Freedom Friday No. 6 // Freedom of Music, Freedom Songs // African American Spirituals & Shouting

in #freedomfriday5 years ago (edited)

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. ~ Bob Marley

We begin Freedom Friday No. 6 with great enthusiasm from the Freedom Friday Tribe, it is definitely not so heavy as some of the other topics we have all discussed. You can find some of our posts in the curation project written by our curators @RichardCrill and @LindseyLambz at the following:

Everyone has stepped up to support this project and I am very humbled by many people who have taken these writings to heart. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's perspective and welcoming passionate expression with open arms.

This week we discuss Freedom of Music, Freedom Songs ...

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The topic of music and freedom songs brings back a memory for me that was not always easy. It was a time where I never really felt a part of the human race and I always looked a little different. No one could ever really guess my race and I was defined as "Other."

I bring this up because I became very close to the African American culture most of my life. I hadn't yet connected to my Native American ancestry so there was a time I wandered around a bit lost, but I was always taken in and loved by Black America.

My full lips and derriere brought compassion and love from mother's friends who had similar features. They'd sing me songs from a time where their history was as troubling as my small childlike mind was feeling and brought me comfort. Some of these songs are referred to as African American Spirituals and a very strong part of USA history.

Calvin Earl explains Spirituals very well here:

The similar treatment of oppression happened to the African American and the Native American where the people were not allowed to dress, speak, practice ancestral spirituality, play their sacred drums, but it came out in song. As Calvin says they "listened to their hearts, and used their body" to express their feelings with Freedom songs.

One of my favorite songs has to do with teaching the young how to hope for Freedom, called Wade In The Water, sung by Calvin Earl:

Wade in the water
Wade in the water
Children wade, in the water
God's gonna trouble the water
Who's that young girl dressed in red
Wade in the water
Must be the children that Moses led

God's gonna trouble the water
Wade in the water, wade in the water children
Wade in the water,

God's gonna trouble the water
Who's that young girl dressed in white
Wade in the water
Must be the children of the Israelite
Oh, God's gonna trouble the water

Wade in the water, wade in the water children
Wade in the water,
God's gonna trouble the water

Who's that young girl dressed in blue
Wade in the water
Must be the children that's coming through,
God's gonna trouble the water, yeah

Wade in the water, wade in the water children
Wade in the water,

God's gonna trouble the water

You don't believe I've been redeemed,
Wade in the water
Just so the whole lake goes looking for me
God's gonna trouble the water

Wade in the water, wade in the water children
Wade in the water,
God's gonna trouble the water

Another form of Freedom songs in relations to the African American is called Shouting, The McIntosh County Shouters present the story of how shouting began and how they continue this American tradition.

One of my childhood heroine's is Harriet Tubman a warrior woman that escaped slavery and became a conductor on The Underground Railroad, The Underground Railroad meant freedom for many in the years before Emancipation, and it had a map. That map is a song called “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Listen in as Eric Bibb sings this folk freedom song.

Follow the drinking gourd,
For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom,
Follow the drinking gourd.

When the sun comes back and the first quail calls,
Follow the drinking gourd.
The old man is a waiting for to carry you to freedom,
Follow the drinking gourd.

Now the river bank makes a mighty good road,
The dead trees will show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,
Follow the drinking gourd.

Now the river ends between two hills,
Follow the drinking gourd.
There's another river on the other side,
Follow the drinking gourd.

It wasn't long thereafter that the Civil Rights Movement came to the USA and one of my favorite freedom songs is Oh Freedom! In my opinion, this beautiful song sings a tale of enslavement not only for the African American but for humanity.

Listen to the lovely sound of The Golden Gospel Singers, as they pour their hears out while singing Oh Freedom!

Oh, freedom, Oh, freedom,
Oh freedom over me.
And before I'd be a slave
I'd be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free.

No more weepin,(don't you know), no more weepin,
no more weepin over me.
And before I'd be a slave
I'd be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free.

Oh freedom,
Oh, freedom, Oh, freedom,
Oh freedom over me.
And before I'd be a slave
I'd be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free.

And before I'd be a slave
I'd be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free.

The #FreedomFriday initiative is one I created because humanity is ready to break free from enslavement and take on the slave "masters," we see atrocities worldwide and are truly sick of seeing people treating each other despicably. It's time for us all to rise up and take responsibility for our actions and those of our ancestors.

Hopefully, you enjoyed reading and listening to this post as much as I loved writing it, this brought back some great vibes and another confirmation of how powerful music can be for our soul. Much love to anyone who took the time to share this experience with me and being a participant of #FreedomFriday.

As always I love community engagement, so leave a comment and I will be sure to respond to you.

Yours,
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Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’m a Certified Indian Blood member of the Hopi & Apache Native American tribes, Reiki Master-Teacher, Medicine woman in-training, paralegal, researcher, and writer based in the mountains of Colorado, USA. I work closely with fellow planktons and minnows in a few groups by helping them adjust to Steemit and curate quality content. I’m especially interested in finding others who love natural medicine originating from ancient practices, gold and silver, and energy work. Additionally, I'm the creator of #MedicineCardMonday and #FreedomFriday, so if you are interested in receiving Native American Medicine stop by my blog every Monday to say hello!

A'OO, Eagle Spirit

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It's fantastic to be able to listen to all these wonderful songs and read the lyrics too. I was born in Scotland and my father was from the Bahamas, so I don't know a lot about the African American freedom songs, but I can certainly relate to them, as one of my ancestors was a freed slave. And you're right, this relates to all of us, whatever our race, because humanity has been enslaved in so many different ways. I think many of us are breaking free in many different ways, while some feel more comfortable with their chains on. Freedom Friday is a great series!

i know right! it was super fun too and thank you for listening and relating. i love love loved doing this post, it brought me much joy by the end of the night. i love that you picked up on my true message and ackn it, thank you very much for that. much love, eagle spirit

Ahhhhh. Some of my early heroes were the freedom riders of the early '60s. Those people showed true commitment, at the risk of their lives. Many died.

It's not perfect, yet, not even close. But it's so much better than it was in my younger days...

One of the random things you can't know about me is I'm a Blues Guy which just happens to mean that I've been at least exposed to most of the music you highlight. A lot of the old blues was sung with maybe one guitar and floor percussion.

I got to see Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee in 1969 which sent me down the rabbit hole that is the early blues. They were old men. One in his 70s and the other in his 80s as I recall. It was a teeny venue, didn't even have a stage. They shuffled out with their blues kit and a broom and a box for percussion. Sonny Terry played the harp and Brownie McGee the guitar. It was amazing.

Freedom and We Shall Overcome were both often sung at rallies and gatherings. I got to see and participate in some.

Another great Freedom Friday. I wondered where you were going to go with this after your past topics. It was special.

I used to listen to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee when I was a teenager. I loved them. How amazing it would have been to see them.

interesting, yes i didn't mention that i grew up with many musicians and as i mentioned i was sung to quite a bit from freedom fighters. it was certainly beautiful to have that, i'm lucky in many ways.

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. ~ Bob Marley

Thank you for this. For all of it. Freedom Friday is a wonderful thing, and you're amazing.

LOL! thank you for loving the quote and showing some love!
much love,
eagle spirit

I seeeeee, that's how it is done eh? :-O

That's a very strong selection of songs straight from the heart of the people. No commerce intended. This is also where religion and spirituality appear to be very separate states of mind.

And it is spirrituality that I sense in the selection that you made. A natural choice to be closer to nature. Human nature. I'm not a religious man so i'm way out of my comfort zone to write about this.

After all these soulful vibes I've actually become very curious about Indian music. I recently learned that it is better to say Indian then 'native American' As Indians lived in the Americas long before Columbus 'discovered' the americas. As the Indian tribes discovered the Americas LONG before Columbus went into that direction...

It is somewhere halfway into this rather intense interview that this is being touched upon.

I digress... :-)

Thanks @immarojas for pointing me to #freedomfriday! I now see why.

You're welcome. At least you got the idea, talking about comfort zones is so right.

It's about personal power next friday. Am sure you more than know what that means..as ive got no clue.

Let's explore power.this week :-)

Yeah..will need to read what that means lmao

I already drafted my post. I had a few brainwaves after all that awesome feedback

Oh cool.. would love to read it. I vaguely have an idea what to write so no sweat.

i love me some Assange, so you got my attention right away! anyhoo, no i did not choose this for the spiritual content i chose this because i was fortunate to have been raised around freedom fighters and people who sang like this to me. plus someone had actually taken my song so i had to rethink it all lol
also, not sure you read my footer but i am native american and not many of us use the term indian because we can be mixed up with those from india who use that term. we actually use many terms amongst ourselves in identification. next freedom friday is "freedom of personal power" if you are interested. please join in! :)

That's why brought it up, as I read your footer and that made the link to the memory of what Zizek spoke about as he turned things around in a way that made a lot of sense.

As Columbus never could have discovered the Americas as there already lived people on the continent before Columbus arrived.

Anyway... power!

ofc you can choose eho to believe, but zizek doesnt look native american whereas i am. 😂😂😂
its common knowledge about columbus , and i gave you how we feel in what wecall ourselves. there are many more names but mostly used amongst ourselves. very similar to the african american community.
thanks for your thoughts!
a’oo,
eaglespirit

hehe Zizek is a very intensive thinker from eastern Europe. :-) I can't find the exact spot where he spoke about Columbus it's the deeper meaning behind it that makes it interesting.

welp would kinda like me presuming to go to eastern europe and framing names without my ancestry having a connection whatsoever, from the NA perspective thats quite presumptuous. even from the standpoint of columbus, the puritans, the ones who would take “responsibility” for their own actions. descendents of those genetics. just my opinion, but if people focused on their ownarea of human slavery inthe world, what happenedthere and focus on peace then the closer the human race would be to achieving worldwide freedom. eastern euro would be croatia for instance? so the murder and death of innocents during one of the most recent atrocities in ethnic cleansinghistory. eagle spirit thinking out loud here ... visiting, bringing peace to the land, raising vibration, etc. discussing how to learn not to ever allow that to happen again.

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the music that was played was very good i really like the music, thank you for sharing @englespirit

oh thank you for listening in! very cool of you :)

Oh I love this so much. Isn't it amazing how so many cultures have their freedom songs, and we can move from culture to culture and genre and genre and find such amazing songs. Funny you included Bibb. I've just been listening to him this morning over breakfast, only discovered him a year or so ago because Dad was listening to him, and have been listening to him alot. When Dad lost all his hair from cancer he wanted a hat like Bibb's, but we convinced him beanies would do haha. I love all these songs. Thanks so much for this fresh approach. We could really do a musical freedom friday every few weeks, couldn't we, huh, huh, can we please Miss Eagle Spirit? pwwweeeassssssssssse.... love it so much and I've loved listening to people's freedom songs!

yay, i'm so happy you liked this i was a little insecure about sharing something like this but i always kinda am. you encourage me greatly. sorry about your dad, and so cool to hear you all listen to Bibb. Wow!
yes the music is great and have no problem revisiting this subject :)
thank you again for all your love and support mah sis.
mucho love,
eagle spirit

Oh bless... you always seem so confident. You did such a beautiful job of it and I loved to so much x

yay and thank you again 🤗

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thank you mah FF crew, miss you two mucho! your sis, eagle spirit

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So cool to listen to music of different cultures! ♥

yes it certainly is cool.

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thank you choo choo, much love to you 🤗💜

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