Conclusion
In conclusion, the aspect that unifies the folktales, dances, and songs from African American slavery is survival. Slaves were seeking to survive and thrive even within the oppressing conditions of slavery. Due to their oppression, they developed techniques of self-expression that unified African Americans as a people though stripped of their diverse traditions and cultures of the motherland. African American slaves inherited cultural qualities were passed on from generation to generation and disseminated in order to share the “lived experience” of slaves that always has and still continues to shape African American culture today (Caprio, n.d., para.5). The truth is the only way in which we can prevail, through having an understanding of the past. When we study African American cultural narratives we glean key insight into the lives of slavery experienced in the United States. The hopes, pains, sorrows, frustrations, agonies, grief, and faith are laid bare before our eyes through these cultural narratives. Folktales, dances, and songs are slave’s stories to the world of their life and imprint on American history. They reveal to us the experiences of slaves and enable better insight and understanding into African America beliefs, lifestyles, and culture.