Joanna Webster

Afro-American trickster tales are famous for its characteristics. These tales often contain a protagonist with special powers and it is characterized as the compendium of opponents. Trickster stories are often told for amusement as well as in some sacred and serious occasions. Most of the stories contain a specific context. Depending on the context, the stories are either a single tale or a big series of unrelated tales. Typically such tales are connected with tricksters' picaresque adventures and specific situations during which he responds with gluttony, stupidity, knavery and different violent activities. In most of the stories trickster serves as a culture and transformer hero, who always makes decisions out of chaos. He teaches human beings the skills of survival such as procreate, or raise or catch their food, how to make fire, etc, by some unique examples. Often he is supported by a companion who either works as a stooge or ultimately tricks the trickster.

Trickster tales are apt to evolve and develop when different societies meet or interact with each other. For instance, during the colonial period in North America, Rabbit or Hare was a common trickster in central Africa as well as in the new world. However, after a long period of time Native Americans and enslaved Africans met with each other and exchanged various elements of their culture, and their separate Rabbit traditions created a new trickster, which became famous as Brer Rabbit. Brer Rabbit tales share many features of traditional central African stories in America. For instance, the underdog trickster with small stature and strength manages to get the audience's sympathy. However, the underdog shows clever character with well controlled abilities in different situations. These African trickster tales are usually centered upon particular victims, such as Lion, Elephant and Hyena, which is quite similar to Native American counterparts. Thus, it became famous in the American culture, which we can often see nowadays.

In the past centuries, especially before the 20th century, trickster tales were concentrated upon North American Indian groups. Coyote is one of the most popular tricksters of North America. Currently his tales are popular in Southwest California and Plateau. On the other hand, in Northwest Coast popular tricksters are Mink, or Blue Jay, Raven, while in Southwest Indian tales Spider is one of the popular tricksters. Usually, North American tricksters combine humor with moral lessons. For example, the false bridegroom exposes him as a typical impostor; the eye juggler, who likes to play with his eyes, finally loses them.

Afro-American music is originally connected with the historical condition of slavery, which characterizes the life of Black African Americans prior to the American Civil war. The music styles describe the historical condition of chattel slavery of African people in American society.

During the 19th century, black instrumental music had a special position in the rural black community of South America. Usually, such music was played in the antebellum slave quarters, which became famous as folk elite because of their specific contributions to the practical African community life. These communities had sacred counterparts, musicianers, and the preachers, as the community called them. The communities provided special opportunities for the slaves to come forward and recreate a sense of community in one of the distinct social outlets available to them. For instance, the frolic is the secular counterpart of the usual Sunday prayer meetings. Afro-American music did not respond to the political challenges of reconstructions which broke old roles of African-American community. They did not participate in any substantial way in the new American political direction of rural black life in which different black slaves attempted to define the parameters of freedom.

Afro-American music is divided and characterized by several forms, such as field hollers, call and response, work song, vocality, improvisation, blue notes, polyrhythm, harmony and texture. Most of the songs are characterized by the specific situations. For instance, field holler type of vocal music is closely related with the work song, which black slaves sang during their working period. Call and response is connected with the musical expression concentrated in public gathering, religious rituals, etc. Vocality inspires the pains of slaves during their work, which include guttural effects such as shouts, screams, groans and moans. Improvisation states the actions without pre-planning. Such states are presented by musical instruments, singing, dancing, etc.

Afro-American musicians were the secular ministers of the community, who played a central role in the development of Western African-American cultural and social life through their music and songs. These songs and music played a greater role in the black slave community than politics. Music gave strength to the black people to understand their civil rights. After a certain time period, African-American music became popular in social events, such frolic became popular in house parties, and picnics and these songs became known as blues. Guitars replaced fiddles and became the most popular instrument in the community. However, musicians were concentrated on their culture and origin in rural black society. In the twentieth century, African music became a center of attraction to the regions of Virginia Piedmont, Texas, Mississippi Delta and some other regions of the United States. Thus, these songs and music revive its collective spirit all over the world.