African Influences

Myths, Symbols, and Folklore

Myths, Symbols, and Folklore Remembrance of Ancestors

Selection List:

Works Examined: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Sula by Toni Morrison Meridian by Alice Walker   Literary Conventions   Questions and Exercises

" Myths" are stories within specific ethnic groups and communities that provide structure to certain philosophical beliefs adhered to by members of the group. These stories can be viewed as reinforcing established norms and patterns of behavior, or as explaining ontological truths. Myths incorporate the use of both natural and supernatural phenomena, and are enlisted to explain or depict creation, religious concepts, and record historical events. Myths bestow meaning and generate the continuation of racial, ethnic, and social values. They are created, authored, interpreted, and reinterpreted by the various members in a community from generation to generation. They are never considered as authored by a single individual but rather as having been produced by the overall community. Myths function as an integral part of a community's folklore.

"Folklore" refers to the traditional customs preserved within a specific community. These traditions might take the form of music and songs, dance, artistic productions, or idioms-to name a few. These customs and patterns can be divided into three distinct categories: behavioral, physical, and oral. Often, the three are present simultaneously in religious rituals where beliefs are fused with action and vocalization. Within the context of this module, aspects of African American folklore will reflect historical connections to Africa and the black experience in America as produced by and reflecting the Middle Passage. These African influences are often referred to as "Africanisms." Africanisms in African American culture (and American culture in general) are illustrative in such activities as medicinal practices (the use of herbs and roots for curing), beliefs in the efficacy of spirits and charms, the presence of ghosts, and the utility of conjuring. Another example of Africanisms as part of the folklore might include the architectural styles of New Orleans' "shotgun houses" which have direct connections to housing structures in West Africa and Haiti. Perhaps the most common examples of folklore are presented in the oral performances within African American communities. Periodically, storytelling in the community enlists themes and characters found in traditional West African stories. These stories often contain animals as protagonists and are usually referred to as "trickster tales." Throughout history African American literature has incorporated the folklore of the community.

"Symbols" are objects capable of connoting their original meanings while simultaneously denoting or suggesting additional, alternative interpretations. At any given moment, symbols can reflect concrete, tangible qualities and abstract concepts. In literary studies, symbols are often analyzed for their ability to suggest meanings that go beyond, or surpass, the literal referent. The analysis of symbols can be separated into two categories: (1) those that suggest universal meanings (example: ring suggests circularity, continuity, infinity, an unbroken circle) and (2) those that create new meanings based upon the context in which they are used in the text (example: water suggests life, nurturing source, but also within the context of the Middle Passage suggests separation, beginning of African American experience. ) Symbols might also have different meanings for various individuals.

Program content by Violet Bryan,Ph.D. and Robin Vander