Oral history and story telling have always held a valuable place in African American history. In slave culture, where learning to read or write could bring punishment or death, oral communication was a vital tool for survival. Slaves using the Underground Railroad were dependent on memorizing stories or songs like "Follow the Drinking Gourd" to provide directions to freedom. This use of story and song was part of African culture that came to America with the growth of the slave trade. Fables and proverbs were used in African tribes to instill moral values or teach important survival lessons about family life, hunting, or travel. The fables of Aesop (a freed Greek slave in the sixth century B.C. who may have been of African descent) are now known all over the world and remind us that important lessons may be learned from simple stories. The following are versions of Aesop's fables that have come down through African American oral traditions.
THE CROW OF KEUR SAMB
As told by Jamal Koram the Story Man"We must have patience and endurance."
A thirsty Crow, who lived in the village of Keur Samb, came upon a carved gourd which was half- filled with spring water. Unfortunately for her, the water level was low, and she couldn’t drink the water because she had a short beak. At first, the Crow tried to knock the gourd over with a pile of small stones, but this did not work. Then one by one she dropped the stones into the vessel.
With each stone dropped, the water rose higher and higher. After she dropped ninety - nine stones in the gourd, the water had risen high enough for the crow to drink.
"Where force fails, patience and endurance will often succeed."
THE SCHOLAR AND THE LION
As told by Jamal Koram the Story Man"Self preservation is the first law of nature."
An African scholar and an old Lion were walking through the great African rain forest. They were debating about who was the strongest, Man or Lion.
As they entered a clearing in the forest, they saw a huge wooden sculpture. The sculpture was of a Masai warrior conquering a Lion. "Look there," said the Scholar. "See how strong that warrior is. That proves I am right. Man is the strongest."
"My Brother, my Brother," said the Lion. "This does not prove a thing. If sculptures were made by Lions," he explained, "the Lion would be conquering the Man."
"How a story ends always depends on who the storyteller is."
African American Neighborhoods in Alexandria:
Print" this page and find the historic African American Neighborhoods in the Word Search puzzle.
Draw a picture of some of the people and places that you have learned about on your visit to the Alexandria Black History Museum Homepage.
Click to enlargeClick on frame to get full size.
Click to enlargeHere is a picture drawn by a visitor to the museum.
Click on the picture to make it bigger.
