America, with them dropping off all of the African slaves in the Caribbean, and taking the Caribbean born slaves to America, and such was not the case for the most part. And people also tend to forget that there were plenty of America born slaves(essentially AAs) that ended up in the Caribbean in the 18th and 19th century, but that's another story. Back to music... Like I said Savannah/Sahelian Africans had the most influence on Black American music(heck one can argue that rapping came from West African griots from the Sahel). Again the misconception comes due to the lack of percussion/polyrhym in AA music.http://www.thecoli.com/threads/refuting-the-myth-that-black-american-music-culture-is-europeanized.280978/ AA culture is just as "African" as any other culture in the diaspora. It just comes from a different source in Africa. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by ababda: 9:15pm On Jan 27, 2015 |
Interesting read, i did not really know to much about you guys other than pop culture. However your people like all people are ignorant about many things. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 9:18pm On Jan 27, 2015 |
ababda:Glad you enjoyed it. ![]() If you want to see more I suggest you link on the link. A lot of good stuff posted. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by ababda: 9:23pm On Jan 27, 2015 |
KidStranglehold:? Why do some people in the Americas claim the "Nile Valley civilization" since their ancestors don't come from here? Mind you,this is not a personal interaction situation, but more or less the internet phenomena i have noticed. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 9:26pm On Jan 27, 2015 |
ababda:Those are only the hardcore Afrocentrics. While I do agree people who would be labeled "black" would have played a significant rule in the development of early Nile Valley states to come. I disagree African Americans have anything connections to them. Again only the hardcore. Me I'm starting to try and study early AA history/culture because to me it helps us connect the dots. And dismiss certain misconceptions that I listed. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 12:09am On Jan 28, 2015 |
My Thoughts exactly. 500 years is more than enough to make you an ethnic group. Btw, my tribe did not exist 500 years ago. One factor of ethnic identity that the AA population may lack is common ancestry, but the fact the group has been intermarrying for so long makes is a closely related group. You know you are an African tribe when your people have issues with another African group. That is the African curse of tribal rivalry, so by all means, AAs have earned their place as another African tribe. I would class Carribean blacks according to the Islands they come from for the same reasons. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Fulaman198(mod): 5:23am On Jan 28, 2015 |
KidStranglehold:You completely misinterpreted what I said. Maybe it was poorly written. Let me rephrase it for you. I said there are 30 million African Americans, in regards to Caribbean people, Caribbean people include Jamaicans, Trini people, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Haitian, Martinique and Guadeloupe, Bahamas, Barbados, etc. Etc. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 5:51am On Jan 28, 2015 |
Fulaman198:But the poster you quoted said that there were more AA's than Caribbeans in general. That was his point IIRC. His post: How is what I said silly??I disagree with his point about AA's having "more" looks than Caribbeans, but he's right as in that the AA population is larger. Maybe I did misinterpret what you said. Maybe you were just replying to the "looks" argument he was making. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Fulaman198(mod): 6:42am On Jan 28, 2015 |
KidStranglehold:There are more Hausa than there are AA's so no, he is wrong again. Brazilian blacks are also far more than AA's so everything he said was wrong. Ethiopian blacks? Should I continue? |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 6:57am On Jan 28, 2015 |
Actually the Hausa population is 35+ million while the African American population is 40+ million(excluding Caribbeans and Africans). So the AA population is slightly more than the Hausa. But I get what you mean and yeah he's wrong. But what do you mean with "Ethiopian blacks"? |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by macof(m): 3:04pm On Jan 28, 2015 |
Wait! Who says African Americans aren't their own ethnic group? The fact that they came from Regions stretching from Senegal to Angola as Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo etc. don't mean that they are still Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo Like someone already mentioned, 500yrs of being away from your homeland is enough to create a distinct ethnic identity But I am forced to say that AAs today are more "Western" than "African" in terms of cultural attitude and it's not suppose to be so, the African factor is fast dropping |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Fulaman198(mod): 5:51pm On Jan 28, 2015 |
KidStranglehold:I meant Oromo, but I guess AAs are more. What makes you say that African Americans are their own ethnicity? |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Supper: 6:06pm On Jan 28, 2015*. Modified: 7:11am On Jan 30, 2015 |
We have our own unique culture, ancestry and linguistic heritage, which doesn't necessarily have to mean a whole distinct language, but dialects and loan word, even though there are whole languages unique to AAs. There are groups on the African continent itself such as the Congo people of Liberia who's identity was formed in the last 300 years, being the descendants of escaped serfs/slaves from Central Africa who migrated to the rice coast of west africa and can't trace their ancestry to a specific ethnic group in Central Africa, but just know that their ancestors came from that general area of the congo river basin. They speak a unique form of Central African influenced English. Are they not their own ethnic group either? |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Notyourb1tch(f): 7:25pm On Jan 28, 2015 |
I believe that they should. Even though they have african ancestry, majority know nothing about africa/not in touch with Africa and overtime they have built their own unique culture where they can relate to one another.They should have their own ethnicity. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 1:54pm On Jan 29, 2015*. Modified: 2:14pm On Jan 29, 2015 |
I would say even physical features unique to AAs, as there. They are a mix of many physical features which many times exist separately according to ethnic groups( as in Bantus, Nilotes....or rather, smaller, specific ethnicities) in Africa. Lets analyse Tyra Banks.. https://www.fanshare.com/photos/tyrabanks/tyra-banks-tyra-banks-full-body-1240530642.jpg Those beautifull eyes are Bantu... And the beautiful jaw bones The height, body mostly nilote. Colour...Who knows |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Afam4eva(m): 3:43pm On Jan 31, 2015 |
We have to first understand what an ethnic group is before we assume the name or any group or otherwise. According to the Oxford dictionary, an ethnic group or ethnicity is a socially defined category of people who identify with each other based on common ancestral, social, cultural or national experience. So, i don't see why AA don't fit the description. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by TerryCarr(m): 5:32pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
muafrika:nilotic were never slaves in the Americas https://wysinger.homestead.com/African_20slave_20trade.jpg |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 6:34pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
TerryCarr:How would you be sure? Consider that there are nilotes as far south as Tanzania and Congo. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by TerryCarr(m): 6:40pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
muafrika:slave records, genetics, culture. why would they go far into Africa to get slaves when there are plenty on the coast |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Supper: 7:21pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
TerryCarr:I see you're not only severely lacking in knowledge when it comes to African ethnography, but also of African diasporan ethnography. Famous white Natchez Mississippi planter/slaver, William Dunbar, express that Mississippi planters held a preference for Africans from the interior, stating "there are certain nations from the interior of Africa the individuals of which I have always found more civilized, at least better disposed than those from the coast, such as Bornon, Houssa, Zanfara, Zegzeg, Kapina, and Tombootoo regions". "The bornon" are those from the bornu empire, the "Houssa" are the Hausa, "Kapina" refers to those from the Katsina region of present day northern Nigeria and Southern Niger. "Zanfara" refers to the Zamfara region, another region in present day Northern Nigeria and southern Niger. Tombootoo refers to the Bambara of Mail. All of these regions had heavy islamic influenced populations. Also, please explain the American slave narrative of people like the Nilo-Saharan Zarma, Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua. http://www.blackpast.org/gah/baquaqua-mahommah-gardo-1824-1857 Zarma people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zarma_people
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| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 7:25pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
And "nilotic" is too large and general imo. New flash there are nilotic or Nilo-Saharan speakers as far as West Africa. Songhay people anyone? |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by TerryCarr(m): 7:25pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
Supper:still not nilotic though https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Nilotic_languages.png |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 7:27pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
Here are better maps: [img]http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Nilo-Saharan/General/Nilo-Saharan%20overall%20map.png[/img] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Nilo-Saharan.png/300px-Nilo-Saharan.png |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Supper: 7:27pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
TerryCarr:I'm disputing your erroneous point about slaves only coming from the coast of Africa, which wasn't the case, especially for those destined for mainland North America where they were actually preferred. I didn't say anything about nilotes. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Supper: 7:34pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
American slave Omar ibn Said from the Futo Toroo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Ibn_Said https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Omar_Ibn_Said.jpg/220px-Omar_Ibn_Said.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Senegalvalleystatesc1850.png/220px-Senegalvalleystatesc1850.png |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Fulaman198(mod): 7:36pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
Supper:That's a Fulani if he's from Fouta Tooro we call them Toroodo (Singular) or Toroobe (Plural) in the Fulani language. They are also know as the Tukulor (Toucouleur) or Haal'pulaaren from which Baaba Maal hails from. They are a different subgroup of Fulani people probably mixed with other groups as they don't bare core Fulani features. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by TerryCarr(m): 7:39pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
Supper:i did not say only i just said why would they go through the trouble. their are Malagasy slaves in peru but it's very small compared to the niger-congo groups. anyway Tyra Banks height is not because of nilotic genes. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Supper: 7:46pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
Fulaman198:Thanks. And I am aware of some of sub-groups and relatives of the Fulani. And yes, being from the Futo Tooro, he's probably from the Toucouleur sub-group, which also has relations with the Serer people. Fula captives in America hailed from many different nations. And North American slavers, in particular, like James Hamilton Couper seemed to hold them in relatively high regard(in comparison to other slaves), often entrusting them with task of micro-managing the plantations of the owners. Many freed AAs of Fulani ancestry who returned to Africa reintegrated with the Fulani-proper, creating the Fulani-Krio people in Serria Leone. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 7:52pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
TerryCarr:Good point on distance. But the East Coast Arabs reached as far as the Congo, though am not sure they got slaves too. How does genetics prove? I thought many AAs were Nilotic while South Americans and islanders were mostly Bantu thanks to the Portuguese dealing with mostly East and Central African slaves while Brits dealt with W. Africa? |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Supper: 7:55pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
TerryCarr:No knows for sure, the only thing we can go off is clues from the documents we have, such as......... Is that they had a higher concentration muslim which were considered more civilzed and educated than pagan africans by whites in america. Lack of eccentric drum beating like lower west African and central African coastal people had which North American planters despised. Better suited forthe cotton, rice, and cattle ranching industry that dominated Colonial and antebellum North America. But, hey why don't you hop in a time machine and ask them yourself. |
| Re: Argument: Are African Americans Their Own Ethnic Group? I Say Yes. by Nobody: 7:58pm On Feb 02, 2015 |
@Supper what is your take on this? SECTION 4 The term Negro is confined to slave Africans (The ancient Berbers) and their descendants. It does not embrace the free inhabitants of Africa, such as the Egyptians, Moors, or the Negro Asiatics, such as Lascars.http://genealogytrails.com/scar/negro_law.htm I know its a bit off topic but it seems to hint that during the period of slavery, "negro" was not only synonymous with "Berber", but most of the slaves were Berbers. |
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