given by our elders in the form of stories, jokes, and the spirituals which serve often song in the fields, as well as, on Sunday mornings. Yet, as a people, we thought it necessary to hold on these priceless teachings because it has served as the only link to our African ancestry. African American culture is both part of and distinct from American culture. African Americans have contributed literature, agricultural skills, foods, clothing, dance, and language to American culture.There are distinctive patterns of language use among African Americans that arose as creative responses to the hardships imposed on the African American community. Slave-owners forced African Americans to create a language that allowed them to communicate effectively with one another. Slaves were not allowed the opportunity to read and write because most slave owners thought they would find a way to buy their freedom if they knew how to read and write. Significant numbers of people still speak some of the Creole languages they used to communicate so many years ago.Agriculture and food is also a unique aspect of African American culture. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, grits, and cotton, can be traced to African and African American influences. African American foods reflect creative responses to racial and economic oppression. Soul food, a cuisine commonly associated with African Americans in the South, makes creative use of inexpensive products. Ham hocks and neck bones provide seasoning to soups, beans, and boiled greens. Other common foods, such as fried chicken and black-eyed peas and rice, are prepared simply.Africans introduced Americans to musical rhythms and instruments quite different from the musical traditions of Europeans. African Americans saw music as a way of communicating with each other. Often they were not allowed to congregate together so they sang songs to convey messages to...
