African American Heritage (B.G.)

Many African Americans now are descendants of the slaves of America. Almost all of these African Americans have no idea who their ancestors were because when the Africans were taken to America all records of their family history were torn from their grasp.
When the Americans took Africans from their homeland, not only the people came, but also their music, art, architecture, food, and traditions came as well.




This African hunting horn slightly resembles the American trumpets, trombones, horns, and flutes.


Compare this trumpet to the African hunting horn. The bell (the widest part) of this trumpet is similar to the bell of the hunting horn. With instruments such as the saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, and piano, the African Americans invented jazz, blues, ragtime, hip hop, and rap.






This ancient African structure has some of the same traits of this older American structure (below).





The arches in this building closely resemble the arches in the African building above.







Piercings such as these were, and still are, very common throughout Africa. You can also find similar piercing techniques can be found in other countries. As you may have noticed some people today have almost identical piercings.




Many Africans would take images of the people around them and turn them into art. Similar things are done around the world today.



This is a more modern version of an African mask.





This artist is creating a mural that shows famous African American musicians.




African American Heritage Facts

• Many African Americans that were discriminated against had much more European blood than they thought.
  
• Some African Americans now are just discovering that they're related to other African Americans that they've never heard of in their life.
• Some African Americans were able to search their heritage and found what tribe(s) their ancestors originated from.
• Most heritage searches lead to western Africa--where most of the slave ships brought Africans from.
• Most ancestors of African Americans were very poor and could not afford to send their children to school.
• Even today many African Americans are unsure of their heritage.
• A lot of cultures of Greece, Europe, and Asia began in Africa. One African group, the Moors, conquered Spain and ruled for 700 years. They taught the Spanish people how to make maps, round globes, paving, and lighted streets.
• One of Mali's rulers, Mansa Musa, founded the University of Sankore in Timbuktu, Africa.
  
• Ghana was well known for its wealth and trade.
• Egypt was well known for its military power.
  
• Scientists believe that human beings originated in Africa.