Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents examples of the signature Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. chant "This Is A Serious Matter".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes.

I consider fraternity & sorority chants to be cultural artifacts which deserve to be collected, preserved, and studied. I also believe that fraternity & sorority songs and chants should only be recited and/or performed by those persons who are affiliated with the specific organization that is associated with that particular chant.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to composers of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.* for the chant "This Is A Serious Matter". Thanks also to those who shared examples of this chant with me, and all those who are featured in these YouTube videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
*Read the note in the "Information about this chant" section for the identification of the composers of this chant.

Much of the content of this post was published on pancocojams in 2012 and also includes references to two comments from that post's discussion thread http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/alpha-kappa-alpha-sorority-inc-this-is.html.
-snip-
For the historical record, Senator Kamala Harris, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and a Democratic candidate for the President of the United States, said "This is a serious matter" in response to a question that she was asked at the 4th Democratic primary debate (October 15, 2019).

Senator Harris may have used this AKA saying before in her campaign and at other times, but I remembered to document her saying it at that event.

Click https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/01/25/aka-historic-sorority-black-women-voters-kamala-harris-lah-ebof-dnt.cnn for a CNN video story entitled "Kamala Harris' secret weapon: Her sorority sisters".

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CHANT
"This Is A Serious Matter" appears to be the most widely known traditional Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. (AKA) chant. This chant and its accompanying routine have become signature parts of the culture of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In that routine steps are taken from left to right while both hands are held palm up close to the steppers' waist.

An anonymous commenter who used the screen name "The Author" wrote in May 2014 on the discussion thread of the 2012 pancocojams post indicated that "Serious Matter was authored and first performed at Langston University, Langston Oklahoma in 1986 by the Ivy line lovingly named '15 Girls in Search of 20 Pearls".

That same commenter or another anonymous commenter wrote in May 2014 on that same pancocojams post's discussion thread that "The chant was performed at the Langston University Homecoming Event...". Unfortunately, those commenters didn't share the original words to this chant.

The lyrics to "This is a Serious Matter" may be slightly different at various Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority chapters or within the same chapter at different points in time. "This is a Serious Matter" is usually composed of two line rhyming verses that state the history of the sorority, praise the sorority and its members, and/or diss (insult) other sororitiies. This chant always includes the line "this is a serious matter".

Many versions of this chant start with the step team saying "1 9 0 8". This is the date that Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was founded. Most versions of "This Is A Serious Matter" include a reference to the fact that Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc was the first Black sorority. Each version of this chant includes the refrain "This Is a SERIOUS matter". However, a step team may only repeated the words "This is a serious matter; this is a serious, serious, serious matter". My sense is that what "is a serious matter" is the sorority itself- its history, its ideals, its present activities, and its members' commitment to that organization.

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TEXT EXAMPLES
(These examples are presented in no particular order.)

EXAMPLE #1: THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER
This is a Serious Matter
Yes
This is a Serious Matter
Yes Yes
Alpha Kappa Alpha
A-K-A
Sororities take note
We paved your way
So if your not AKA
You went the wrong WAY!
-AKA soror, (Pittsburgh, PA), from private electronic email to Azizi Powell, 8/13/04; posted on 12/2005

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Example #2: THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER
I woke up this morning, jumped out of bed,
looked in the mirror and i SHOOK my pretty head
Okay they say i'm conceited, that is no lie....
I'LL BE A CONCEITED AKA UNTIL THE DAY THAT I DIE!
Pretty in pink, gorgeous in green
Since 1908, We've rained supreme!
This is a serious matter! YES!
This is a serious matter! YES, YES!
Alpha Kappa Alpha! (Alpha Kappa Alpha!)
SWEET AKA! (SWEET AKA!)
The first black sorority (echo)
WE PAVED THE WAY! (echo)
THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER!
-Guest, Fraternity & Sorority Chants and Songs; http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=103135&messages=76 ; 3/10/2010

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Example #3: THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER
1 9 0 8
We are the first Black Greek sorority
We wear our twenty pearls
[?]
When you see us with our heads held high
And say [?] our noses are always in the sky
'Cause this is What?
Ah serious matter.
Group does step routines without chanting
Ah serious matter.
-BHSMouse; AKA GMU
Probate; Fall 08; Omicron Iota step; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyvnuGq5vLs&feature=related ; January 31, 2009
(transcription by Azizi Powell, 5/19/2010)

Editor: The question mark in brackets means that I'm not certain about what the step team chanted. If you know this chant or can better decipher what is being said, please correct or add to this transcription by posting the words to this chant in the comment section below. Thanks!

Here's that video:
AKA Step...A Serious Matter



Uploaded by BHSMouse on Jan 31, 2009

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Example #4: THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER
We are the first black greek sorority.
Not DST, Not ZPhiB.
Sigma Gamma Rho. I don't think so.
Is it red and white? Is it red and gold?
Delta Sigma Theta you don't even know
Because on one bright and sunny day
all of your founders pledged AKA.
So greet me Delta and step back in line
because you don't know who you are
and you can't make up your mind." ...
This is a serious matter! YES!
This is a serious matter!
-The "Sensational" Sigma Epsilon Chapter' Spring 2003; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmvCmuFfycM&feature=related

[This transcription was posted as a comment by video viewer Psionix9 in 2008. That video no longer exists.]

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Example #5:
[Pancocojams Editor's Note: This is my partial transcription of a YouTube sound file. After the preface (which I only partially transcribed), a call & response chant is performed which gives positive shout outs to the three other sororities that are members of the "Divine Nine"*, and ends with a positive shout out to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.]

Preface:
[female speaking] Hey y'all look.
We really really should put on a [??] about how we were the first
and how everybody came from us, how everybody tryin to be like us
[another female speaking] - un hun
[A number of females speaking at the same time.] - Well, it's the truth.. And all those wannabees...
It's a serious matter....

[This chant begins at .047 in this sound file]

[Entire Group] This is a serious matter
Yes
This is a serious matter
Yes Yes
Lead - Alpha Kappa Alpha
Group- Alpha Kappa Alpha
Lead- Sweeet A.K.A.
Group- Sweeet A.K.A.
Lead- The first Black sorority
Group- The first Black sorority
Lead - We paved the way
Group- We paved the way
[Entire Group] This is a serious matter
Yes
This is a serious matter
Yes Yes
Lead - To Delta Sigma Theta
Group- To Delta Sigma Theta
Lead -Oh, DST
Group- Oh, DST
Lead-We would like to thank you
Group- We would like to thank you
Lead - For serving the community
Group- For serving the community
[Entire Group] This is a serious matter
Yes
This is a serious matter
Yes Yes
Lead - To Zeta Phi Beta
Group- To Zeta Phi Beta
Lead- Oh, ZPhiB
Group- Oh, ZPhiB
Lead-We would like to thank you
Group- We would like to thank you
Lead -For your positivity
Group- For your positivity
[Entire Group] This is a serious matter
Yes
This is a serious matter
Yes Yes
Lead -To Sigma Gamma Rho
Group- To Sigma Gamma Rho
Lead- Oh, SGRho
Group- Oh, SGRho
Lead- We appreciate you
Group- We appreciate you
Lead -And we thought you'd like to know
Group-And we thought you'd like to know
[Entire Group] This is a serious matter
Yes
This is a serious matter
Yes Yes
Lead- Alpha Kappa Alpha
Group- Alpha Kappa Alpha
Lead- Sweeet AKA
Group- Sweeet AKA
Lead -Founded in 08
Group-Founded in 08
Lead -And we're here to stay
Group- And we're here to stay
[Entire Group] This is a serious matter
Yes
This is a serious matter
Yes Yes
This is a serious matter
Yes
This is a serious matter
Lead- A very serious [said at the same time the rest of the Group says]
Yes Yes
Yes Yes

Here's that sound file: "Serious Matter," Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.



Alisha Jones, Jan 14, 2012
-snip-
*From http://www.blackgreek.com/divinenine/
"The Divine Nine and the National Pan-Hellenic Council
There are nine historically Black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs) that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Collectively, these organizations are referred to as "The Divine Nine." Each of these fraternities and sororities is rich in history - ties to one or more of these organizations may be found in many college-educated Black families in the United States."
-snip-
A list of the Divine 9 historically Black Greek letter sororities and fraternities (with their founding date and university) is found on that page.

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ADDITIONAL SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Alpha Kappa Alpha: Probate '11 @ Auburn Uni-Part III



iconlb, Uploaded on Dec 5, 2011

ΚΧ Fall 2K11_Part III
Alpha Kappa Alpha: Kappa Chi's new members presentation.
"A Serious Matter"
The PHinale.
***Any music used is for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.***

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Video #2: 2010 Sprite Step-Off Finals: Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Performance



PulseOneMedia, Published on Mar 27, 2010

http://www.pulseonemedia.com - Video of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) step team during the 2010 Sprite Step-Off which was executive produced by Ludacris. The Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) step team used a Law & Order scenario as the theme for their performance during the 2010 Sprite Step-Off. This was there story!
-snip-
The portion of this video that showcases the chant "This Is A Serious Matter" chant is found at 2:12-2:51

April 10, 2018- This video replaces a previous video of this performance that is no longer available.

This step team was first awarded 2nd place in that competition but, after considerable uproar, was awarded 1st place along with the previously awarded 1st place winners, a White sorority Zeta Tau Alpha from the University of Arkansas. Click http://couldntkeepit.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/a-serious-matter/ for commentary about this Sprite Step Off™ competition & decision.

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Video #3: Greekster.tv - Serious Matter AKA



greekstertv, Uploaded on Dec 27, 2009

Interviewing the sisters of AKA at the Rutgers 10th Annual LTA Step, Stroll and Salute Exhibition

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Video #4: Serious Matter



Brandon C, Published on Sep 26, 2009

The Omicron Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides text examples of the hand games "When Billy Boy Was One"&"Poor Pinocchio".

Two video examples of "When Billy Boy Was One" are included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and recreational, purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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Most of the content of this post was published in this 2013 pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/when-billy-boy-was-one-poor-pinocchio.html">http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/when-billy-boy-was-one-poor-pinocchio.html.

Although the textual structure, the percussive rhythm, and accompanying hand clap & body patting movements of these rhymes strongly suggest that these rhymes are of African American origin, I don't know if that population was the original source of these rhymes.

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INFORMATION ABOUT "WHEN BILLY BOY WAS ONE" AND "POOR PINOCCHIO"
"When Billy Boy Was One" isn't the folk song "Billy Boy" ("Oh where have you been Billy Boy") and "Poor Pinocchio" isn't the nursery rhyme character "Pinocchio". However, it's highly probably that the characters' names in both of those playground rhymes were lifted from those widely known cultural sources.

"When Billy Boy Was One" (also known as "Billy Boy" and "Billy") and "Poor Pinocchio" are what I call a "life stages" playground rhyme. A "life stages" rhyme is one that chants a line about a person starting with age one and successively moving to an agreed upon age [usually ten]. The first line of those two line rhyming verses usually begins with the word "when" and indicates the person's age. The second line indicates an activity that is supposedly characteristic of that age:

When Billy Boy was one
He learned to suck his thumb

Or the second line ends with a word that rhymes with the age that was given in the first line:

When Billy Boy was seven
He went to heaven

Similarly, here are examples from "Poor Pinocchio":
1*. Poor Pinocchio he learned to suck his thumb, thumb
after thumb after thumb, after thumb after thumb.
Cross over

4*. Poor Pinocchio he learned to shut the door, door after
door, after door, after door. Cross over

[The numbers at the beginning of this example are chanted.]
-snip-
Another form of "life stage" rhyme is one which instead of ages mentions periods pf a person's life -from babyhood to death and sometime beyond. The rhymes "When I Was A Baby" ("When Susie Was A Baby", "When Pebbles Was A Baby" etc.)* are examples of those kinds of life stages children's rhymes. However, in addition to being "life stages" rhymes, "When I Was A Baby" etc. is also a cumulative rhyme, in that each line that is chanted includes a portion from each preceding line.

As is the case with the "When I Was A Baby" rhymes, mimicking actions are performed while chanting the second line of "When Billy Boy Was One" and "Poor Pinocchio". For instance, while chanting "He learned to suck his thumb", the chanters mimic sucking their thumb. However, I'm not certain if any mimicking action is done for the "went to heaven" line that is usually chanted for the number "seven" verse, unless it is flapping your arms in imitation of angel's wings.

The term "cross-down", "cross over" or "crosstown"** is found in each of these rhymes. That word not only serves to separate the successive age verses, but also describes an action or series of actions that is/are always done when that word is said. Read my comments in the "Performance Activity" section about those motions.
"*Crosstown" is probably a folk etymology form of "cross down".

It's my theory that "When Billy Boy Was One", the similarly chanted rhyme "When Pebbles Was One*" and the rhyme "Poor Pinocchio" all came from the same source- the same sources as "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat". The only rhyme that I've heard chanted "in real life "(Example #2 of "Poor Pinocchio") had the same or very similar tune as "Miss Susie Had A Baby".

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/11/when-pebbles-was-baby-part-ii.html for Part II of "When Pebbles Was A Baby" to find text examples and videos of those rhymes.

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PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES
"When Billy Boy Was One" and "Poor Pinocchio" appear to usually be recited as two partner hand clap game with accompanying mimicking motions.

Each of these rhymes includes the word "cross down" or some variant form of that word. Saying "cross down" is a signal to begin a crossing movement that may also be combined with a body patting motion. Here's one description of the "cross down" performance action:
"Cross down - start by crossing both hands over your chest, with your finger tips touching your shoulders, then uncross them and smack your thigh's. Your left hand will smack your left thigh and right hand, right thigh."

I imagine that other "crossing" actions such as doing a criss-cross jumping (crossing your feet when you jump) could be done instead of the actions given below.

Performance directions are found in some of the examples below.

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THREE TEXT EXAMPLES OF "WHEN BILLY BOY WAS ONE"
(These examples are given in chronological order based on the date in which the example was posted online, with the oldest dated example given first.)

Example #1: WHEN BILLY BOY WAS ONE
I'm an elementary teacher from Minnesota. I'd like to add a hand clapping, patting game I learned from some first grade girls back in the 1970's. They called it "Billy Boy." As they chanted the lyrics they clapped their own hands, then the opposite hand of their partner, then their own opposite shoulders, and finally their knees.

When Billy Boy was one (sung as two syllables) he learned to suck his thu-umb, (two syllables again.)
Thumb-dee-ah-dah, thumb-dee-ah-dah,
Half past one, cross down,

When Billy boy was two-o, he learned to tie his shoe-oo,
Two-dee-ah-dah, two-dee-ah dah,
Half past two cross down." etc.

three: climb a tree,
four: shut the door,
five: jump and dive,
six: pick up sticks,
seven: got to heaven,
eight: clean his plate,
nine: sing this rhyme,
ten: he learned to say, 'THE END!'"
-Skeezyks, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 Children's Street Songs, January 31, 2005

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Example #2: WHEN BILLY BOY WAS ONE
Two people sit facing each other. I'll do my best to describe the handclap motions...

Cross down - start by crossing both hands over your chest, with your finger tips touching your shoulders, then uncross them and smack your thigh's. Your left hand will smack your left thigh and right hand, right thigh.

The next step is to clap. When you clap, you begin singing the song.
(For example: (cross down) (Clap), When Billy Boy was one..... (now begin claping with your partner - your right hand claps with their right hand - then you clap your hands together, next your left hand claps with your partner's left hand, then you clap your hands together.

Repeat until the verse is over.

When you start the next verse, begin again with cross down, slap your thighs, When Billy Boy was two...etc.

Verses: When Billy Boy was one, he learned to suck his thumb. Thumb Billy, Thumb Billy, half past one.

When Billy Boy was two, he learned to tie his shoe. Shoe Billy, Shoe Billy, half past two.

When Billy Boy was three, he learned to climb a tree. Tree Billy, Tree Billy, half past three.

When Billy Boy was four, he learned to close the door. Door Billy, Door Billy, half past four.

When Billy Boy was five, he learned to swim and dive. Dive Billy, Dive Billy, half past five.

When Billy Boy was six, he learned to pick up sticks. Sticks Billy, Sticks Billy, half past six.

When Billy Boy was seven, he learned to pray to heaven. Heaven Billy, Heaven Billy, half past seven.

When Billy Boy was eight, he learned to roller skate. Skate Billy, Skate Billy, half past eight.

When Billy Boy was nine, he learned to tell the time. Time Billy, Time Billy, half past nine.

When Billy Boy was ten, he learned to catch the hens. Hens Billy, Hens Billy, half past ten. Cross down, then end!
-Jackie; cocojams.com, 2/28/2007 [Cocojams was the name of my cultural blog which I voluntarily deactivated in 2015.]

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Example #3: WHEN BILLY BOY WAS ONE
then there was about billy boy
cross down when billy boy was 1
he learned to suck his thumb
thumb after thumb after half past one

2 was tie his shoe
3 was climb a tree
4 was shut the door
5 was swim and dive
6 was pick up sticks
7 was pray to Heaven
8 was shut the gate
9 was pay the fine
10 was say the end

and at the end it was
... end after end after half past ten
cross down the end.
-Guest, Julie, http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 Children's Street Songs, December 5, 2007

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF "WHEN BILLY BOY IS ONE"
Video #1: Heart sisters. School rhymes- Wjen Billy was one



Ania Heart, Apr 17, 2017

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Video #2: Farrell - When Billy Was One - OCES September 2018



Ms. Boyd, Oct 22, 2018

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TWO EXAMPLES OF "POOR PINOCCHIO"
(These examples are given in chronological order based on the date in which the example was posted online, with the oldest dated example given first.)

Example #1: POOR PINOCCHIO
1. Poor Pinocchio he learned to suck his thumb, thumb
after thumb after thumb, after thumb after thumb.
Cross over *
2. Poor Pinocchio he learned to tie his shoe, shoe after
shoe, after shoe, after shoe . Cross over *
3. Poor Pinocchio he learned to climb a tree, tree after tree,
after tree, after tree. Cross over *
4. Poor Pinocchio he learned to shut the door, door after
door, after door, after door. Cross over *
5. Poor Pinocchio he liked to kick bee hives, hives after
hives, after hives, after hives. Cross over *
6. Poor Pinocchio he learned to pick up sticks, sticks after
sticks, after sticks ,after sticks. Cross over *
7. Poor Pinocchio he learned all about heaven, heaven after
heaven, after heaven, after heaven. Cross over *
8. Poor Pinocchio he learned to shut the gate, gate after
gate, after gate after gate. Cross over *

[and so on up to 11-use any word that rhymes with those numbers]
* When you say "cross over" you fold your arms crisscross over your chest, and the other girl you are doing the handclap with does the same thing at the same time.
-Natashia, (White female, age 13; Hinton, Alberta, Canada; October 21, 2005
-snip-
[The numbers at the beginning of this example are chanted.]

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Example #2: POOR PINOCCHIO
I vaguely remember a clapping song that went something like

Poor Pinocchio one
He used to suck his thumb
But poor P-I-N-O-C-C-H-I-O
cross down and

Poor Pinocchio two
He (something something) shoe (learned to tie?)
But poor P-I-N-O-C-C-H-I-O

that's all I remember...does this ring a bell to anyone else?
-Enjal, http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=95;t=000442;p=1"Topic: Skipping and clapping rhymes", 20 February 2003

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series about the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd" probably not being a historically authentic song about Black Americans escaping slavery.

Part I quotes the entire Wikipedia article about the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd".

Part I also quotes selected comments from a Mudcat folk music discussion forum thread about this song.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/excerpts-from-book-follow-drinking.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II quotes two excerpts from the 2009 book Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History by Joel Bresler.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/four-youtube-examples-of-song-follow.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III features lyrics for the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd" as sung by The Weavers and as sung by the New Christy Minstrels.

Part III also showcases four YouTube examples of "Follow The Drinking Gourd and features selected comments from the discussion thread for one of these YouTube examples.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and historical purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the all those who escaped slavery via the underground railroad and thanks to all those regardless of race who worked on or otherwise supported the underground railroad.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
I agree with those who consider the song Follow The Drinking Gourd to be historically inauthentic. Those who take that position doubt that Follow The Drinking Gourd was ever sung during African American enslavement. Read Part I and Part II of this pancocojams series for information and comments about those positions regarding this song.

Although I consider most renditions of "Follow The Drinking Gourd" to be musically pleasing, I'm concerned that the lyrics of this song oversimplify the difficulties and dangers that African Americans trying to escape from slavery faced and inaccurately describe the complexity of the underground railroad.

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THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE ABOUT "FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD"
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Follow_the_Drinkin%27_Gourd
"Texas Folklore Society and H. B. Parks
Follow the Drinking Gourd was collected by H. B. Parks, an entomologist and amateur folklorist, in the 1910s. Parks reported that Peg Leg Joe, an operative of the Underground Railroad, had passed as a laborer and spread the song to different plantations, giving directions for slaves to escape. The song was published by the Texas Folklore Society in 1928. (The cover spells the title "Foller de Drinkin' Gou'd.")[1]

Lee Hays
In 1947, Lee Hays, of the Almanac Singers and The Weavers, rearranged Follow the Drinkin' Gourd and published it in the People's Songs Bulletin. Familiar with African-American music and culture,[4] Hays stated that he himself had heard parts of the song from an elderly black woman named Aunty Laura. Hays described the melody as coming from Aunty Laura, while the lyrics came from anthologies – probably the Parks version.[5]

Randy Sparks / John Woodum
In 1955, singer Randy Sparks heard the song from an elderly street singer named John Woodum. These lyrics diverged greatly from the Parks and Hays versions and included no geographical information. Sparks later founded The New Christy Minstrels, with whom he recorded a version of the song based on Woodum's lyrics.[1][6]

Meaning
Polaris, the North Star, is found by imagining a line from Merak (β) to Dubhe (α) and then extending it for five times the distance after Dubhe (α) to Polaris (α Ursae Minoris).

Two of the stars in the Big Dipper line up very closely with and point to Polaris. Polaris is a circumpolar star, and so it is always seen pretty close to the direction of true north. Hence, according to a popular myth, all slaves had to do was look for the Drinking Gourd and follow it to the North Star (Polaris) north to freedom.[citation needed] James Kelley has argued against the historicity of this interpretation in the Journal of Popular Culture.[3]"
-snip-
H.B. Parks, Lee Hays, and Randy Sparks were White Americans.

In the song Follow The Drinking Gourd, the character Peg Leg Joe was White.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM A MUDCAT DISCUSSION THREAD ABOUT "FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD"
[Pancocojams Editor's Note: This Mudcat discussion began on February 2, 2000 by Guest, Pablo. As of October 20, 2019, I counted 134 comments in that (still open) discussion with the last comment being posted by me (writing as Guest, Azizi) on April 5, 2012.

That comment informed Mudcat readers that I quoted selected comments from that discussion thread and portions of Joel Bresler's book, as well as showcased a YouTube video of the Weavers' singing "Follow The Drinking Gourd" on a page of my (now deactivated) cocojams website. That comment was one of a number of comments that I had published on that Mudcat discussion thread.

This pancocojams series is probably an extended version of that cocojams post which I can no longer access to read.]

From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=17760
Follow The Drinking Gourd

[I assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only]

1. Subject: RE: Help: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Oct 01 - 10:38 AM

"FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD
By H. B. PARKS

The following story is a compilation of three incidents and an attempt to explain them. A number of years ago while a resident of Alaska I became much interested in folk-lore and consequently anything of this nature came to attract my attention quickly. I was a resident of Hot Springs, North Carolina, during the year of 1912 and had charge of the agricultural work of a large industrial school. This school owned a considerable herd of cattle, which were kept in the meadows on the tops of the Big Rich Mountains on the boundary between North Carolina and Tennessee. One day while riding through the mountains looking after this stock, I heard the following stanza sung by a little negro boy, who was picking up dry sticks of wood near a negro cabin:

Foller the drinkin' gou'd,
Foller the drinkin' gou'd;
No one know, the wise man say,
"Foller the drinkin' gou'd."

It is very doubtful if this part of the song would have attracted anyone's attention had not the old grandfather, who had been sitting on a block of wood in front of the cabin, slowly got up and, taking his cane, given the boy a sound lick across the back with the admonition not to sing that song again. This excited my curiosity and I asked the old man why he did not want the boy to sing the song. The only answer I could get was that it was bad luck. About a year later I was in the city of Louisville and, having considerable time to wait for a train, I went walking about the city. My journey brought me to the river front, and while standing there watching the wharf activities I was very much surprised to hear a negro fisherman, who was seated on the edge of the wharf, singing the same stanza on the same tune. The fisherman sang the same stanza over and over again without any variation. While I am unable to write the music that goes with this stanza, I can say that it is a jerky chant with the accented syllables very much prolonged. When I asked the fisherman what he knew about the song, he replied that he knew nothing about it; he would not even converse with me. This seemed to be very peculiar, but because of the story of bad luck told by the grandfather in North Carolina I did not question the negro further. In 1918 I was standing on the platform of the depot at Waller, Texas, waiting for a train, when, much to my surprise, I heard the familiar tune being picked on a violin and banjo and two voices singing the following words:

Foller the Risen Lawd,
Foller the Risen Lawd;
The bes'thing the Wise Man say,
"Foller the Risen Lawd."

The singers proved to be two Negro boys about sixteen years of age. When they were asked as to where they learned the song, they gave the following explanation. They said that they were musicians traveling with a colored revivalist and that he had composed this song and that they played it and used it in their revival meetings. They also said the revivalist wrote new stanzas to fit the meetings. These three incidents led me to inquire into the subject, and I was very fortunate in meeting an old Negro at College Station, Texas, who had known a great many slaves in his boyhood days. After I had gained his confidence, this man told the following story and gave the following verses of the song. He said that just before the Civil War, somewhere in the South, he was not just sure where, there came a sailor who had lost one leg and had the missing member replaced by a peg-leg. He would appear very suddenly at some plantation and ask for work as a painter or carpenter. This he was able to get at almost every place. He made friends with the slaves and soon all of the young colored men were singing the song that is herein mentioned. The peg-leg sailor would stay for a week or two at a place and then disappear. The following spring nearly all the young men among the slaves disappeared and made their way to the north and finally to Canada by following a trail that had been made by the peg-leg sailor and was held in memory by the Negroes in this peculiar song.

(music line inserted here)

1 When the sun come back,
When the firs' quail call, Foller the drinkin' gou'd.

Chorus: Foller the drinkin' gou'd,
Foller the drinkin' gou'd;
For the ole man say,
"Foller the drinkin' gou'd."

2 The riva's bank am a very good road,
The dead trees show the way,
Lef' foot, peg foot goin' on,
Foller the drinkin' gou'd.
Chorus:

3 The riva ends a-tween two hills,
Foller the drinkin' gou'd;
'Nuther riva on the other side
Follers the drinkin' gou'd.
Chorus:

4 Wha the little riva
Meet the grea' big un,
The ole man waits--
Foller the drinkin' gou'd.

Now my birthplace is in the North and I also belong to a family that took considerable part in the underground railroad movement; so I wrote about this story to the older members of the family in the North. One of my great-uncles, who was connected with the railroad movement, remembered that in the records of the Anti-Slavery Society there was a story of a peg-legged sailor, known as Peg Leg Joe, who made a number of trips through the South and induced young Negroes to run away and escape through the North to Canada. The main scene of his activities was in the country immediately north of Mobile, and the trail described in the song followed northward to the head waters of the Tombigbee River, thence over the divide and down the Tennessee River to the Ohio. It seems that the peg-legged sailor would go through the country north of Mobile and teach this song to the young slaves and show them a mark of his natural left foot and the round spot made by the peg-leg. He would then go ahead of them northward and on every dead tree or other conspicuous object he would leave a print made with charcoal or mud of the outline of a human left foot and a round spot in place of the right foot. As nearly as could be found out the last trip was made in 1859. Nothing more could be found relative to this man. The Negro at College Station said that the song had many verses which he could not remember. He quoted a number which, either by fault of memory or secret meaning, are unintelligible and are omitted. The ones given are in the phonetic form used by the College Station Negro and become rather simple when one is told that the "drinkin' gou'd" is the Great Dipper, that the "wise man" was the peg-leg sailor, and that the admonition is to go ever north, following the trail of the left foot and the peg-leg until "the grea' big un" (the Ohio) is reached, where the runaways would be met by the old sailor. The revivalist realized the power of this sing-song and made it serve his purpose by changing a few words, and in so doing pointed his followers to a far different liberty than the one the peg-leg sailor advocated."
-snip-
*I think the Guest in this comment was Q (Frank Staplin) who actually was a member of Mudcat at that time. When that website had technical difficulties, all the members were listed as "Guests".

*Note: "Comments" are referred to as "posts" by Mudcat members and published comments are said to be "posted" in a particular Mudcat discussion thread.

****
2. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Mar 05 - 05:50 PM

"As posted in another thread, this song is controversial. The words were collected by [H.B. Parks*] in 1928 at College Station, Texas, from "an old man."

Whether this is a valid, old song or something devised by someone at the University (Texas A & M) is uncertain.
Also, as posted elsewhere, the song, if valid, would be for exceedingly dumb slaves. The slave narratives and other records of slavery times suggest a higher degree of sophistication among the slaves and word of mouth communication of specific information about possible escape routes.

Parks (in the article posted above by 'Guest'), repeats the anecdote about a peg leg man, a story which, following emancipation, was spread widely and appears in the song, and also relates the song to a probable spiritual fragment, "Follow the Drinkin' Gou'd," collected in North Carolina by Parks and to "Foller the Risen Lawd," collected by Parks in Texas from members of the troupe of a 'colored revivalist.'

A nice little story, but impossible to document."...
-snip-
*Q initially wrote "The words were collected by J. Frank Dobie in 1928 at College Station, Texas, from "an old man.", but corrected that sentence in a subsequent comment [post] in that same discussion thread, indicating that he meant to write "H. B. Parks" and not "J. Frank Dobie", at that time the editor of the Texas Folklore Society.

****
3. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Lighter
Date: 05 Mar 05 - 09:21 PM

"Scholars are beginning to think that Praks, the "collector," wrote this haunting song himself not too long before 1928."

****
4. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 11:11 PM

"After passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, an escaping slave could no longer just head more or less north to cross the Ohio River or otherwise reach a non-slave state.

The task of conducting the slaves fell to careful, well-organized members of the Underground Railway. Routes were not straight line. It was mostly up to the escapee to reach the first 'station', which he did by following carefully the path passed by word of mouth among the slaves by 'travelers.'

Once the escapee reached a station, his fate was in the hands of the conductors, who laid out the route and escorted the slaves. The route never was due north, but zig-zaged according to location of safe houses or sites, and sometimes was delayed for days to a time until the route was deemed safe.

Much is written about one or two of these conductors, but there were others that were more important.
-John Parker helped slaves to cross the Ohio River and passed them on to other helpers.
-William Cretty of New York helped 3000.
-Robert Purvis of Philadelphia is credited with transporting 9000.
-William Still, also of Philadelphia, conducted many.

Others included David Ruggles, Josiah Henson, Harriet Tubman and many others whose names are buried in records or unknown.

Purvis, Still and Ruggles were African-American free men.

Routes through the northeastern states of New York, New Jersey, parts of Pennsylvania, etc., involved transit by boat, train and horse-drawn vehicles, carefully worked out to avoid enforcers of the Fugitive Slave Act.
Some 30,000 reached Canada, and others were hidden in rural areas with strong anti-slave populations.

Few slaves would be dumb enough not to know the dangers of simple-mindedly "following the drinking gourd." Getting to the first station required following careful directions which reached him by word of mouth and diagrams drawn in the dirt."

****
5. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: GUEST,Joel Bresler
Date: 18 May 05 - 08:28 PM

"Hi, Lighter wrote on 05 Mar 05 - 09:21 PM

Scholars are beginning to think that Parks, the "collector," wrote this haunting song himself not too long before 1928.

Which scholars, please? I am researching the song. Are you referring to the Tuscaloosa News October, 2004 article? The source won't go on the record.

Many thanks,

Joel"

****
6. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 May 05 - 11:25 PM

"Joel, see my post in thread 81241, 17 May 05, 08:54PM- Drinkin' Gourd*
(posted as Guest when Mudcat was severely ill).

In the over 75 years since Parks published his story and song in 1928, no one has found any evidence of the pegleg conductor. There are no citations other than those based on Parks article.

The story is dubious, since the underground railway operated by word of mouth in getting the escapee to the 'first station,' a safe location or house. A 'conductor' would supervise from then on.

Also, as noted in this thread, 13 Apr 05, going north solo was almost a sure way to get caught, since the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 applied in ALL states; if found anywhere, the slave by law was returned to his owners.

The story has been embroidered by singers like Campbell and Seeger (the one in the DT, for example) and in a book for children that I have seen."...
-snip-
Update: October 20, 2019 5:43 PM- I've added this comment from another Mudcat thread in the Addendum to this post.

**
7. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 19 May 05 - 08:58 AM

"I don't have my reference handy, but the scholarly suspicions stem from exactly the sort of points that Q has raised here."

****
8. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 May 05 - 02:21 PM

"Good luck on your research.

Whenever I get time, I look into more of the underground railway literature, and interviews with former slaves, looking mostly for songs, but also just interested in learning a bit more.

I think the idea of coded 'escape' songs is largely nonsense. Word-of-mouth and sketches in the dirt would be much more effective."

****
9. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 19 May 05 - 08:30 PM

"Joel, good research ! I generally agree with Q. At the risk of pointing out the obvious, if it was truly "out of character" for Parks to have concocted the story, perhaps he was taken in by somebody else ! The point is that the song just sounds too good to be true - in many ways.

Too bad we don't have the text that Lee Hays heard as a young boy. A comparison would be in order.

A further possibility - assuming Hays's recollection was correct - is that the song was commercially written, perhaps for a long-forgotten stage drama, not long before Parks heard it.

Just thoughts."

****
10. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Azizi
Date: 20 May 05 - 02:37 PM

..."I'm African American but this song certainly wasn't anything that was passed down to me by oral tradition. But, then again, to be fair, that could be explained by the fact that I don't have any Southern relatives {or at least I didn't have any relatives who lived in the Southern part of the United States until a few members of my family started moving to different Southern states about five years ago}.

So-forget about my personal lack of knowledge about this song.
I don't get a sense that it is part of the oral tradition of African Amerians who have had Southern roots for a long time.

And I don't see it mentioned in published recollections of former slaves as a means by which they or people they knew escaped from slavery.

The idea that there were "coded references to a known safe routes" to freedom that were passed on without someone who was a trusted 'family retainer' i.e. a House Negro {substitute the word you want} not hearing about it and not telling ole massa and missus, seems to me to be beyond belief.

I think that 'Follow The Drinking Gourd' is like an urban legend only it's not urban.

Azizi"

****
11. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 01:28 PM

"Historian Fergus M. Bordewich has written a fine book called "Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America." He shows how the Underground Railroad forced Americans to think about slavery in new ways, as it delivered tens of thousands of former slaves into Northern communities.

In an article for the NY Times (Feb. 2, 2007), he discusses the myths that "submerge the horrific reality of slavery in a gilded haze of uplift. But in claiming to honor the history of African-Americans, they serve only to erase it in a new way"

Not his main theme, but he considers the myths and bizarre legends attached to the Underground Railroad. One of them concerns the ballad, "Follow the Drinking Gourd."
The version as taught in some schools and often heard as 'truth' actually was composed by Lee Hays of the Weavers in 1947, a fictional song based on two little fragments collected in 1928 of what may be an old hymn.
(Lee Hays is currently associated with BMI; Follow the Drinking Gourd is BMI Work # 3519896)"

****
12. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 20 Oct 09 - 03:57 PM

"FWIW, I've now done an extensive search of various American newspaper, book, and periodical databases back to 1800: millions and millions and millions of words. I haven't found a single reference to the song or the legend earlier than Parks's in 1928."

****
13. Subject: RE: Origins: Follow the Drinking Gourd meanings
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Oct 09 - 05:53 PM

"Lighter- Which adds to the opinions of many folklore specialists that the song did not exist before the 'date of collection'.

The legend is ridiculous anyway; The North Star (Polaris, Dhruva, many names) would lead an escapee into certain recapture by 'patrollers'; any codes would have to do with contacting the underground railway or other assistance to fleeing slaves.

Of course various words or phrases would be developed to hide meaning ('codes'); all groups desiring secrecy develop them, but the 'Gourd' song has no value in this regard."

****
ADDENDUM- Three comments from another Mudcat folk music discussion thread about "Follow The Drinking Gourd"

Pancocojams Editor's Note: The comment (i.e. The Mudcat post) that is given as #2 below was referenced in the comment given as #6 in this pancocojams post.

From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81241 Origin: Follow the Drinking Gourd (Burl Ives?)

1. Subject: RE: Follow the Drinkin' Gourd, by Burl Ives?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 May 05 - 05:40 PM

Some scholars dismiss the story as fictitious, which it probably is.

Would that be the story said to be contained in the song, amnd aboutb how the song was used, or the story about how it was collected in a few variants?

In other words does that "probably" mean that HB Parks is accused of fabricating the story and the song, or does it reflect the way that folklore and folk tales aren't always literally fact - which doesn't necessarily stop them being "true".

****
2. Subject: RE: Follow the Drinkin' Gourd, by Burl Ives?
From: GUEST
Date: 17 May 05 - 08:54 PM

More than one question here, some of which I considered in another thread, but navigation too uncertain at this time.


1 Song variants
a. Four lines from Tennessee, collected on the NC border (by H. B. Parks, 1912).
Foller the drinkin' gou'd (2x)
No one know, the wise man say,
Foller the drinkin' gou'd.
Parks says he heard the same four lines later in Louisville (1913).
This was followed by another fragment from Texas, also coll. by H, B, Parks (1918):
Foller the Risen Lawd (2x)
The bes' thing the Wise Man say
Foller the Risen Lawd.

This would seem to be from the same song. The singers said they got it from a black revivalist with whom they traveled. Both verses may be fragments of an old spiritual of gospel song.

The song itself was also collected by Parks (1918?), from "an old Negro" at College Station, TX (home of Texas A&M University, with some 45000 students). It was not published by Parks until ten years later.

The song in the DT has been embroidered and enlarged by the singer, Paul Campbell). Here are Parks lyrics:

Lyr. Add: Foller the Drinkin' Gou'd

When the sun come back,
When the firs' quail call,
Then the time is come
Foller the drinkin' gou'd.

Chorus:
Foller the drinkin' gou'd,
Foller the drinkin' gou'd;
For the ole man say,
"Foller the drinkin' gou'd."

The riva's bank am a very good road,
The dead trees show the way,
Lef' foot, peg foot goin' on,
Foller the drinkin' gou'd.

The riva ends a-tween two hills
Foller the drinkin' gou'd;
'Nuther riva on the other side
Follers the drinkin' gou'd.

Wha the little riva
Meet the grea' big un,
The ole man waits-
Foller the drinkin' gou'd.

Parks goes on to say that there was a story in the records of the Anti-Slavery Society of a peg leg sailor who was a conductor on the underground railroad.

The song was recorded by Pete Seeger and others, and the story was spread afar.
No other record or fragment of the song has been found, although 77 years have passed since publication.

No record of any such underground railroad conductor has been found, although there are many descriptions of the exploits of conductors on the underground railroad, and of the many thousands that they escorted to freedom (briefly discussed in my post of 13 Apr 05, thread 17760).

In that thread, I said the task of conducting the slaves fell to careful, well-organized members of the Underground Railway. One conductor, Robert Purvis, is credited with transporting 9000. Thirty thousand reached Canada.

The 'first station' had to be reached by the escapee by following careful directions which reached him by word of mouth and diagrams drawn in the dirt.
I commented that "Few slaves would be dumb enough not to know the dangers of simple-mindedly "following the drinking gourd."

My personal belief is that Parks concocted the story, partly from an old spiritual, and abetted by wishful thinking, and perhaps a desire to put one over on J. Frank Dobie, at that time editor for the Texas Folk-Lore Society (Or did someone at Texas A&M University have a hand in it?).

H. B. Parks, "Follow The Drinking Gourd," pp. 81-84, in Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1928, Number VII, "Follow de Drinkin'
Gou'd."

Others have questioned the story, but I must emphasize that the above remarks are solely mine."

****
3. Subject: RE: Follow the Drinkin' Gourd, by Burl Ives?
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 17 May 05 - 08:56 PM

"The above guest is Q. Sometimes I am recognized, other times moribund Mudcat doesn't know me."

****
This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series on the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd".

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd" probably not being a historically authentic song about Black Americans escaping slavery.

Part II quotes two excerpts from the 2009 book Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History by Joel Bresler.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/follow-drinking-gourd-is-probably.html for Part I of this series. Part I quotes the entire Wikipedia article about the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd".

Part I also quotes selected comments from a Mudcat folk music discussion forum thread about this song.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/four-youtube-examples-of-song-follow.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III features lyrics for the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd" as sung by The Weavers and as sung by the New Christy Minstrels.

Part III also showcases four YouTube examples of "Follow The Drinking Gourd and features selected comments from the discussion thread for one of these YouTube examples.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and historical purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who escaped slavery via the underground railroad and thanks to all those regardless of race who worked on and otherwise supported "the underground railroad".

Thanks to Joel Bresler for his research and his writing on the subject of the song Follow The Drinking Gourd and its cultural impact.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
I agree with those who consider the song Follow The Drinking Gourd to be historically inauthentic. Those who take that position doubt that Follow The Drinking Gourd was ever sung during African American enslavement. Read Part I and Part II of this pancocojams series for information and comments about those positions regarding this song.

Although I consider most renditions of "Follow The Drinking Gourd" to be musically pleasing, I'm concerned that the lyrics of this song oversimplify the difficulties and dangers that African Americans trying to escape from slavery faced and inaccurately describe the complexity of the underground railroad.

****
EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD: A CULTURAL HISTORY
From http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/index.htm
"Follow the Drinking Gourd:
A Cultural History

Introduction
The American folksong Follow the Drinking Gourd was first published in 1928. The Drinking Gourd song was supposedly used by an Underground Railroad operative to encode escape instructions and a map. These directions then enabled fleeing slaves to make their way north from Mobile, Alabama to the Ohio River and freedom. Taken at face value, the "drinking gourd" refers to the hollowed out gourd used by slaves (and other rural Americans) as a water dipper. But here it is used as a code name for the Big Dipper star formation, which points to Polaris, the Pole Star, and North.

In the ensuing 80 years, the Drinking Gourd played an important role in the Civil Rights and folk revival movements of the 1950s and 1960s, and in contemporary elementary school education. Much of the Drinking Gourd's enduring appeal derives from its perceived status as a unique, historical remnant harkening back to the pre-Civil War South – no other such map songs survive. But re-examining the Drinking Gourd song as history rather than folklore raises many questions. And the Drinking Gourd as it appears in roughly 200 recordings, dozens of songbooks, several award-winning children's books and many other places is surely not "traditional." The signature line in the chorus, "for the old man is awaitin' for to carry you to freedom," could not possibly have been sung by escaping slaves, because it was written by Lee Hays eighty years after the end of the Civil War. (1)

****
From http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/Afterword.htm
"Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History

Afterword, or "Is This Song 'Authentic'"?
What of this song is left to us?

...I am constantly asked whether the Drinking Gourd is "authentic." I've learned not to answer immediately. Since authenticity can be defined in many different ways, this is actually several distinct questions rolled into one. I will take my best stab at answering, "What of this song is left to us?"

Could the song as it appears on most recordings and in the three children's books have been sung by escaping slaves?

No, because the lyrics and chorus were written by Lee Hays and first published in 1947, nearly 80 years after the end of the Civil War. (A much smaller number of recordings use the Randy Sparks version, which came even later.)

Could thousands of slaves have used the Drinking Gourd route to escape?

Based on our knowledge of slave escapes from the Deep South, I view the chances as vanishingly small. See here* for the details.

From here on, I believe the evidence is sketchier.

Was Peg Leg Joe an actual person?

Perhaps. But even if there was a Drinking Gourd song "in the field", that doesn't prove that there really was a Peg Leg Joe. There are many songs based on real people, there are many songs based on composite characters, and there are many song based on fictional characters. For the record, I reviewed two decades' worth of minutes from the New England Anti-Slavery Society along with various Society ledger books. I found H.B. Parks's great-uncle Dr. Harris Cowdry (who served as a Vice President from 1840 to 1848.) But sadly, there's no trace of a peg-legged sailor. Nothing would delight me more than to find the old salt lurking in a slave narrative or other primary source document. Please send any Peg Leg Joe sightings my way – they would be very welcome indeed!

Did the collectors hear what they say they heard?

I am inclined to believe that Parks heard the song where, when and as he relates in his account. This was a man with tremendous powers of observation. With a colleague, he conducted a pioneering survey of the Big Thicket in East Texas. In 1945, he collected a previously unknown orchid which was then named for him. Upon his death, a colleague wrote, when "(i)n company with other collectors on field trips Mr. Parks generally collected the most material and the best specimens." (Alfred H. Alex, Journal of Economic Entomology, April 1959.) Follow the Drinking Gourd is his most notable specimen.

Lee Hays reported hearing a version of the song from his Aunty Laura. I don't know why he would mislead his fellow Weavers when presenting the work for arrangement and performance – they certainly sang many other selections that had no direct connection to a group member. The John Woodum version as reported by Randy Sparks is confirmed by contemporaneous notes and remains a tantalizing variant and possible third source for the song.
I believe that versions of the Drinking Gourd song were sung by black Americans dating back to at least the early 20th century, and likely earlier than that.

Did the collectors report the song accurately and completely?

Parks wrote that the "Negro at College Station" who explained the song to him "said that the song had many verses which he could not remember. He quoted a number which, either by fault of memory or secret meaning, are unintelligible and are omitted." These missing verses could, of course, be extremely important in fully understanding and vetting the song. I contacted the schools Parks was associated with, various libraries and his family in a fruitless search for any working papers or unpublished notes. I had to conclude they were lost.
There are also problems with the musical transcription presented in the Parks article, which is atypical of black music and difficult to sing as presented.

Did the collectors interpret the song properly?

I have more questions than answers on the Parks account. His interpretation was based in turn on information relayed to him by a "Negro at College Station" and his great-uncle. As noted here, I do not believe Parks was able to confirm the account with a great-uncle. If I am right, this throws into doubt exactly who confirmed the interpretation and provided key additional details. If not a great-uncle, was it another relative, or anyone else? Absent this confirmation, could the black informant have misinterpreted parts of the song? What about the details supposedly supplied by the great-uncle, such as the region where Peg Leg Joe operated? Is it at all possible the route actually started in another locale and refers to other rivers – leading to a more welcoming territory than the hostile southern Illinois end point of the route as we know it?

I believe Lee Hays overstated the amount of information conveyed in the song. Hays thought it began as a camp revival song – I have not been able to separately confirm this provenance.

So what are we left with? A song that played a rich role in the folk revival and civil rights movement, and that continues to be widely performed and recorded today. A song taught to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of schoolchildren owing to three award-winning children's books and a firm place in today's multi-cultural curriculum.

Towards a New Theory
Previous explanations of the Drinking Gourd song – whatever their accuracy – at least had the virtue of being internally consistent and neatly compelling! According to the received wisdom, Follow the Drinking Gourd was taught to slaves in the Mobile, Alabama region by a real person, an itinerant abolitionist who also marked the encoded route given in the song. This route was then used by slaves to escape northward to freedom, crossing the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky. This version hinged on H.B. Parks's assertion that a great-uncle who had been active in the Underground Railroad confirmed the particulars based on primary records.

As we have seen, there are serious questions on many of these points. If we believe Drinking Gourd was an actual folksong, but discount some or all of this explanation, we are then left with the most critical question of all: how to explain it?

Here is a preliminary new theory about the song and how it evolved. If the song predated the Civil War, it served principally as an inspiration to escaping slaves, like the Woodum version. The song would have contained limited or no map information. The geographic verses were added after the war, either by creating new verses, or by combining the Drinking Gourd verses with those from another song. (Traditional songs are so often combined "in the field" that ethnomusicologists have several terms of art for it, including "amalgamation" and the unfortunate sounding "contamination.")

It's also possible the song as we know it from the Parks account emerged in its entirety after the Civil War. Whether it arose before or after the war, we needn't argue about the historical authenticity of the song including the entire route, or the route ending in southern Illinois, or many other historical points because we can now evaluate the song as folklore, not as history.

Perhaps Peg Leg Joe was an actual abolitionist, or a composite character, working in the South. Perhaps the song actually traces the route of one or several intrepid freedom seekers and grew in popularity by celebrating their exploits. According to this theory, the collectors could have heard the songs in the field and the "Negro at College Station" could have correctly interpreted its meaning (as folklore.) But Parks did not confirm the story separately with a family member and there was no Drinking Gourd song complete with map information sung in the antebellum South.

Coda
I have tried to present the information I collected without editing it to favor my own point of view. Adherents of both sides of the authenticity argument will find plenty of ammunition to further their positions! My goal is to spur a thoroughgoing re-assessment of the song, its history and its cultural impact. I welcome suggestions on other lines of inquiry, and corrections to this research.

Underground Railroad myths die hard. But who needs myths when the real story of Follow the Drinking Gourd is so fascinating? A story with larger-than-life characters like H.B. Parks and Lee Hays, and mysterious ones like Aunty Laura and John Woodum. Let's all tell the real Drinking Gourd story. I hope you agree it's a great one.

Copyright 2008 - 2012, Joel Bresler.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED"
-snip-
* The word “here” is hyperlinked to this page of that book: http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/The_Song_As_History.htm#Number_of_escapees”.

That page also includes this sentence about markers (elements) of fakelore: “The popular version of Follow the Drinking Gourd certainly has many of these markers. The lyrics were rewritten and melody re-arranged to the point where neither are representative of the African-American tradition. And after its rewrite the song fit snugly into the desire of the Weavers and others for activist songs that drove social change.

****
This concludes Part II of this three pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd" probably not being a historically authentic song about Black Americans escaping slavery.

Part III features lyrics for the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd" as sung by The Weavers and as sung by the New Christy Minstrels.

Part III also showcases four YouTube examples of "Follow The Drinking Gourd and features selected comments from the discussion thread for one of these YouTube examples.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/follow-drinking-gourd-is-probably.html for Part I of this series. Part I quotes the entire Wikipedia article about the song "Follow The Drinking Gourd".

Part I also quotes selected comments from a Mudcat folk music discussion forum thread about this song.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/excerpts-from-book-follow-drinking.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II quotes two excerpts from the 2009 book Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History by Joel Bresler.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, historical, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the all those who escaped slavery via the underground railroad and thanks to all those regardless of race who worked on or otherwise supported the underground railroad.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these YouTube examples. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post, and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENT
I agree with those who consider the song Follow The Drinking Gourd to be historically inauthentic. Those who take that position doubt that Follow The Drinking Gourd was ever sung during African American enslavement. Read Part I and Part II of this pancocojams series for information and comments about those positions regarding this song.

Although I consider most renditions of "Follow The Drinking Gourd" to be musically pleasing, I'm concerned that the lyrics of this song oversimplify the difficulties and dangers that African Americans trying to escape from slavery faced and inaccurately describe the complexity of the underground railroad.

****
LYRICS: FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD
(as sung by The Weavers)

CHORUS
Follow the drinking gourd, follow the drinking gourd,
For the old man is a-waitin' 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-waitin' for to carry you to freedom,
Follow the drinking gourd.

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

CHORUS

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

CHORUS
-snip-
These lyrics were posted by Joe Offer in this Mudcat discussion thread: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=17760 Follow The Drinking Gourd.

****
LYRICS: FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD
(New Christy Minstrels version)

Follow the drinking gourd,
We gotta follow the drinking gourd,
Follow the drinking gourd.
Think I heard the angel say,
Follow the drinking gourd.
Stars in the heavens gonna show you the way,
Follow the drinking gourd.

Step by step, keep a-travelin on.
Follow the drinking gourd.
Sleep in the holler till the daylight is gone.
Follow the drinking gourd.

Follow the drinking gourd,
We gotta follow the drinking gourd,
Follow the drinking gourd.
Keep on a-travelin that might road to freedom.
There s a good day comin and it won t be long.
Follow the drinking gourd.
All of God s children gotta sing this song.
Follow the drinking gourd.

Follow that river till the clouds roll by.
Follow the drinking gourd.
Keep on movin , better look to the sky.
Follow the drinking gourd.
Follow the drinking gourd,
We gotta follow the drinking gourd,
Follow the drinking gourd.
Keep on a-travelin that mighty road to freedom.

There s a little bit of heaven in that muddy road to freedom.
Follow the drinking gourd.
Keep on a-travelin that mighty road to freedom.
Step by step, keep a-travelin on.
Follow the drinking gourd


Source: https://www.flashlyrics.com/lyrics/the-new-christy-minstrels/the-drinkin-gourd-24
****
SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLES

Example #1: The New Christy Minstrels & Gene Clark - 1963 - Part lll/V [video]



mcd220, Jun 16, 2008

AWESOME song!

"The Muddy Road To Freedom" (The Drinkin' Gourd).

****
Example #2: Follow The Drinking Gourd - The Weavers - (Lyrics needed) [sound file]



Carlo Schena, Jun 14, 2011

LYRICS NEEDED: any help is really welcome
Album - Goodnight Irene 1949-1953 [Disc 2]
Track 19 of 30

****
Example #3: "Follow the Drinking Gourd" - Chorus School Level II [video]



San Francisco Girls Chorus, Aug 17, 2011

Director Amy Fickenscher and Level II perform "Follow the Drinking Gourd" at SFGC's Spring Recital and Graduation, June 3, 2011.

****
Example #4: Eric Bibb - Follow The Drinking Gourd



Riddle Films, Mar 19, 2013

From the television series, God's Greatest Hits, airing in Canada on VisionTV on Friday nights at 10:30pm.
-snip-
Here are selected comments from this video's discussion thread. Note my comment in the beginning of this post.
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1. star gazer, 2015
"This was a song from slavery
The slaves made songs and there would be hidden messages in them"

**
2. Nate 101, 2016
"This song is a spiritual. Also a code. It is telling you first thing in the morning leave follow the big diper. Than stay by trees and river. The river will keep the dogs of your sent. The trees have notes. Than (the old man) was a man at the ohio river and he will take you across. Than the conducters of the Underground Railroad will help u go to Canada"

**
REPLY
3. MrUnsprung, 2018
""When the first quail call" is the time of year to run. Quail breeding calls are heard in mid-April in Alabama. "The dead trees show the way ... Left foot, Peg foot, Traveling on." The "Old Man" referred to was Peg Leg Joe, a conductor on the underground railroad, like Harriet Tubman. Peg Leg Joe marked trees and other landmarks with charcoal or mud shaped like a left foot and a round spot in place of the right foot. Runaways would be met on the banks of the Ohio and wait for conductors to take them to safety, perhaps Peg Leg Joe himself."

****
4. Akai Smi, 2016
"Don't forget to mention it was a song to alert slaves when to run."

**
REPLY
5. MrUnsprung, 2018
"It contains clues as to when to run, where to go, and how to get there."

**
6. bea g g, 2018
"Was watching the fresh prince of bel-air and in the 17th episode they talk about this song so now im obsessed with this song. And it's meaning. It's just amazing"

****
This concludes Part III of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a short video segment of Red Table Talk's October 18, 2019 episode about transracial adoption as well as a link to that entire episode.

This pancocojams post also showcases a October 21, 2019 Black Hollywood Live's Talking Red Table Talk reaction video about that Red Table Talk episode.

A definition of transracial adoption and information about Red Table Talk and Black Hollywood Live are included in this post.

This post also includes two comments that I posted to the Talking Red Table Talk. One of those comments consists of a small portion of an Adoptalk article by JaeRan Kim, a South Korean woman who was transracially adopted by a White couple when she was two years old.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are are associated with Red Table Talk and all those who are associated with Black Hollywood Live. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
WHAT "TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION" MEANS
From https://definitions.uslegal.com/t/transracial-adoption/#targetText=Transracial%20adoption%20refers%20to%20the,country%20with%20Caucasian%20adoptive%20parents Transracial Adoption Law and Legal Definition
"Transracial adoption refers to the process of placing a child who is of one race or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another race or ethnic group.

In the U.S., transracial adoption is the placement of children of color or children from another country with Caucasian adoptive parents. A transracial adoption is also transcultural, with the adopted child coming from a different country or culture as well as a different racial background."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT RED TABLE TALK
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Table_Talk#targetText=Red%20Table%20Talk%20is%20an,thirteen%20episodes%20of%20the%20series
"Red Table Talk is an American web television talk show starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris that premiered on May 7, 2018 on Facebook Watch. On June 13, 2018, it was announced that Facebook had ordered an additional thirteen episodes of the series. These new episodes premiered on October 22, 2018. The show's second season premiered on May 6, 2019.[1]

Premise
Red Table Talk provides "a forum where the perspectives of three different generations on a wide variety of topics are shared."[2]

[...]

Genre:Talk show
Presented by
Jada Pinkett Smith
Willow Smith
Adrienne Banfield-Norris
Country of origin: United States
Original language(s): English
No. of seasons: 2
No. of episodes: 37 (list of episodes)"....

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS:
Video #1: Red Table Talk: All New Episode| Transracial Adoption



OnlySkye, Oct 18, 2019

On our all-new Red Table Talk, our ladies sit down with transracial adoptee, Angela Tucker, as she discusses the struggles she experiences being a black woman that was raised by a white family. We invite you to take a seat at the table with us, next Monday – only on Facebook Watch. “But it’s hard to walk around every day and have people see a black woman, but for me, not to even feel like a black woman.” Our ladies are having an open and honest conversation about transracial adoption on an all-new episode of Red Table Talk....

****
video #2: https://eurweb.com/2019/10/21/on-red-table-talk-transracial-adoptee-admits-shes-not-comfortable-being-with-black-folks-watch/ ON ‘RED TABLE TALK’: TRANSRACIAL ADOPTEE ADMITS SHE’S NOT COMFORTABLE BEING WITH BLACK FOLKS – WATCH
FISHER JACK, OCTOBER 21, 2019
"On today’s newest edition of Facebook Watch’s “Red Table Talk,” things get interesting all over again. The hosts: Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris get into a candid conversation about transracial adoption.

On the show, they are joined by Angela Tucker, a black woman who was raised by white parents, who opened up about something she says people “often don’t want to admit.” And that is …?

“People often don’t admit this but a lot of black transracial adoptees look in the mirror and are surprised, when we look in the mirror and see a black person,” she explains.

“Because we’re so used to seeing white people and we see our parents and they’re white and we love them and then we see ourselves, like, oh yeah, I forgot, I’m black,” she continued.

Adding that while she doesn’t identify as white, “of course,” she says that it is still her “culture.”

The full episode of Jada’s incredibly popular series will tackle the “struggles” of adopting across racial lines. Check it out above.

Fans can expect new episodes of “Red Table Talk” every Monday at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch."

****
Video #3: Raised by White Parents: A Black Adoptee Speaks



Black Hollywood Live, October 21, 2019

Hosts Tyler Simone, Tyler Tyson, and Jade Ming sit down to discuss Angela Tucker, a black woman who was raised by white parents in a predominately white neighborhood. She joins the ladies at the red table to discuss the struggles of trans-racial adoptees and her own lack of connection with black culture.

While the opinions of Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris may cover a wide variety of topics, what about our opinions on their opinions of those topics? Join us for Black Hollywood Live's TALKING RED TABLE TALK where every week we're discussing the topics of Red Table Talk and breaking down the opinions of the hosts and why we agree or disagree with them! Be sure to subscribe and rate to stay up to date every week!

Hosted by Tyler Tyson and Tyler McKinney....
-snip-
Comments that I posted on that video's discussion thread:
Azizi Powell, 2019
"I somehow happening upon a video of the Red Table Talk about transracial adoption with Angela Tucker, a Black woman who was adopted by a White couple when she was 13 months old. This was my introduction to Red Table Talks. After watching that short video of that Red Table Talk episode, I found your video. I wish I could watch the entire episode, but for various reasons I'm no longer on Facebook. Can people who aren't on Facebook watch Red Table Talks?

I appreciate the comments that each of you made about that segment and wanted to share the following information with you and your readers:

I'm an African American woman who is a birth parent, adoptive parent, and a former foster parent. In the late 1980s to the early 1990s I was active with an adoptive parent support organization that still exists- North American Council On Adoptable Children (NACAC) https://www.nacac.org/. When I was active with that organization, I was program director of a Black adoption agency which advocated and helped place Black children (include children with one Black birth parent and one birth parent of another race). I'm retired and haven't been involved in adoption circles for decades. However, as a first choice, that agency placed (and probably still places) Black children with Black couples and Black single people, and with interracial couples (one Black person and one person who was non-Black). We advocated that any person who fostered or wanted to adopt a child who had a different racial background than they had (including mixed race children) should understand the realities of personal and institutional racism, and should be proactive in involving their family in their children's culture/s.


(By the way, in the 1980s and 1990s, it was next to impossible for a non-White couple or non-White single person (including a mixed race person with some White ancestry) to adopt a White child from a public or private public agency. I'd be surprised if that has changed.


I could go on and on but prefer to share this link with you and others who are interested in the subject of transracial adoption and the need for transracial adoptive parents to help their children develop & reinforce personal self-esteem AND a clear and strong group identity. https://www.nacac.org/resource/the-personal-is-political-racial-identity-and-racial-justice-in-transracial-adoption/ I'll quote a small portion from that article in my next comment.

**
Azizi Powell, 2019
Here's a brief portion from https://www.nacac.org/resource/the-personal-is-political-racial-identity-and-racial-justice-in-transracial-adoption/

"From Adoptalk 2018, Issue 3; Adoptalk is a benefit of NACAC membership

By JaeRan Kim, PhD © 2018

JaeRan Kim was born in South Korea in 1969 and adopted into a white family in Minnesota in 1971. Today, JaeRan works as an assistant professor at the University of Washington – Tacoma. Her research focuses on vulnerable children, specifically those in out-of-home care. This article is adapted from JaeRan’s keynote presentation at the 2018 NACAC conference...

When I was growing up, the only bit of Asian culture I was exposed to was the occasional can of chicken chow mein.

As the only adoptee and person of color in my immediate and extended family, I was always assured my parents didn’t see color and loved me no matter what, and that was enough. After going to college and being exposed to the racial and cultural diversity I had been missing growing up, I began to explore my racial identity and realized that for transracial adoptees, a parent’s love and rejection of racial difference does not meet the need for racial, ethnic, and cultural identity development and support.

For me, and other transracial adoptees, the development of a racial identity is an inevitable aspect of growing up: in the anonymity of a new city, school, or job, a transracial adoptee’s visibility as a person of color eclipses their visibility as a transracial adoptee in a white family. By helping children develop that racial identity before they’re faced with this reality, parents can help their children develop the tools they will need to fight against oppression, racism, and discrimination. Although it is often uncomfortable and difficult work, implementing racial and ethnic socialization with their transracially adopted children helps strengthen trust and attachment by showing transracial adoptees that their parents care about, and support, their racial and ethnic identities.

Becoming an advocate
Helping a child embrace their racial identity is more than just having conversations about race and culture. Instead, parents need to be active advocates for transracial adoptee justice, a process that requires parents to address their own biases, alter their own mindsets, and take action"...

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the song entitled "Badilisha" by Ugandan Afrobeat singer Jose Chameleone.

Part I presents information about Jose Chameleone and showcases his hit song "Badilisha".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/youtube-comments-from-throughout-world.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II presents selected comments from throughout the world that are found in the discussion thread for Jose Chameleone's YouTube video of "Badilisha".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Jose Chameleone for his musical legacy and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/jose-chameleone-valu-valu-with-selected.html for a 2013 pancocojams post showcasing Jose Chameleone singing his 2012 song "Valu Valu".

****
INFORMATION ABOUT JOSE CHAMELEONE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameleone
Jose Chameleone (born Joseph Mayanja; 30 April 1979) is a Ugandan AfroBeat artiste and the most popular musician of his generation in Uganda and many countries. Chameleone sings in Luganda, English, and Swahili and has won multiple awards.

Musical career
Chameleone's career began at a young age in 1996 as a DJ at the Missouri night club in Kampala. He was later signed to the Kenyan record label Ogopa DJs, where he broke through with his first single,"Bageya" that featured Kenyan artist Redsan.

Chameleone's musical style is a combination of Ugandan music, central African rumba, zouk, and reggae. His first album, Bageya, was released in 2000. By 2013, he had released twelve more albums.

[...]

He is CEO of the music label Leone Island that has signed many musicians from Uganda and East Africa, including the late Moses Radio, Weasel, the late AK 47, King Saha, Papa Cidy, and Pallaso, Melody, Yung Mulo, Big Eye, Deejay Pius and many more.

In March 2014 at the Lugogo Cricket Oval Stadium in Kampala, Chameleone broke the record for the largest audience of any East African performer, drawing an estimated 40,000 fans to his "Tubonge Live" concert. In 2017 he made another outstanding mark on his annual do LGEND | Hit after Hit concert that was once again a sell out. The cricket oval was sold out to full capacity as fans danced away to his music that has made him a regional and continental darling. The speaker of the parliament of Uganda, Rebecca Kadaga, designated Chameleone to be the Ambassador of the Busoga Tourism Initiative.[1]

Other activities
Chameleone is a member of the Illuminati Musician's Community, a coalition of musicians who use their fame and fortune to help reduce poverty and create awareness campaigns for HIV/AIDS.”...

****
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0PUjvdMbfw[comment in the discussion thread for this embedded video]
Gandav, 2015
"DR .Jose Chameleone you're a Legend

Hit after hit, album after album and year after year, Chameleone has for the last fifteen years authoritatively written his name in the history of Ugandan music, just as much as he has written it in the hearts of music fans in Uganda, East Africa and Africa at large. Since his trail blazing album Bageya in 2000, the Leone Island boss has wowed fans with his unique style, vocals and consistency; and not even his fair share of challenges has deterred him from delivering good music. His ability to stay for all these years and still make sense is indeed a great gift.

The Ugandan music industry is so rocky that for every one hundred musicians that join the industry, ninety nine drop out as fast as they joined. Zero point five of them stick around without having any tangible impact; and the remaining zero point five make some mark. Yet in such a tricky industry,Chameleone still makes a huge impact after some fifteen years in the industry.

Much as his first Album was Bageya, Chameleone's real deal came in with his magnum opus hit, Mama Mia! This song was so big and immediately turned him into Uganda's biggest music export of the time, with wide fan bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. As if in a statement of his staying power, Chameleone has since followed Bageya and Mama Mia with such albums as Njo Karibu, The Golden Voice, Mambo Bado, Kipepeo, Shida za Dunia, Sivyo Ndivyo, Katupakase, Bayuda, Jamila, Vumilia, Valu Valu, Badilisha, Tubonge and Wale Wale.

The singing Doctor has over the years swept local, Regional, Continental and International awards including Song of the year and Best Male Zouk Song for Badilisha at the prestigious 2014 HiPipo Music Awards, Best Afro-Beat song for Moto Moto at the prestigious 2013 HiPipo Music Awards, a Beffta Award, a Kora award, an MTV Europe award and a MOBO.

He has over the years used his music to better society and as a result, the speaker of the parliament of Uganda, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, designated Chameleone to be the Ambassador of the Busoga Tourism Initiative. He also volunteered on a mission aimed at returning former LRA rebels and inspiring them to start a productive life. You may also recall that his One Man, One Million concert was aimed at availing water to the people of Karamoja.

There are a number of things that have kept Chameleone afloat for all these years and singing songs with a message comes first on the list. The message in most of his songs has been able to appeal to people in different age brackets and across social classes and has often times touched issues of motivation including work, gender based violence and gratitude.

His hoarse voice, singing in Swahili (especially in his early days) and sticking to his style are also some of the reasons that have kept Chameleone going!

When I talk about sticking to his style, it is very easy for anyone to assume that he is not versatile. To the contrary, songs like Movie star have proven that even when Chameleone ventures away from his comfort zone he still makes an impact.

Just like the adage goes, credit must be given where it’s due. As such, we must all credit Chameleone for his staying power. Whether you are his fan or critic; you must appreciate that in an industry where people come and go every day, Chameleone has stayed and stayed with a massive impact. He has faced challenges along the way, that no other human being would wish to face; yet each time, he has come out on top of his challenges."

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: JOSE CHAMELEONE: BADILISHA (OFFICIAL HD VIDEO)



Jose Chameleone, Feb 6, 2013
-snip-
Statistics as of October 23, 2019 at 8:40 AM
Total # of views - 8,846,353
Total # of likes - 18k
Total # of dislikes -2k
Total # of comments -2,562
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread that explains the languages that are used in this song:
Kalibbala Paul, 2018
"It's a combination of Luganda Swahili and English"

****
LYRICS, ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS, & SONG SUMMARY FOR JOSE CHAMELEONE'S SONG "BADILISHA"
[from comments found in the discussion thread for this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0PUjvdMbfw]

JO Jumbe, 2015
"Let me translate this beautiful track in service of Kiswahili: The Title: BADILISHA= Change things up.
I've got to go
Unaniumiza sana ninateseka ndani moyoni mimi naumwa aaah,
You've caused me so much pain and suffering, my heart is aching...
I've got to go Kang'endee ( possibly a Luganda word meening I have to go),
I'll let you go Sitaweza I can't bear it (any longer)
Nimevumilia sana hutaki penzi naona umeshindwa kubadilisha aah,
I have put up with so much. (Seems) you do not want (my) love. I can see you've given up (trying) to change things x2"

****
Aman Haman, 2015
..."Unaniumiza sana ninateseka = You hurt me so much I am suffering
Ndani moyoni mimi naumwa = I feel pain in my heart
I got to go, kangende = I got to go, let me go
And let you go, sitaweza = And let you go, I won't manage
Nimevumilia sana, hutaki change,=I've been very patient, you don't wanna change
Naona umeshindwa, kubadilisha = I see you've failed to change
I got to go, kankupowe = I got to go, let me leave you
And let you go, mukwano onumya = And let you go, honey you're hurting me
Pete ya harusi ninayo kidole = I have the wedding ring on my finger
Nilikupenda but baby sorry, = I loved you but ...
Utapata mwengine don’t you worry… ahaaa! = You'll get another one, don't ...
Watoto tumezaa tunao tayari = We already have kids
Tulipanga mi na we mileli = We made arrangements forever with you
Lakini ni nini nini unanichanganya = but why why do you keep confusing me (?)
Maisha wote wawili tulipanga = We planned life for the 2 of us
Shida ni nyingi hatujakosana = There are many problems, we haven't had disagreements
Haingekua hivi unapendwa, na hupendi = Hadn't it been that you're getting love but you don't want it
Mpenzi tu’achane na hivyo hilivyo = Baby let's separate and that's it"...

****
Rimu N, 2015
...You're hurting me so much, I'm suffering
Inside, my heart aches
I have to go, Kangende
and let you go, I couldn't
I've persevered but you don't change
You're incapable of changing
I've got to go, Kankupowe?
And let you go, ...
A wedding ring, I have a finger. (ring finger)
I loved you but baby sorry
You'll find another
The children we bear, We have them already?(A little strange to translate)
We prepared for forever after
But why do you confuse me?
Many problems, but no disagreements ( hatujakosana means we're not in disagreement) (Tumekosana/tulikosana would be the opposite)
It wouldn't be this way you're loved but don't love it. (Good play on words here in a sense)
My love let's leave it as it is.


Oops didn't see the translation here but another one doesn't hurt as we all have different ways of interpreting.

**
Lydia Marendes, 2019
"The words of the music say you've hurt me soo much in my heart and you seem not to want to change, therefore I got to go. Change for our children's sake or I got to go."

**
Atutu Kamara, 2016
"What does this sing means, I'm west African and I'm in love with it❤❤"

**
REPLY
Joseph Ndech, 2016
"+Atutu Kallay Badilisha (change)"

**
REPLY
CzarJuliusIII, 2016
"+Atutu Kallay Basically he is telling his now ex girlfriend that he has been patient with her for a very long time, but she has refused to change (badilisha) her ways, and now he's basically saying "I got to go." Basically he's done with the relationship. That's the basic concept of the song."

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the song entitled "Badilisha" by Ugandan Afrobeat singer Jose Chameleone.

Part II presents selected comments from throughout the world that are found in the discussion thread for Jose Chameleone's YouTube video of "Badilisha".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/ugandan-afrobeat-singer-jose-chameleone.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents information about Jose Chameleone and showcases his hit song "Badilisha".

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes - to demonstrate the global reach of this Ugandan singer and also provide information about the singer and/or the commenters' cultures.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Jose Chameleone for his musical legacy and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/04/jose-chameleone-valu-valu-with-selected.html for a 2013 pancocojams post showcasing Jose Chameleone singing his 2012 song "Valu Valu".

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: JOSE CHAMELEONE: BADILISHA (OFFICIAL HD VIDEO)



Jose Chameleone, Feb 6, 2013

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
I read A LOT of comments in this video's discussion thread. (I stopped when my computer wouldn't load any more comments.)

Usually one example is listed for other nations or regions throughout the world that has commenters posting in this discussion thread, even though those nations/regions had more than one commenter. Notice that a commenter might indicate his home nation although he or she is writing from another nation.

The only exceptions I made to my "one comment per nation rule" are those comments that I considered to be informative, even if an example had already been selected from that nation.

As of the date of this pancocojams post, the largest number of comments in this discussion thread are from East Africans and most of those commenters are Kenyans.

Besides Kenyans and Ugandans (Jose Chameleone's home nation), there are only a few multiple comments from people in other East African nations. There are also very few multiple comments from West Africa (except for Nigeria, Ghana, and the Cameroons) and very few multiple comments from Southern Africa (except for South Africa and Zimbabwe). I don't recall reading any comments from North Africa and only recall reading one comment from Central Africa.

I apologize if I failed to include any examples of nations that had commenters participating in this discussion.

****
YOUTUBE COMMENTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IN THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF JOSE CAMELEONE'S VIDEO "BADILISHA"
These comments are from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0PUjvdMbfw

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

2014
1. Jacky Nygård
"I love you CHAMELEON! I listen to this more than 10 times a day!
I am a Tanzanian addicted to Ugandan music ,
What does Mukwano means? and njagala and mulunji? these are some of the words I hear in most of Ugandan songs!

**
REPLY
2. Maria Kints
"Mukwano means my love, njagala means I want and mulunji means someone beautiful"

**
3. Numa
"Great Vibes. From Bangkok with love"

**
4. Sim Tich
"Awesome song....Keep it up bro!!.. from here in USA"

**
5. Sarah Khamala
"I love joses songs n am a kenyan but lives in dubai"

****
2015
6. Top-Research Center
..."This guy, Chameleone, is a house-hold name in Kenya. I think he is a Kenyan! lol"

**
7. Tina Gabriel
"Can't wait to see this Artist in Calgary at the Envy Lounge May 16. Sounds awesome!"

**
REPLY
8. Sandrine KIDASHARIRA, 2018
..."I call him "Tonton Chameleon"! Meaning "Uncle". I love the guy, his voice, everything!! A Burundian sister sending her love from France! And yes, He is a Legend!!"

**
9. Matthew Sosole
"This guy is amazing,I started liking his music way back in 2005 while I was in Karonga,the northern district of Malawi. His songs used to enjoy airplay in most of the clubs that side because people that side understand the language.Keep the fire burning"

**
REPLY
10. Patrick Cheptoek, 2018
"Matthew Sosole people in Malawi understand this languages. This is Luganda and Swahili. Only east Africans understand."

**
11. eddie b
"love from sierra leone"

****
2016
12. Desmond Adam's
"am one of YOUR best fan FROM ghana. love ur song's chameleon."

**
13. sun of koush sudan
"we love you poss love from sudan"
-snip-
"boss" is probably a typo for the English word "boss"

**
14. Anna Okorie
"Shout out to chameleon, ur the best,I love u,ur music,and Uganda.gonna visit there soon!!.a Nigerian but reside in Italy."

**
15. hauwan hawan
"Am also here waiting it from UAE"
-snip-
UAE = The United Arab Emirates

"Waiting" may be a typo for "watching"

**
16. DarkRonnie
"I remember you playing one a Fair Trade consert in danmark, lovely music i have never forgotten :)"

**
17. Pheles Pheles
"Nice song keep up .i like it am from London"

**
18. Tlamelo
"more love from Botswana beautiful tune indeed"

****
2017
20. lilian lily
"proudly ugandan! long live."

**
21. Vangelle Caps
"From Turkey good music
Hello Africa"

**
22. NadeemGulaab
"Nice song. Love from india"

**
23. isaac wajago
"I don't understand but I love it.regards from South Pacific PNG"
-snip-
PNG= Papua New Guinea

**
24. Iraildo Silva
"Nice song José 😆Brasil 2016"

**
25. Winfrey Winnie
"some yrs past but your music never fades.big up Dr. miss you mama Africa. miss you Uganda 😢😢😢"

**
26. vincent nguma
"me too still watching from switzerland"

**
27. Felicity Sankwasa
"still a hit for me outchea in Namibia.....and its 2017."

**
28. kayombo Chiyambi
"You are a good artist,can we meet arrange you perform in Zambia drop me a what's up on [numbers deleted]"

**
29. Lisa Quaye
"All the way from Liberia. Love. Love this jam. I love Ugandan music :)."

**
30. Pablo Andrés Velásquez Franco
"Fan from Colombia. Excelente canción!"

****
2018
31. Canadian UrbanENT
"Still playing this song up here in Canada"

**
32. karekezi Etienne, 2018
i love this song from Rwanda!

**
33. street hustler
"Chameleone one Love from Sudan"

**
34. abel Shibabaw
"I am Ethiopian 🎀I love Ugandan music ... respect Ugandan 🥀"

**
35. Mai Farie
"I hail from zimbabwe do not understand a word he is saying he is an african legend in my eyes"

**
36. Bisong Arrey
"Jose Chameleone i give you all the credits. You,re really a legend. Cameroonians and the World love your music."

****
2019
37. onu Josephine
"so much love from Nigeria!!! been listening since 2013. 2019 still here.. Ave got to go"

**
38. Mc Gerry ug
"naye mr. mayanja u deserve to be appericiated everyday kuba gwasinga even here dubai we love u long live thax for representing Uganda"

**
39. Claire Naki
"Love from Jamaica"

**
40. Ahmad Musa Bulama
"This song was National anthem when i went to Uganda in 2013"

**
41. Francis Bukenya
"Who is watching 2019, greetings from Doha"
-snip-
"Doha" is the capitol of Qatar.

**
42. softy moha
"2019_9 come back again. Any one else... Love you all from 254 watching from ksa"
-snip-
ksa = Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

**
43. kgarnett21fan
"I’m from Guinea 🇬🇳 and it hits also. One love One Africa ✊🏿"

**
44. Shantal Becky
"Love from South Africa 💖💖💖"

**
45. AMAN HBTM HABTOM
"I from Eritrea 🇪🇷 east Africa we still love Dr jossi"

**
46. Esther Vecerova
"Hey Kenyans, please enjoy this song because me and my fellow Ugandans Don't understand Swahili at all."

**
REPLY
47. That lucky Gal
"@Esther Vecerova 😂😂😂😂 ya seriously see 80% of his songs are in Kenyan Swahili that's twada kubetutegera ba bobiwine and Bebecool"

**
48. -Pipo-
"Hello from irelamd"

**
49. Juana Castillo
"Love from America/Caribbean Dr. JC Thanks for the beautiful music!! 💘💖🎈💨😇😇"

**
50. Tanzaliya Oman
"Nice song,love you jose from oman"

**
51. Mandere George, 2019
"Welcome kenyan though the singer is Ugandan which is a neighbour to Kenya"

**
52. Chisanga Webson
"💐Zambia we are enjoying this Hit"

**
53. Josua Tofor
"This brother man his music is very popular in Vanuatu. blessed love brother!"

**
54. Ralson and Oliver
"There is a Dj mix of all chameleon's songs that plays in a Super Metro bus plying Juja-Nairobi route.It reminds of my childhood in Entebbe(Abayitaababiri)"

****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams post.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Vulindlela" by South African singer Brenda Fassie.

Part I of this series provides information about Brenda Fassie and also presents a YouTube video of this song as well as Vulindlela's Zulu lyrics and their English translation are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/comments-about-how-brenda-fassies-song.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases the same video of this song that was presented in Part I and presents selected comments from this video's discussion thread. Most of these comments document how Brenda Fassie's now classic song Vulindlela has been widely known and loved throughout Africa & elsewhere for decades.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Brenda Fassie for her musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
This is an expansion of this 2013 pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/south-african-vocalist-brenda-faisse.html. That post includes 12 comments as of the publication date of this 2019 post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT BRENDA FASSIE
Excerpt #1
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Fassie
"Brenda Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004)[1] was an anti-apartheid South African Afropop singer.[2] Her bold stage antics earned a reputation for "outrageousness".[3] Affectionately called Mabrr by her fans, she was sometimes described as the "Queen of African Pop"...

Fassie was born in Langa, Cape Town,[4] as the youngest of nine children. She was named after the American singer Brenda Lee...

With very outspoken views and frequent visits to the poorer townships of Johannesburg, as well as songs about life in the townships, she enjoyed tremendous popularity. Known best for her songs "Weekend Special" and "Too Late for Mama", she was dubbed "The Madonna of the Townships" by Time in 2001...

From 1996 she released several solo albums, including Now Is the Time, Memeza (1997), and Nomakanjani?. Most of her albums became multi-platinum sellers in South Africa"...

****
Excerpt #2
From https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/may/11/guardianobituaries.southafrica
[in 1998 Brenda Fassie] released [the album] Memeza, with its hit single Vulindlela. It became South Africa's biggest-selling album in 1998, and was followed by an album a year for the next four years. The money rolled in again, and Fassie resumed her lavish lifestyle.

A talented musician, her genius lay in her ability to reinvent herself, and give voice to the frustrations and aspirations of the township. She started off as a pop queen but, politicised by growing up in Langa at a time of tremendous upheaval - the 1976 student uprisings had deeply affected her school - she easily tapped into the political militancy of the 1980s.

In 1990, she released the single Black President, a tribute to the still imprisoned Nelson Mandela, which was banned by the apartheid regime. She stopped singing in English, declaring: "I am proud to be an African." All her subsequent songs were in Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho. When kwaito, the first authentically African sound in decades, emerged from Soweto street parties in the early 1990s, Fassie adopted the genre as her own."...

****
Excerpt #3
From http://richmondsajini.wordpress.com/2011/11/03/13/
..."One of a kind! Many said that Brenda was the “Madonna of the townships” but for me she was more than that. She was our own Michael Jackson. Brenda was THE QUEEN! Many tried to be like her and many have been accused of trying to be her yet none of them has the energy that she had on stage. Lebo Mathosa came very close, but she was just not Brenda.

Style icon! Whatever outfit MaBrrr was rocking, it was sure to be a trend. My mom recalls wanting a pair of shorts she saw Brenda wearing in a picture in the 80s. The desire for these short shorts spread like wildfire and it became a trend. Then Brenda went on to rock a blonde hairstyle. Best believe, this too became a trend."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT & LYRICS TO "VULINDLELA"
Excerpt #1:
From http://livingladolcevita.wordpress.com/2006/08/15/27/
sundayschild, 15 August 2006
"And vulindlela means ‘clear the way’ or clean the path."

sundayschild (16 August 2006)
"on multiple levels – in one sense clearing the path for the [newly married]* couple to walk down, in another clearing the way for the start of a new life… it’s about clearing things up so there’s room for (positive) change, which is why the ANC appropriated the song for its ’99 election campaign…

it’s a GREAT track (but then most of Ma Brrrrrr’s are…)"
-snip-
*I added the words in brackets which are implied from the preceding comments.

****
Excerpt #2
From http://1001sasongs.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/vulindlela-%E2%80%93-brenda-fassie/
"Listening to Vulindlela, it’s quite hard to believe that someone who had so many problems in life could sing so beautifully, but Brenda Fassie’s vocals on this track are hauntingly so. Set against a decidedly danceable synth background, the song epitomises the township sound of the late 90s.

You don’t have to understand the words to be moved by the song. Check out the Youtube video link below and you will see comments from people from Somalia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Cameroon to name a few. Brenda was huge throughout Africa, and Vulindlela is widely appreciated around the globe.

A month after her death on 26 April 2004, the song was voted Song of the Decade at the South African Music Awards. It is highly likely that the emotional outpouring that followed her death led to this vote, however, that should not distract one from the fact that it would probably have been a contender for the award anyway…

Lyrics:
Vul’indlela wemamgobhozi (Open the gates, Miss Gossip)
He unyana wam (My baby boy)
Helele uyashada namhlanje (Is getting married today)
Vul’indlela wela ma ngiyabuza (Open the gates please)
Msuba nomona (Don’t be jealous)
Unyana wami uthathile (My son has had a good catch)
Bengingazi ngiyombon’umakoti (I never thought I’d see a daughter in law)
Unyana wam eh ujongile this time (My son has been accepted (woman said yes))
Makgadi fele usenzo s’cede (Help us finish the ceremony (you are welcome))
Uzemshadweni ngiyashadisa namhlanje (Come to the wedding, I’m taking
my son to the altar today)
Bebesithi unyana wam lisoka (People said my son is (someone who
doesn’t get women)
Bebesithi angeke ashade vul’indlela (People said he would never get married but open the gates)

****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE - VULINDLELA-BRENDA FASSIE



SPHERNO, Uploaded on Jul 1, 2011

R.I.P BRENDA FASIE,AFRICA WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU.
-snip-
Statistics as of October 25, 2019
Total # of views - 15,705,060
Total # of likes - 67K
Total # of dislikes - 3.9K
Total # of comments- 6,334

****
This concludes Part I of this pancocojams post.

Thanks visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Vulindlela" by South African singer Brenda Fassie.

Part II presents selected comments from this video's discussion thread. Most of these comments document how Brenda Fassie's now classic song Vulindlela has been widely known and loved throughout Africa & elsewhere for decades.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/south-african-vocalist-brenda-fassie.html for Part I of this series provides information about Brenda Fassie and also presents a YouTube video of this song as well as Vulindlela's Zulu lyrics and their English translation are also included in this post.

****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Brenda Fassie for her musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
This is an expansion of this 2013 pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/south-african-vocalist-brenda-faisse.html. That post includes 12 comments as of the publication date of this 2019 post.

SHOWCASE SOUND FILE - VULINDLELA-BRENDA FASSIE



SPHERNO, Uploaded on Jul 1, 2011

R.I.P BRENDA FASIE,AFRICA WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU.
-snip-
Statistics as of October 25, 2019
Total # of views - 15,705,060
Total # of likes - 67K
Total # of dislikes - 3.9K
Total # of comments- 6,334
Here are selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread with numbers assigned for referencing purposes only. (Note: I didn't read all of these comments, but I read LOTS of them.)






2016
1. tristan breet
"as a white South African ..i thought she was a power house amazing singer ..dont understand a word she is singing but i loved this song..just nice beat and sexy..RIP"

**
REPLY
2. Richardson Mzaidume
"Tristan, I thought white South Africans were not aware of great black musicians like MaBrr until Highveld Stereo in Joburg interrupted their regular programme and played Weekend Special when news broke out that she had passed away. Jeremy Mansfield and Samantha Cowan sounded very hurt. I changed my perception that day."

**
REPLY
3. Jonathan Phipson
"+Richardson Mzaidume Haha! You would be genuinely surprised at how many white South Africans (myself included) enjoy listening to black South African artists. That's the beauty of music. Anyone can listen to ANYthing. If it sounds good, you will listen to it :)"

****
2017
4. Mohammed Jalloh
"This used to play at every sierra leonean party when I was a kid!"

**
REPLY
5. Leo Johnson
"Liberian parties too"

**
REPLY
6. Mohammed Jalloh
"Lol similiar cultures so probaby"

**
REPLY
7. Nitro Gabanakgotla
"botswana parties too"

**
REPLY
8. Ibrahim Kai Dumbuya
"Another Sierra Leonean here to confirm"

**
REPLY
9. Debbie Caulker
"so true, by then it was the best hit in Sierra Leone. was so much in love with it, I used to win a dancing competition with it."

**
REPLY
10. Musa Jalloh
"Another Sierra Leonean here to confirm ✅💯"

**
REPLY
11. Johnoè
"I remember hearing this At Zimbabwean parties all the time"

**
REPLY
12. Remedyfon Fon
"Cameroon party too"

**
13. Angelic Sarele
"When I graduated from nursery school, 1999 Dec wen my mom was still alive we danced for this song. .when I get married I want it to be played this song though"

**
14. Zulu Janet
"who is still listening to this song since 1998. I remember l won a talent show at school in 1999 when I was in grade 4 hahahahahaha"

**
15. P john
"This was a hit all over Africa. Even tho we understand the words we still sang to it. RIP"

**
REPLY
16. thegigadykid1
"P john dont understand *"

**
17. Alain Lever Williams
"I don't understand anything at all, but I really love this song. Indeed, I love all African rhythms, they makes feel very proud of my African roots. Greetings from Colombia 🇨🇴"

**
REPLY
18. Charles Kyambadde, 2018
"Bless you,I love Colombia.This song is about a proud mom happy that her son is getting married and no one is gonna stop him,and who had said that my son would never get a keeper and im so happy that I'm gonna have grand kids...And Vulindella means clear the way. Hope i helped.🤔"

**
19. xo MiLLiANA
"I am a Marshallese 🇲🇭 & I felt in love with this song when I was only 8 years old."

**
20. emmanuel joel
"This song forms part of our story as African children growing in Nigeria back in the day. I used to think she was Nigeria until my teenhood."

**
REPLY
21. Abulay Barrow
"emmanuel joel same to me I use to think this was a Gambian song. I think this song depicts Africa at large, cuz the whole continent was vibing with it. I LOVE IT"

**
REPLY
22. Ben Ngumi
"haha.. all african i tell you. used to think she was kenyan..."

**
REPLY
23. FRE ALVA STILL GINA
"emmanuel joel lmaoo. I used to thing she was Congolese"

**
REPLY
24. emmanuel joel
"Smiles. But why was it so to us all? I think it was the true Africanism that was at the core of the video and the song. Just like the book, "things fall apart"."

**
REPLY
25. Claude Guechussi
"Nija Gina Ramírez DeOuen nope she was South African"

**
REPLY
26. Joie Love
"😂😂😂 I used to think it was a Liberian song! Lol
We used to be at the party dancing singing along with our made up words. Lol"

**
REPLY
27. Nancy Keisher
"I thought it was a Tanzanian song. still love It, it used to be the entrance song at every wedding party."

**
REPLY
28. Dylane Chedjou, 2018
"I thought dhe was Cameroonians..my Sisters always sang and danced this song"

**
29. Emile Riderman
"The whole east Africa played this song in the 2000s for sure"

**
REPLY
30. Dareminder Blackseed, 2018
"I can testify this on behalf of Kenya..."

**
REPLY
31. Kevin A, 2018
"Also the West, the North, the South, Central, and all corners."

**
32. Mimsxo
"Who remembers this song being played in Nigeria when you were little 😂❤️ I don't even know the words she's saying. God bless Africa🌍❤️"

**
REPLY
33. Michelle Eke
"True!. I remember dancing to this in Primary 2 and i had no idea who or what she was saying. 11 years on I just had to find this song because it brought back such fun memories. Just shows you how far good music can go"

**
REPLY
34. Shara Dailey, 2018
"Mimsxo it wasn't my language but I used to listen this a lot when I was a kid with friends and dances to it, in Africa. I love this song.😍"

**
REPLY
35. Amanda Nkansah, 2018
"In Ghana too 😍"

**
REPLY
36. aklesia berhanu, 2018
"In Ethiopia too! I grew up listening to this ❤️"

**
REPLY
37. Shaggy, 2018
"Zimbabwe too"

**
REPLY
38. Ahmadou Barry, 2018
"Mimsxo in Guinea too"

**
REPLY
39. Ivy Werimba, 2018
"Kenya too"

**
REPLY
40. TCRGaming,2018
"namibia too"

**
REPLY
41. saker manu, 2018
"everywhere my dear even Cameroon, i cant forget it😍"

**
REPLY
42. matenind, 2018
"Mimsxo it jammed everywhere in the Ivory coast and I new all the lyrics even though i didnt understand it"

**
REPLY
43. Amarula, 2018
"Mimsxo lol I remember playing this in Liberia when I was little, didn't even know what she's saying 😂"

**
REPLY
44. K B, 2018
"It was played every Saturday night on music choice show in Ethiopia too sister"

**
REPLY
45. Tim Ray, 2018
"Mimsxo this song was all over Africa back then"

**
REPLY
46. Maleeha Barrie, 2018
"Mimsxo I'm Sierra Leonean and they played this song sooo many at the parties! They still play it now🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱"

**
REPLY
47. This Life, 2018
"Lol. I love this song. At a family gathering, everyone flies to the dance floor for this song"

**
REPLY
48. Sonja Martens, 2018
"Germany too! :-))))"

**
49.Onize Ajayi
"we sang it at primary school grad. I don't think even our teacher knew what she asked us to sing"

**
REPLY
50. Ngoako Sehata
"Hi @Onize Ajayi, from which side of the world? "I don't think even our teacher knew what she asked us to sing" Lol, i don't think so too because i am a south african speaking a different language and i just learned the lyrics of the song recently after knowing the language."

**
REPLY
51. Onize Ajayi
"+Ngoako Sehata Nigeria"

**
REPLY
52. Ngoako Sehata
"Alright my sister, The song is basically about a happy mother, his son is getting married, she asks those who are jealousy to open the way for his son. The mother was not expecting to have daughter-in law because the gossipers were convincing her that his son will never get married. Vula= open, Ndlela=way/path, Vulidlela=open the way/path. Mam'gobhozi =Gossipers, Makoti=daughter-in law, Yekela uMona=stop jealousy. uMona=Jealousy. I tried my best, you will correct your former teacher :) :)"

****
2018
53. Gracia mbihah
"I am from Tanzania and i remember this song from my childhood,Talk about a star👐"

**
54. Gitau Charles
"We can make this song national Anthem of Africa ,,I remember when I was young ,, every day on K.B.C radio station in Kenya 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪..."

**
REPLY
55. Tony Mike, 2019
"U sure know what to say I born in Ethiopia grew up in Kenya now live live in New York City I sure do remember this song every day on k.b.c love Kenya and their beautiful welcoming people I went to ealsligh airport elementary school big up to everyone that went there"

**
REPLY
56. Leah Kamere
"Kenya has to make the cut too. Loved it then love it now in 2018"

**
57. Latonya Elia
"I’m American but My husband was from Tanzania 🇹🇿 and when they played this at the African parties this would get me off my seat!!!!! R.I.P. Brenda"

**
REPLY
58. Moi S
"If you go to a African party and no Brenda it ain't no party."

**
REPLY
59. JAG
"@Moi S Ohh so it is an African thing, I'm Zimbabwean and as a child every family event, party, wedding etc they'll be Brenda without fail😂"

**
60. bodli bodli
"Steel watching end 2018 from cameroon 🇨🇲 i was Steel a baby when this song came out. But i remember my Mother used to put this song for me when i cry may my mom's soul rip Brenda's soul too.🇨🇲🇿🇦"

****
2019
61. Oliver Wonder
"I'm from Angola ... this song was released the same year I was born, but during my childhood I listened a lot and the video clip is constantly on the Public Television of Angola (TPA). I missed her today and decided to listen to her again. Rest In Peace Brenda Fassie! Eternally in our memories and in our hearts! Your songs are immortal."

**
62. Vic7@coc
"Is there anyone who can translate the lyrics into english?"

**
REPLY
63. Feivor Emus
"Pave the way miss gossip
My baby boy is getting married
Pave the way please
My boy is getting married
People say my boy doesn't woo women
But this time woman says yes
Join me in the ceremony you are invited.

I'm a Nigerian my little knowledge about the song. (It's a wedding song tho.)"

**
64. Sina Vereivalu
"All time favorite Fiji Islands...."

**
65. seyram kulewosi
"This is top 10 most popular African songs of all time...😊✊🏿💯🔥"

**
66. Madame Madame
"Cameroonian , I love this music. Stop Xenophobia my SouthAfricans brothers please"

**
67. Biruk Tesfaye
"It reminds me my childhood, we grow up listening this song am Ethiopian may God bless our beautiful land
Africa"

**
68. Julie Julia
"Timeless!! Choreography song for every basic school in 🇬🇭 Instrumental @ 00:19 gives me goosebumps EVERY TIMEEEE!!!!❤❤❤"
-snip-
"GH" = Ghana

**
69. Bamlak Tesfaye
"We grew up with this in Ethiopia! ETV would play the video with Madiba dancing to this alllll the time! Absolutely amazing! One Love!"
-snip-
"Madiba" is a referent for Nelson Mandela.
From https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/10501587/Nelson-Mandela-Madiba-Tata-whats-in-a-name.html#targetText=Madiba%20was%20the%20name%20of,Africans%20regardless%20of%20their%20age.
"Madiba - the name of the clan of which Mandela is a member. A clan name is much more important than a surname as it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. It is considered very polite to use someone’s clan name."...

**
70. Lemtip Izzy
"May- 25- 2019.. this has been African anthem 4eva .. period... rip brenda fassie"

**
71. Andrea Audrey Kouamé
"Je suis ivoirienne et j'adore cette musique là 😍😍😍😍"

**
72. mejury shiri
"Back then in Zimbabwe when weddings were not by invitation😂😂😂. The song takes me to those days when rice and chicken used to taste nice. We danced to this song on almost every wedding. 🤣🤣"

**
73. Lirio Pinto
"I speak Portuguese I don't understand one word. but I'm listening to this song since I'm 5 my mother is African so I heard this always I love it I feel like I understand every word with my heart rip brenda Africa forever"

**
74. Lwando Giyose
"Ever since this song came out. It has been played at every wedding I've been to. Nearly two decades, but still a wedding anthem. R.I.P to my homegirl."

**
75. Smithieboy10
"You not African if you don't know this song, I will jol to this song til I'm old and grey... RIP Brenda"

**
76. Crystal Eira
"We still listen to this in the Pacific 🔥 Been listening to it since I was a child as my parents were big fans and I'm sure my kids are gonna listen to it too !"

**
77. Ami Lavore
"Today’s kids won’t understand how this song made parties lit back then"

****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the Gospel song "Awesome" by Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago.

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
LYRICS:

My God is awesome
He can move mountains
Keep me in the valley
Hide me from the rain

My God is awesome
Heals me when I'm broken
Gives strength where I've been weakened
Forever He will reign

My God is awesome
He can move mountains
Keep me in the valley
Hide me from the rain

My God is awesome
Heals me when I'm broken
Strength where I've been weakened
Forever He will reign

My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome
My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome

My God is awesome
Savior of the whole world
Giver of salvation
By His stripes I am healed

My God is awesome
Today I am forgiven
His grace is why I'm living
Praise His holy name

My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome
My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome

He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
Awesome, awesome

He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
Awesome, awesome

He's great
He's great
He's great
He's great
Awesome, awesome

He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
Awesome, awesome

Deliverer
Deliverer
Deliverer
Deliverer
Awesome, awesome

He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
Awesome, awesome

Provider
Provider
Provider
Provider
Awesome, awesome

Protector
Protector
Protector
Protector
Awesome, awesome

My God is awesome
He can move mountains
Keep me in the valley
Hide me from the rain

My God is awesome
Heals me when I'm broken
Gives strength where I've been weakened
Praise His holy name
-snip-
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/charlesjenkinsfellowshipchicago/awesome.html

Here's my transcription of the soloist's spoken intro to this Gospel song:
Somebody lift your hands
As we celebrate the greatness of God.
He's great and His greatness should be praised.
There's a verse in Psalms that says this:
My God is awesome.
[Song begins as given above

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago - Awesome (Official Video)



CharlesJenkinsVEVO, Jun 8, 2012

Music video by Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago performing Awesome. (P) (C) 2012 Inspired People Music. All rights reserved.

[...]

Song: Awesome
Artist: Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago
Album: Billboard #1 Gospel Hits
-snip-
Statistics as of October 27, 2019
Total # of views8,737,446
Total likes-45K
Total dislikes- 2.4K
Total # of comments- 2,076

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on South Africans singing during rugby games. These songs are called "gwijo" (igwijo” or “amagwijo”).

This post presents information about the sport of rugby and information about South Africans singing during those games. Information about rugby is also included in this post as that sport is unfamiliar to me and to many other people in the United States.

Three videos of the Gwijo Squad are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/south-african-students-from-queens.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases a video of students from Queens college singing a gwijo song during a rugby game. Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post.

The Addendum to that post showcases a YouTube video of South African soldiers singing the same song (with a few comments from that discussion thread, including the lyrics to that song).

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the founder/s and members of the Gwijo squad and thanks to those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE GAME OF RUGBY
From https://www.rulesofsport.com/faq/what-s-the-difference-between-american-football-and-rugby.html#targetText=Although%20American%20football%20is%20played,players%20are%20in%20the%20USA.&targetText=Rugby%20is%20popular%20in%20European,Zealand%2C%20South%20Africa%20and%20Argentina. What's the Difference Between American Football and Rugby?

"American football and rugby are in many ways similar sports, both featuring a great amount of physicality, running, and aggression.

This is not unsurprising when you realise that American football and rugby are related with American football developing from rugby in the 19th century. However, there are some fundamental differences between the games.

Geographic Spread
Although American football is played in many different countries across the world, by far the most players are in the USA. Rugby however has a far bigger geographical spread. Rugby is popular in European countries such as England, Scotland, Ireland Wales and France, as well as southern hemisphere countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. It is also one of the fast growing team sports in the USA.

Object of the Game
The object of American football is to score more points than the opposition team by carrying the ball behind the opponents touch line (called a touchdown). Teams can also score points by kicking the ball between the posts which is known as a field goal.

The object of rugby is very similar, but the ball must be carried behind the opponents touch line and then placed down which is called a try. Points can also be scored by kicking the ball between the goalposts (known as a conversion/drop goal/penalty kick) depending upon the circumstances.

Ball
American footballs and rugby balls look similar at first glance but they are different. Rugby balls are about 27cm long and weigh about 1lb whereas American footballs weigh a few ounces less but are slightly longer at 28cm. American footballs also feature more pointy ends and a seam, both of which make it easier to throw.

Number of Players
Rugby teams are much larger than their American football counterparts. Rugby teams have fifteen players on the pitch at any one time whereas American football teams have just eleven."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT SOUTH AFRICANS SINGING GWIJO (IGWIJO OR AMAGWIJO)
Excerpt #1:
From https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/fan-park/update/ten-words-from-mzansi-s-football-dictionary/304884#targetText=%E2%80%9DIgwijo%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9CAmagwijo%E2%80%9D,dressing%20rooms%20just%20before%20games. Ten Words From Mzansi’s Football Dictionary, By Captain Alzheimers June 2, 2015
..."”Igwijo” or “Amagwijo”

The words simply means ‘song.’ Those are the songs sung in stadiums by fans and by players in dressing rooms just before games."...

****
Excerpt #2:
From https://www.newframe.com/gwijo-squad-the-new-sound-of-south-african-sport/ Gwijo Squad, the new sound of South African sport
A group of friends celebrating an iconic moment – the first match of South Africa’s first black Springbok rugby captain – gave birth to a sound that’s shaken up the sporting landscape.

By: Sibusiso Mjikeliso [...]
Photographer: Ihsaan Haffejee [...], 20 Jun 2019
“It is said that freedom wasn’t free. And that, when democracy was negotiated, the last vestiges ceded into the hands of white minority control were the land and rugby.

Rugby was at the heart of the former rulers’ chests – almost literally so, when you consider the constant wrangling over the existence of the Springbok badge and its position on the World Cup jersey. The sport gave meaning to so many, within the segregated confines and among those marginalised.

However, time has brought a new generation and a breath of fresh air into the sport. They call themselves the Gwijo Squad and as far as disruptions go, they are the noisy new neighbours chanting in the west stand.

You might have seen them on some obtrusive viral video, perhaps sent unsolicited to your neighbourhood watch WhatsApp group. They sing songs of jubilation, elation and devastation. To the uninitiated ear, they sound like “struggle songs” but they are, in fact, the chants that reverberate through Xhosa initiation ceremonies, weddings and, of course, rugby matches in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.

You might have even asked yourself, “Who are these people, really?” Perhaps you might question what they want at old rugby coliseums such as Loftus Versfeld, Ellis Park and Newlands.

More than a concert of predominantly black African, Xhosa-speaking rugby fanatics, the Gwijo Squad is made up of individuals determined to create a movement that could end in the true unification of a sport that was used as a powerful tool to suppress black people.”...
-snip-
The Gwijo squad also sings during cricket matches. View the video given as #2 below.

****
Excerpt #3:
From https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/workplace-inclusivity-unsung-gwijo-thabo-moloi"Workplace Inclusivity"​ - The Unsung Gwijo
Published on August 20, 2019, Thabo Moloi
“Zizo jik’ izinto, Thula mntan’am! Wen’ukhalelani, thula mnatan’am!” [loose translation: things will turn around, you can stop crying now my child] I sing this at the top of my voice in celebration of Sbusiso Nkosi’s second try against Argentina at Loftus this past Saturday. A part of me can’t help but be emotional at the political significance of such a powerful song in the context of a challenging South African landscape marred with a complicated history. I’m on my second Strepsils lozenge desperately trying to keep up with the Gwijo Squad who have been shaking the stands non-stop with iconic gwijos. A gwijo is an African chant used to commemorate important cultural events. It is how black people have traditionally come together to celebrate, to mourn, to show solidarity and remind each other of the defiant spirit inherent in all of us. Rugby is still a predominantly white sport and the stadium is packed with over 90% white fans but the Gwijo Squad helps me forget that I’m a minority in these spaces. The Gwijo Squad not only helps me find my voice but allows me to be a part of an important moment in South African sports and sing at the top of my voice that I belong here.

I would’ve done anything to have a Gwijo Squad help me navigate some of the lonely corridors of corporate South Africa. I could never shake off the sinking feeling that I was an outsider. I was always peeping through thick bullet-proof glass ceilings wearing imposter syndrome like a freshly dry-cleaned well-fitted blazer wondering if I will ever get called to come inside. The crazy part is that I loved my job and was really good at it. The disconnect was that I felt I had to be someone else to get the social currency needed to navigate the water coolers and canteen food lines.

[...]

I left my job to build a training and development business that will be an empowerment gwijo to help the disenfranchised people in my community navigate some of the socio-economic challenges our nation is plagued with. It is proving to be way harder than anything I have ever experienced because for the first time I need to be myself fully and trust that this will be enough. I realise it takes great courage to bravely show who you really are in the intimidating stadium of life with very few people rooting for you. But this is something I need to do to give myself and the people around me more assurance that we belong here. Whatever space we endeavour to be in, endeavour to find meaning, happiness and wealth in, we belong here. Just as we are, we belong here.

Elton Janties converts a very difficult penalty kick to put SA in a 6 point lead in the 77th minute and the South African crowd loses themselves in a joyful cheer! “Zizo jik’ izinto, Thula mntan’am! Wen’ukhalelani, thula mnatan’am!”

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Gwijo Squad changing the face of South Africa Rugby



TRT World, Oct 3, 2018

The Springboks versus the All Blacks is one of sport’s great rivalries. The South Africans beat the ABs in New Zealand in September, and when Siya Kolisi's team attempt to repeat that success in Pretoria this weekend, they'll be supported by traditional AmaGwijo songs. As Lungani Zama reports, it's a sign the Springboks are beginning to finally represent all South Africans.

[...]
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
Bernie Baatjies, 2018
"I can just imagine how super intimidating that would be for teams that come play in SA if we all eventually sing Gwijo in the stands....WOW... Goosebumps"

****
Video #2: Gwijo Squad | Cricket at the Bullring SA vs Sri Lanka T20 (short version)



Gwijo Squad, Mar 28, 2019

On Sunday 24 March, the Gwijo Squad went to cheer the Proteas at the Bullring. It was a T20 match against Sri Lanka.

The Squad had over 110 members in attendance.
In true Joburg weather fashion, the skies opened up and a typical afternoon Joburg thunderstorm proceeded to postpone the match for just over an hour.
That did not stop the Squad from singing and keeping the energy going.

What a superb way to end the cricket season before the lads gear up for the Cricket World Cup.

****
Video #3: Understanding the Gwijo Squad movement



SABC Digital News, Sep 6, 2019

The 12th man, player 23, they go by many names: supporters play a crucial role in filling up the dead air in a stadium on game day.
Of late the Springboks have had their own dedicated group of supporters, with their own identity, who set up shop in a part of the stadium and never stop singing and dancing. It's an incredibly positive phenomenon, and for more, we are joined by Chulumanco Macingwane, chairman of the Gwijo Squad, and Nondwe Maqubela, the manager.
-snip-
Here's my transcription of a brief portion of this televised discussion (at around 1:46 to around 3:40 of this video). Additions and corrections are welcome.

(Interviewer) : [The summary given above followed by this.]
"So you're here to tell us about amagwijo. It's more than what we see in the stadiums, it's a rich tradition. Amigwijo is a Xhosa tradition. Tell us more about it"

Chulumanco Macingwane (C.M.): "The word igwijo is a Xhosa word, but the practice of gwijo, the singing of these traditional songs that take the form of a leader and respondents is something that is completely ubiquitous in the country. It exists in every single one of our cultures which is why it resonates so much with people of all cultures. Incidentally, I was explaining to some, to some really enthusiastic White supporters today that when you see a gwijo squad or a group of Black people singing gwijo, don't assume that everyone speaks the language that they are singing in. We might be singing in isiXhosa and there might be Venda people and Sotho people and such but it's because this thing exists in all those cultures. So whatever language it is being sung in, they, it resonates with them and they take right with it [I'm not sure of these words]. Why we felt that if a Venda dude can learn a Xhosa gwijo, it should not be that much difficult if at all for an Afrikaan say to learn a Xhosa gwijo. So that's why..."

(interviewer): "It's for everyone."

(C.M.): "We felt that we needed to bring the spirit of gwijo absolutely to every color, creed, language". Yes.

interviewer: "So, it's songs to get you through hardship. Rugby is particularly apt. Those players on the field have a lot of pressure. But it's the captain Gqoboka who has clicked so effortlessly with the Gwijo Squad. Tell us about that relationship."...
-snip-
Nondwe Maqubela begins by saying that the gwijo squad supports the National Rugby team, the National Cricket team, and one other national team (I didn't understand that word)...

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on South Africans singing during rugby games. These songs are called "gwijo" (igwijo” or “amagwijo”).

Part II showcases a video of students from Queens college singing a gwijo song during a rugby game. Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post.

The Addendum to this post showcases a YouTube video of South African soldiers singing the same song and a few comments from that video's discussion thread. The Xhosa lyrics for this song (with English translations) are among those comments.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-videos-about-south.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about the sport of rugby and information about South Africans singing during those games. Information about rugby is also included in this post as that sport is unfamiliar to me and to many other people in the United States.

Three videos of the Gwijo Squad are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to South Africa's Queens college students, and thanks to all those who sing gwijo and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

****
DEFINITION OF THE ISIXHOSA WORD "GWIJO (IGWIJO OR AMAGWIJO)":
From https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/fan-park/update/ten-words-from-mzansi-s-football-dictionary/304884#targetText=%E2%80%9DIgwijo%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9CAmagwijo%E2%80%9D,dressing%20rooms%20just%20before%20games. Ten Words From Mzansi’s Football Dictionary, By Captain Alzheimers June 2, 2015
..."”Igwijo” or “Amagwijo”

The words simply means ‘song.’ Those are the songs sung in stadiums by fans and by players in dressing rooms just before games."...

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
I don't know when the South African custom started to sing qwijo songs at rugby games (and cricket games and perhaps other sports games in South Africa. The 2018 and 2019 dates for the articles and videos that are featured in Part I of this pancocojams post suggests that this is a relatively new tradition. However, read this comment from the discussion thread of this YouTube discussion thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItNp_wtbfXg&t=4sTHE BEST GWIJO SONGS IN 2019....||AMAGWIJO||(jumayima, Maka nontsikelela, utata ka boy,hosana) AMAGWIJO OF SA, Jul 4, 2019

Chwayitile kiva, 2019,
"During after 1994 amagwijo were banned in Private school, the said its savage. today black white purple yellow joining together to sing amagwijo.
-snip-
I think the word "after" here might be a typo for the English words "around" or "about".

My guess is that "black white purple yellow" is a facetious way of referring to "people of all races"/"people of any skin color".

Is it accurate to say that the Gwijo squad lifted this custom from high school* students and that custom began in the early 1990s?
-snip-
*I'm assuming the referent "college" in the Queens college videos and other South African college videos means the same age students as "high school" in the United States (around 13 years old to around 18 years old.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Queens college



Khanyisa Joni, Feb 3, 2019
-snip-
Here are selected comments from this video's discussion thread. All of these comments are from 2019. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.

1. adam wang
"which queens college is this"

**
REPLY
2. Bonke Makhanda
"Eastern Cape Queenstown"

**
REPLY
3. Meki M
"South Africa"

**
4. Khulekile Zungu
"Why they named it Queens mara why not Kings"

**
REPLY
5. Ntobeko Thiba
"the name of the school is queens college"

**
REPLY
6. Tk Botes
"The school is in Queenstown, that's why."

**
REPLY
7. Pumeza
"Queenstown College for Boys.
Hence Queen's College."

**
8. Matimba Innocent Chauke
"Hey guys can anyone help me understand this song....much love all the way from Zimbabwe"

**
REPLY
9. Roland Wright
"We are related as brother, mothers dont worry"

**
10. Lawrence Khanyiso
"Big Up✌🤘👌 Boys 🔥🔥💯"

***
11. siphe bixa
"Reminds me of my days in high school"

**
12. Zaporah Snow
"What language is this and what country? Please and thank you ✊🏾💖"

**
REPLY
13. Bongani Ngxovu
"IsiXhosa❤️🔥.. In South Africa"

****
14. maikaelelo ubane
"la bafana ba na masimba straight"
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa [and Zulu] to English
these boys are powerful
[also]
These guys are powerful
-snip-
The African American Vernacular English word "straight" acts as an intensifier, similar to the word "very".

**
15. Amanda Bentsile
"kwaXhosa igwijo liyekhiwa straight niyaqhaphela ne struggle songs ziphethwe sithi"
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa [and Zulu] to English
In Xhosa the desert is left straight and you notice the struggle songs are managed by us

**
16. hippiestoage wolf
"Xhosa ❤️❤️❤️boys"

**
17. Samuel Nobhula
"Gqabhuuuukkaaaaaa!!!....Ndiyaphila Ligwijo Ntozoobawo........ Big Up Queen's Boys."
snip-
Google translate from Xhosa [and Zulu] to English
"Gqabhuuuukkaaaaaa !!! .... I'm Alive To The Poor .."
-snip-
My guess is that that translation is incorrect.

Here's some information about rugby player Lizo Gqoboka:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizo_Gqoboka
"Lizo Pumzile Gqoboka (born 24 March 1990) is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team, the Bulls in Super Rugby and the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup.[1] His regular position is prop.”...

**
18. Nkateko Merlyne
"😂😂😂😂😂😂😂queens college !!!!!but I see boys only😂😂😂"

**
REPLY
19. Avukile Gxalo
"Akere it's a Boy's school"

**
20. Vicky Kgoete
"Nice remix...I like the soldier one better though it has more soul"

**
REPLY
21. Rutendo Msika
"Vicky Kgoete where can I find that one"

**
REPLY
22. Swiss !!!
"@Rutendo Msika just type in SA soldiers singing
-snip-
I've embedded that video in the Addendum to this post along with a few comments from that video's discussion thread.

**
23. Tshego Chifokoyo
"Beautiful. Awesome spirit. This is what schools should be about 👏👏❤️"

**
24. Mongezi Mdunyelwa
"The boy who stands first❤👌"

**
REPLY
25. Viollar Mkhetho
"Yhooo he feels this uBoy"

**
REPLY
26. Nondumiso Williams
"He feels the song"

**
27. Noluthando Sizwile Dlamini
"This makes me miss high school 😣😣😣😭"

**
REPLY
28. Thina Melane
"me too😢😢😢😢😢😢"

**
28. jabber java
"I like the positive change in boys school. Just like English before them they sing militant Xhosa songs.

Our country will be defended by this unity...."

**
29. Moyahabo Lebea
"I just love how the white kids are pretending tp understand and feel what the others are feeling😂😂😂😂😂😂😂"

**
REPLY
30. Crystal Kid
"It doesn't matter of the colour of your skin it's the power that the song brings to us see I play for the u15 rugby and everytime we sing this national first team anthem we sing it with pride and joy see every game we sing that song we get power once we play we play like legends."

**
REPLY
31. Chad Roberts
"They will never understand, but do not laugh at them for accepting. The only way we will progress is to try."

**
REPLY
32. Johanne Immis
"Everyone becomes 1 through the music....1 heartbeat....Move as 1 United never divided"

**
33. Thandiwe Thandiwe
"When the leader stands up yah nehh🙌🙌"

**
REPLY
34. Babazi
"1:10 Gqhaaabhuuukaaa!"

**
REPLY
35. Nonkululeko Cherle
"The guy who says Gqhabukaaa has me feeling something every time he says that👐 I love this video"

**
36. Chuma-Nande Memani
"My day is not complete if i don't watch this Art. 🎨 I caaaannnnnn't😫🔥🔥 😍❤️👑"

**
37. Yandiswa Nongwe
"Amaxhosa at their best🔥🔥. I love this. Unity ❤"

****
ADDENDUM - South African Soldiers Singing in Camp



laughter.mr, Jun 1, 2018

South African Soldiers Singing in Camp
-snip-
Here's a few comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. DECEMBER IV, 2018
"Ndikhumbula abazali,ndikhumbula abazali bam
Umama ulele
Khanibize noba ngu mama
Thina siyazalana nobu ngandzonda nzok niku thando
Ngiba ngak cabanga
-snip-
Here's the Google translate translation from Xhosa to English: (additions and corrections are very welcome)
"I miss parents, I miss my parents
The mother is asleep
Call her mom
We are related to this and hate to love
I think"

**
2. lindiwe Tom mthethwa, 2019
"What's the name of this song?"

**
REPLY
3. Nondumiso Mhlongo, 2019
"I think its 'bambulele' and not 'Umama ulele' . Thanks for the lyrics"
-snip-
#5 below has different lyrics for this song.

**
4. Bevan Nel, 2019
"What are the words to this chant? Absolutely brilliant!"

**
REPLY
5. Mivuyo Marawuu, 2019
"(Loose Translation)
Guy Leading The Song:
Ndikhumbula Abazali
'I Miss My Parents'
Hayi Bambulele
'They Killed Him.'
Kanibize Noba Ngumama
'Please Atleast Call My Mother.'
Ndisemzini weGxagxa
' I'm In Prison'

Siyazalana
'We Are Related.'
Noba ungandizonda Ndizokunika uThando
' Even If You Hate Me ,I Will Show/Give You Love.'

Mama Kanomzizi
'Nomzizi's Mother.'😅
NdingenaMama NdingenaTata
'I Didn't Have A Mother Nor A Father.'
Siyazalana Mama
' We Are Related.'
Mntakamama
'My Sibling.'

The Guys Following:
Zumpee, Mntakamama , Zumpee Hay, Zumpe Hayi, Mntakamama.

Doesn't Make Fluid Sense Without Understand The Background Of The Story."

**
6. Ons Huis, 2019
"Well as a mlungu in the sandf i can say i really mis these songs during my training days.
I could not pronounce the words but muffled and hymn'd as best as i could , the songs were a very good "pick up" and motivator during the "op fok" sessions and "vasbyt" times .
Must say that my military training brought me much closer to my fellow south africans and gave me a much better understanding of my fellow man , from the african cultures right through to the muslim cld guys and the atheist whities, i got a greater understanding of who they were (human just like me) and their ways and views of life. There were many clashes, and many fights and that is what gave us a better understanding of one another. I pitty all south africans who have not done military training for it is through the hardships and suffering that we truly discover who we are and get to know and understand our fellow man.
-snip-
I think "mlungu" means a White person. Is that right and is something proper to say (not a pejorative referent)?

**
7. Zulukazi Hendricks
"Just love and respect you guys and can't get enough of this video. May God protect all of you. Missing home? It shows. 💕

**
8. Vicky Kgoete
"There is something about black African men when they sing...those deep voices with so much soul and feel in it. I've seen High school boys sing this song but nothing compares to this version. The emotion Wow hits me right in the feels"

****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases several YouTube videos of the South African song "Mtaka Mama" ("Thina Siyazalana").

YouTube features a video of South African soldiers singing this song in a camp. Several other YouTube videos showcase "Mtaka Mama" ("Thina Siyazalana") being sung as a gwijo* by South African students.

*A gwijo is a song that is sung by South African team members in the locker room before a game and is sung by fans during sports games.

Comments about the lyrics for this song are included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-videos-about-south.html"Information About & Videos About South Africans' Gwijo Songs (Songs Sung During Rugby Games & Cricket Games)" for Part I of a pancocojams series on gwijo songs. Part II of that series features the video that is given as Example #1 and another copy of the same video that is given as Example #2 in this post.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: South African Soldiers Singing in Camp



laughter.mr, Jun 1, 2018

South African Soldiers Singing in Camp
-snip-
Here's a few comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. DECEMBER IV, 2018
"Ndikhumbula abazali,ndikhumbula abazali bam
Umama ulele
Khanibize noba ngu mama
Thina siyazalana nobu ngandzonda nzok niku thando
Ngiba ngak cabanga
-snip-
Here's the Google translate translation from Xhosa to English: (additions and corrections are very welcome)
"I miss parents, I miss my parents
The mother is asleep
Call her mom
We are related to this and hate to love
I think"

**
2. Bevan Nel, 2019
"What are the words to this chant? Absolutely brilliant!"

**
REPLY
5. Mivuyo Marawuu, 2019
"(Loose Translation)
Guy Leading The Song:
Ndikhumbula Abazali
'I Miss My Parents'
Hayi Bambulele
'They Killed Him.'
Kanibize Noba Ngumama
'Please Atleast Call My Mother.'
Ndisemzini weGxagxa
' I'm In Prison'

Siyazalana
'We Are Related.'
Noba ungandizonda Ndizokunika uThando
' Even If You Hate Me ,I Will Show/Give You Love.'

Mama Kanomzizi
'Nomzizi's Mother.'😅
NdingenaMama NdingenaTata
'I Didn't Have A Mother Nor A Father.'
Siyazalana Mama
' We Are Related.'
Mntakamama
'My Sibling.'

The Guys Following:
Zumpee, Mntakamama , Zumpee Hay, Zumpe Hayi, Mntakamama.

Doesn't Make Fluid Sense Without Understand The Background Of The Story."

****
Example #2: Queens college -Mtaka Mama 🔥🔥



Amagwijo Collection, Feb 13, 2019

Amagwijo Collection is a channel that is dedicated to embracing "amagwijo" songs
-snip-
Here's some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. macdonald sebotlhelo, 2019
"I love this song can someone help with the lyrics all i can pick up is siyazalana that's it"

**
REPLY
2. Mahle Mpungose, 2019
"Thina siyazalana mama
Zumpeee mtaka mama
Zumpeya ofikizolo mtaka mama
Helelelele
Zumpeee
Mtaka mama
Zumpeya
Ofikizolo mtaka mama"

****
Example #3: Mntaka Mama (Thina Siyazalana)



Tumi Tucha, May 4, 2019

Group of school boys singing this awesome gwijo.
-snip-
I'm not sure which South African school this is. One commenter wrote "St stithians college" and another commenter wrote "St. Albans college in Pretoria". In the USA,"college" refers to post-high school education. Does it refer to high school age students (around age 13 to 18 years).

Here's some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Devon Kirby, 2019
"Someone please post the words to this, I'm English and want to learn. It's my favorite gwijo song"

**
REPLY
2. ZAMANI MTHEMBUm 2019
"Thina siyazalana mama
zupeeeeee
mntakamama
zupeee yaaah
ufik izolo umntakamama"

****
Example #4: St Stithians Boys College Gwijo - Thina Siyazalana🔥



Mr Robot, Jun 2, 2019

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides definitions for the term "do-rags" ("durags") as it was and is used by African Americans (and some other Black people).

This post also provides information about the ways that do-rags (durags) have been used to help maintain Black people's hair and Black people's hair styles and the way that do-rags (durags) help create certain Black people's hairstyles, particularly "waves" for Black males.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes/

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all the publishers of videos that are embedded in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/11/information-about-reactions-to.html for a closely related pancocojams post entitled "Information About & Reactions To The Survivor's Television Show Incident About Durags (with video & comments)"

****
WHAT IS A "DO-RAG"?
Since the 1960s or 1970s, "do-rag/s" (also given as "durag/s") refer to a certain type of head scarf that is mostly worn by some African Americans and some other Black males.

From https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do-rag
"do-rag noun
\ ˈdü-ˌrag \
variants: or less commonly durag or du-rag
Definition of do-rag
informal
: a close-fitting, typically stretchable piece of cloth that is worn on the head (as to hold a hairstyle in place) and that usually has long ends which are tied in the back"
-snip-
The second line in this quote refers to how the word "do-rag" is pronounced - "doo" (rhymes with the word too and the word "new")- rag
-snip-
"Durag" is a much later [after 2016?] spelling of the term "do-rag". My guess is that the spelling "durag" was created for branding/marketing purposes (i.e. to sell a company's manufactured "do-rags"). In 2019 the spelling "durags" appears to be replacing the older "do-rag" spelling.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: How to Tie a Durag, According to A$AP Ferg | GQ



GQ, Apr 6, 2018
-snip-
In that video, Hip Hop artist A$AP Ferg mentions how "durags" help create "waves". "Waves" and do-rags/durags are discussed later on in this post.

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HOW THE TERM "DO-RAGS" GOT ITS NAME
The "do" in the word "do-rags" refers to "hair-dos".

From https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hairdo#learn-more
"Definition of hairdo
: a way of wearing the hair : COIFFURE

Synonyms for hairdo
Synonyms
coiffure, cut, do, haircut, hairstyle

[...]

First Known Use of hairdo
1932, in the meaning defined above"
-snip-
"Getting [your] hair done" is a term that is related to "hair-do". That term refers to how the hair is prepared and styled to make [result in] the hair-do. For African Americans, "getting your hair done" used to refer to (and to a lesser number of African American people) still refers to the use of chemicals, or heat on your hair. For African Americans (and other Black people) "getting your hair done" [also] refers to getting your hair cut, trimmed, shaved, braided, colored, styled with extensions or weaves (hair pieces) etc.

The word "rag" in "do-rag" initially referred to a clean, but old or inexpensive piece of usually cloth material. These historical "do-rags" (durags) were scarfs (head scarfs)/bandanas which didn't have the same design as contemporary "do-rags" (durags) as described above and shown in the embedded video.

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HISTORY OF DO-RAGS (DURAGS) AND AFRICAN AMERICANS (Including stigmas placed on do-rags by the White majority culture/institutions)
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1
From https://boomphilly.com/2692892/the-history-of-the-do-rag/ [No date is given, but the article refers to 2001.]
"The History Of The Do-Rag
...The do-rag is simply a scarf worn on your head to protect your hairstyle or is used for fashion. Guys often wear do-rags to keep their cuts fresh and braids in place, while others sport them as a part of their outfit. While do-rags may have been worn by some of your favorite artists, the trend is certainly nothing new.

The do-rag’s origin dates back to the 19th century when poor laborers and slaves needed something to tie their hair back with. Fast forwarding to the times of the Harlem Renaissance and Great Depression, in the 1930s, do-rag then evolved into a hairstyle preserver. Then shortly after the Black Power Movement in the late 1960s and into the 1970s and up until the 2000s, the do-rag became a fashion statement. Rappers, athletes, and the rest of American youth began, particularly young African American men, began wearing them around the clock and not just overnight as they slept. It was common for young men to wear do-rags out in public. The do-rag became available in different colors, and was a staple for the typical dressed down outfit. Do-rags became so popular and common in mainstream America, the National Football League placed a ban on any do-rag, scarf, or bandana on the football field. Former Minnesota Vikings coach, Dennis Green, believed the ban targeted Black players even though the NFL’s reasoning was to avoid any player mistakenly associated with a gang.

There are even universities that ban do-rags on campus like esteemed HBCU, Hampton University, where males (or females) cannot wear any type of head coverings including bandanas, hats, or stocking caps. They are only permitted in their residence.

Currently, there has been a dip in popularity in wearing them publicly and many rappers have left the do-rags in 2001. But, despite its diminishing presence in the latest videos and the “no do-rag” policies, its existence will remain as one of the most popular male fashion statements of our time. Just as leggings came back for the ladies, the do-rag may reign once again in twenty years.
-snip-
The statement that the origin of "do-rags" began with slavery refers to the old definition of an old or inexpensive piece of material being worn over one's hair. Even so, I definitely disagree that African American slavery was when Black people or any other people first started wearing head scarfs.

****
Excerpt #2
From https://www.allure.com/story/durag-fashion-history-black-people-reclaiming-the-narrative The Renaissance of the Durag
What happens when black people take control of their own narratives.

BY ALISHA ACQUAYE
December 26, 2018
..."People of color are leading the charge to reclaim the durag, and redefine it in their own terms.

Images of black people, particularly black men, wearing durags have been part of our cultural consciousness for some time. Like many other styles and traditions chosen by black people, mainstream society predictably labeled the durag as something criminal and crude. But now people of color are leading the charge to reclaim the durag, and redefine it in their own terms. In art, music, and fashion, durags are being embraced as a symbol of divinity and diaspora, a marker of identity and existence, and a tribute to a black tradition that should no longer be ridiculed but revered.

Although there is no one origin of the durag, according to The New York Times, William J. Dowdy is known for popularizing it with So Many Waves, a brand that started in 1979. Darren Dowdy, William’s son and current president of the company, told The New York Times earlier this year that durags were first called “tie downs.” They were, and still are, used to keep curls and coils from springing back up after they were brushed down. The end result? A head of hair that resembles a sea of uniform waves. Durags can also prevent cornrows and braids from frizzing and keep locs neat. In the aughts, some of our favorite rappers brought visibility to durags in the mainstream media: Nelly, 50 Cent, Cam'Ron, and Ja Rule are a mere few who proudly wore theirs as a fashion statement. They rocked durags with suits, jeans, and jerseys, and underneath fitted caps. The varied ways they wore durags were a testament to their versatility, their fashionable functionality.

In spite of the obvious practical uses for durags, black men were, and still are, often labeled as thuggish and low-class when they wear them. In a 2017 GQ article, writer Brian Josephs explained that durags share a similarity with the head wrap, which many black women wear to protect their hair, for aesthetic appeal, or to cover their hair for religious reasons. In late-1700s New Orleans, the Tignon Laws required women of African descent to wear head wraps, according to Broadly. This was intended to suppress their beauty and physically distinguish their slave status. Similarly, in 2001, the NFL banned players from wearing durags and bandanas, but permitted skullcaps (if they showed team colors and logos). The NFL claimed the intention was to enforce a more uniform dress code, but the decision seemed rather, well, racist, as black players primarily wear durags. The NBA followed suit in 2005, around the time Allen Iverson became popular for wearing durags on the court, according to GQ.

[...]

The durag's rocky introduction to mainstream culture aside, today the durag's legacy is alive and well in the black community...Videos of young black men (and some women, too) doing "wave checks" have gone viral on social media, and are hypnotic to watch. Each participant, sometimes in a large group, sometimes alone, dramatically unties their durag on camera to reveal — with much fanfare and plenty of hype — the waves hiding underneath. At some colleges, wave checks are bona fide social events."...

****
Excerpt #3
From https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5893219718076521675#allposts
"A durag or du-rag is a scarf usually worn on the head after a hair treatment process (hairdo).[1]

History
Durags were originally the headgear of poor African American women laborers and slaves in the 19th century. In the 1930s, during the Harlem Renaissance and Great Depression, the durag evolved into a hairstyle preserver. After the Black Power Movement in the late 1960s, the durag became a fashion statement among African Americans, worn by rappers, athletes, and men of all ages. In the 2000s, wearing durags in public lost popularity in certain areas but maintained its popularity in others.[citation needed] However, because of rappers, such as A$AP Ferg and the return of waves as a hairstyle, they have now regained their status as a fashion among the African American community.

Controversy
In the United States, there have been attempts to ban the wearing of durags[2][3] in high schools as a part of regular school attire. When John Muir High School in Pasadena, California, banned durags as part of a school dress-code policy, students staged a peaceful walk-out in February 2019.[4] The walk-out was staged by the Black Student Union; protesting students contended that school administrators banned the head wear because of its affiliation "with gang culture", although the school's principal claimed that it was banned because "of values we have for how we present ourselves at school".

In 2001, the American National Football League banned its players from wearing durags and bandanas underneath their helmets.[5]

Etymology
Merriam-Webster places the earliest usage of "do-rag" in 1968.[6] The New York Times claims that the true spelling is durag, and its popularity began in the 1970s.[7] There is an alternative etymology in which 'do-rag' is 'dew-rag', and 'dew' is a euphemism for sweat, the current do-rag folk-etymologized from it.[8] In the same source, another author cites a reference from the 1940s, of a do-rag used to keep a hair-do in place."...
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note: I'm including this excerpt although I consider its definition of "do-rag" and its etymology from the word "dew"to be inaccurate (I've never seen the spelling "dew-rag", have you?).

****
Excerpt #4:
From https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/style/durag-solange-met-gala.html
"AN EXPLAINER
The Durag, Explained
It’s spelled durag. The end.
By Sandra E. Garcia
May 14, 2018
"Solange Knowles ascended the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a gold halo — the theme of the Met Gala was Catholicism — over a black durag. Ms. Knowles wore the durag with the cape out; it dripped down her back. At the hem, in gold Gothic type, were the words “MY GOD WEARS A DURAG.” Godly, queenly, on theme.

Still, her headwear stood out among the papal hats and crowns, and led to some debates about the spelling (and possible hyphenation) of the word durag. So we figured it was time to clear a few things up.

Who Invented the Durag, and Why?
There is no specific inventor of the durag. That’s like asking who invented the comb. But the use of having a scarf or a rag to keep your hairstyle in place and frizz-free took a great leap forward in the ’70s.

Darren Dowdy, president of So Many Waves, claims his father, William J. Dowdy, invented it as part of a hair grooming kit."

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DO-RAGS (DURAGS) AND WAVE HAIRSTYLES
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waves_(hairstyle)
"Waves are a hairstyle for curly hair in which the curls are brushed and/or combed and flattened out, creating a ripple-like pattern.

The hairstyle begins with a short-cropped haircut and frequent brushing and/or combing of the curls, which trains the curls to flatten out and wearing a do-rag. Wave pomades and moisturizers can help hold the hair in place while preventing the hair from getting too dry.[1][2] A do-rag is worn to preserve moisture while compressing the hair and holding it in place.[3][4][5]

In the early 20th century, as many African-American men sought to style their hair with texture-altering products, "cold soap" waves became a popular hairstyle. Men produced waves by washing their hair with soap but not rinsing all of it out before putting on their do-rags.[6]"
-snip-
I believe that the term "curly hair" that is used in that Wikipedia page is a euphemism for what is now commonly [among African Americans and some other Black people] referred to as "type 4 hair texture". Note that some African Americans and other Black people have type 3 hair textures, and other type hair textures, and it is common for some African American individuals and other Black individuals to have a mixture of hair textures.

****
From https://www.allure.com/gallery/curl-hair-type-guide##targetText=Type%204%20(Coily),are%20prone%20to%20major%20shrinkage.
"Type 4 (Coily)
Coily hair, commonly referred to as Afro-textured or kinky hair, is naturally very dry and spongy in texture and can be soft and fine or coarse and wiry. Strands form very tight, small curls of zig-zags right from the scalp and are prone to major shrinkage."...
-snip-
That page includes drawings of the hair strands, photographs of females with these hair textures, and recommendations for hair care.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: 360 Waves: Why Black People Wear Durags? Du-Rag Etiquette with A$AP Lew



JustinTimeDec 11, 2015

Why Do Black People Wear Durags: As a young and black professional, people of different backgrounds usually do not understand why I choose to wear Du-Rags. In this video, I briefly explain the negative stigma behind wearing Du-Rags, as well as how black people are pressured more to confirm their hairstyles in corporate settings. Some may ask, why wear a durag, what is the purpose of wearing a durag, how do you tie a durag, but I'll just answer why black people wear durags.
-snip-
Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only):
1. Mike Midas, 2017
"Yo... just brush n dawg"

**
REPLY
2. JustinTime, 2017
"Bet"
-snip-
Mike Midas referred to the vital importance of Black males repeatedly brushing one's coily hair to create "waves" and JustInTime succinctly agreed with that advice.

**
3. Izehumah Eyiba, 2019
"What bout cornrows for the durags"

**
REPLY
4/ JustinTime, 2019
"They help the cornrows last longer by protecting them at night. I use to rock them back in the days"

****
5. Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, 2019
"I wear them to get waves and as a badge of honor. They originated in Vietnam. They were know as bandannas back then and helped in camouflaging the head, my dad and my great uncle both wore them when they were infantry, they also said a lot of white men wore them also. Some infantry even wore one around their mouth."

**
REPLY
6. JustinTime, 2019
"Thanks for watching and appreciate you dropping some history Stray Dog, salute!"

**
REPLY
7. Desslyn Long
"they didn’t originate in vietnam. they originated from slaves."
-snip-
The do-rag (durag) design (contemporary meaning: "a close-fitting, typically stretchable piece of cloth that is worn on the head (as to hold a hairstyle in place) and that usually has long ends which are tied in the back") is said to have been created or popularized by African Americans around the late 1960s/1970s. [Read the excerpt given as Excerpt #2 above.]

Customs of wearing any type of head scarf or bandana for fashion, to help maintain a hairstyle, and/or for other reasons are found throughout the world and are definitely far older than the 1960s/1970s contemporary meaning of "do-rag"/"durag".


****
8. Dima Lomako, 2019
"I’m white can I wear a durag

**
REPLY
9. JustinTime, 2019
"Yes"
-snip-
Anyone can wear a durag (do-rag) but the function (reasons) for wearing durags (or another type of head scarf/bandana) differs depending on your hair texture and the hair style you are developing and/or maintaining -i.e. non-Black males are far less likely to be able to get "waves" in their hair as that hairstyle is discussed and shown in this video.

Note that some men wear two do-rags (or more?) to help compress their hair which (along with brushing) helps the hair develop its wave pattern.

**
10. TazIsDark, 2019
"Only Sikhs wear that but ok"

**
REPLY
11. JustinTime, 2019
"Ok"
-snip-
TazIsDark's comment demonstrated the way that some people inaccurately label all head scarfs as "do-rags" (durags).

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about and a video of the portion of the October 30, 2019 Survivor television show episode that referred to "durags".

This pancocojams post also includes a contemporary definition for "do-rag" ("durag") and excerpts about how Black males/females wearing this type of head scarf have been stigmatized.

Online comments that I read about that episode served as motivation for me to publish this post and this closely related pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/11/african-american-definitions-of-uses.html

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
From https://meaww.com/survivor-island-of-the-idols-season-39-jamal-jack-durag-nascar-hair-nets-racisim-black-men-accused'Survivor: Island of the Idols' Season 39: Jamal faces flak from fans who claim a durag is not a black thing but a hair thing

A situation arose between Jack and Jamal where Jack referenced a durag. Jamal explained why he had objections to the word and Jack apologized but fans back home think Jamal has it all wrong.

By Rachel Windsor, Published on : 21:32 PST, Oct 30, 2019
"'Survivor: Island of the Idols' season 39 returned on Wednesday night, and it was a nailbiting episode compared to the previous weeks with the Vokai tribe 2.0 being four Vokai tribe members and four former Lairo tribe members.

Last week we saw Karishma open up about her traditions and the struggle one might face while being in an arranged marriage. This is not something we get to see on a regular basis when it comes to reality TV shows. This week as the series returned we witnessed something along the same lines, but not entirely the same situation.

Things began to go out of hand when Jamal started showing his African drumming skills and was teaching Kellee to dance. While everything looks like rainbows and sunshine for the Vokai tribe at that point of time, matters suddenly went out of hand. Jack asked Jamal to take the pot out of the fire and instead of telling him to take it out using his "buff" he said the word "durag". Jamal got offended by the choice of Jack's words, and said this word has been used by white people to stereotype black men as thugs, murderers, and dead- beat dads. Jamal went on to add that this also leads to them visualizing black men with ample tattoos, wife beaters, and durags.

Jamal doesn't get all hyped up, and even though he is clearly hurt by the word, he calmly not only explains his issue with the word to Jack but also to the audience back home. While one would have assumed that with his explanation fans and viewers back home would have understood his stance about it, but it's sad to see that no one did.

Taking to social media post the episode, fans shared their views stating they don't see why Jamal got offended by that. Some stated that they heard about the word from their black friends, and never knew it was a racist term.

"When did a do rag become a "durag" and then become racist? WTF #Survivor," wrote a fan on Twitter. Adding to that another said, "Honestly, I was surprised as well, but then I just thought, maybe there's a gender difference here. #Durag isn't really a term that's used in reference to us. Maybe black men should weigh in (the few who watch this show? LOL!) #survivor."

"Yes! Durags are very common in Nascar for under helmets and bikers wear them, same reason, and Hulk Hogan called his head-wrap a durag all through the 80s! I have a big surprise for you... white and black folks share some cultural stuff because we are all Americans! #survivor," wrote a fan.

While another shared, "#Survivor jamal I guess you have no clue a durag has been used by hairdressers for decades to protect the hair during chemical process, and after the hair was set to protect the hairdo! A fing scarf is also a durag. It is NOT A BLACK thing, it is a hair thing!"

"That durag conversation was so staged. Durag are worn by all races. Tired of people looking for something to pick about. #Survivor," shared a fan. Adding to that another said, "Really #survivor? Really Jamal? You lower yourselves to turn a statement about a #durag into a micro aggression and lesson in #WhitePrivilege. You should both be ashamed. What lunacy."

What do you think?

-snip-
Here's one comment that I believe is typical of a number of White responses:
Kenny O'Connell, October 31, 2019
"While watching the show last night, I had to back it up to see what the big deal was. I'm a 56 year old white male that is bald and have been wearing bandana's and calling them durags for the past 15 years. I used to associate durags with bikers, not black people. I was like, when did this become a racists issue?!?!?! So I google it this morning to see what the big deal was. No where can I find how anyone considers a durag as "black men being thugs, wife beaters and murders". Except this post. People of all races wear durags all the time, and I love mine and will continue to wear mine and call them durags. I love wearing them during the summer, because if I don't, sweat just drips down my face. More over, I don't really care what anyone thinks about me wearing them either as I've gotten over my insecurities of being bald. Which by the way, being a white bald man has it's own issues of discrimination that I ignore. I actually thought it was more racists for Jamal to label Jack as a young white male as not understanding and calling it out as racist. That's the problem right there. Jack didn't care because it wasn't a race issue at all, until Jamal made it one. People need to get over their own insecurities and leave the past in the past. Until we move forward and start living together as one people in this great country or ours, and loving our neighbors regardless of race, gender, religion and whatever else, and quit calling out everything and anything as racist or discriminatory, we'll never get past the bull crap!"

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: 'Survivor' contestant's racial comment leads to touching moment



Celebs Today, Oct 30, 2019

On Survivor Wednesday night, a small, yet heavy, comment made by one contestant to another sparked an even bigger conversation, when Jack Nichting referred to Jamal Shipman's buff, a headpiece every contestant wears on the show, as a "durag."

"You should move it to the heat. Can you push it, Jamal, with your durag?" Nichting asked Shipman, who immediately questioned the reference. "Deep-seated. That was subconscious," stated Shipman. He added, "White people, I'm always, like, do you welcome the, like, race conversation?" The conversation could have gotten worse, had it not been for the fact that Nichting immediately felt remorse and embarrassment over the comment he had made.

"I made a joke. That sucked. I immediately knew that I had said something wrong, and I was very embarrassed to have said it. I just was, like, thinking about it makes me sweaty. I just felt really bad, because I felt like I compromised – I felt like Jamal views me in this mature way, and I feel like I just took steps backward," explained Nichting. Meanwhile, Shipman handled the moment with grace, agreeing to move forward with Nichting after a little bit of time.

"It's a little complicated about why this is insulting," Shipman explained to the audience. He continued, "I can understand why someone might think, what's the big deal? Don't black men wear durags? The problem with it is the image that probably a lot of white America has about black men is the thug, the deadbeat father, the leech on social services, which is often, unfortunately, people wearing durags, tattoos, wife beaters, right? So this whole caricature is so ingrained in our culture, and so comfortable for mainstream white America to digest about the black male body, that for a sweet, well-intentioned boy like Jack, it flows off the tongue."

Once some time had passed, the two had a heart-to-heart over the stigma related to durags, what the comment meant to Shipman, and how important it is to have self-awareness in regards to privilege.

"Jamal has a way of helping me understand that privileges do exist. You know, I don't think of myself as the most privileged person, but the fact of the matter is I am very privileged. I am. And it's really cool to share a very human moment with my strongest ally, because it brought us together more as friends, even though I made this very stupid comment," Nichting shared with viewers.

Viewers at home praised the moment and thanked CBS for showing some realness.

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/r...
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Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only). All of these comments are from October 31, 2019
1. JYTRO TULL
"Big strong man feelings hurt over the name of a scarf used to wrap around someone's head... Boy Bye!!"

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2. HVYContent
"I think he's upset because everybody on the show is wearing one...and yet, it wasn't called a Durag (or however the hell it's spelled) until the dude saw Jamal wearing one (which again, they all are wearing).
To Jamal, it's like attaching a negative stereotype of guys sporting these items in the hood, an image of a stereotypical thug-like character he probably is far from being himself.
Anyways, he's right, but this is Survivor, so sticks and stones :)"

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3. KryptKicker5
"If you watch the "apology" they're hiding Jamal's face as he is smiling. I thought it was a joke... When did durag become "black only" ??? Then they are being all serious about it. Being offended by multicultural headgear... that's just about as ignorant as you can get."

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REPLY
4. Myles Yamada
"KryptKicker5 dumbass durags are for blacks because we have a hairstyle called waves we use them for . So you sound mad and stupid"

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5. Travis Hayes
"This is so sad that the word durag is considered racist and we had to have a whole conversation about it. Unbelievable this is where we are at."

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REPLY
6. Jay Lyles
"Any discussion of microaggressions would be "unbelievable" if you've never been on the receiving end of a microaggression. But would you consider learning a little more about how these things impact people in the world who are different from you. Having empathy for someone else's experience is not a defect."

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REPLY
7. Travis Hayes
"@Jay Lyles sounds more like someone whos looking to find racism in anything they can. I used to wear them and i everybody i ever knew called them durags. Maybe im just old and the connotation has changed."

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8. Jedidiah Bowman
"It’s about hair , as in hair do. Wtf is racist about that? Everyone from
Bikers to hairstylist use do rags. This is ridiculous. When did it become “durag” anyways?"

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REPLY
9. Myles Yamada
"Jedidiah Bowman [profanity deleted], when has any biker said they wear durags. Stop making up lies and excuses. I would have more respect for people who are racist if they own it and stop making up lies every time they get called out on it."

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REPLY
10. Chris francis
"@Myles Yamada literally on amazon for sale right now "durags or dorags" advertised for white or black people and photos on white people and advertised as biker head gear....."

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ADDENDUM: DEFINITION OF DO-RAGS (DURAGS) AND ARTICLE EXCERPTS ABOUT STIGMATIZING DO-RAGS (DURAGS)

DEFINITION
WHAT IS A "DO-RAG"?
Since the 1960s or 1970s, "do-rag/s" (also given as "durag/s") refer to a certain type of head scarf that is mostly worn by some African Americans and some other Black males. Here's that contemporary definition of "do-rag" (durag): "a close-fitting, typically stretchable piece of cloth that is worn on the head (as to hold a hairstyle in place) and that usually has long ends which are tied in the back")

Customs of wearing any type of head scarf or bandana for fashion, to help maintain a hairstyle, and/or for other reasons are found throughout the world and are definitely far older than the 1960s/1970s contemporary meaning of "do-rag"/"durag".

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EXCERPTS ABOUT DO-RAGS/DURAGS BEING STIGMATIZED BY MAINSTREAM (WHITE) SOCIETY
Excerpt #1:
From https://www.allure.com/story/durag-fashion-history-black-people-reclaiming-the-narrative The Renaissance of the Durag
What happens when black people take control of their own narratives.

BY ALISHA ACQUAYE
December 26, 2018
..."People of color are leading the charge to reclaim the durag, and redefine it in their own terms.

Images of black people, particularly black men, wearing durags have been part of our cultural consciousness for some time. Like many other styles and traditions chosen by black people, mainstream society predictably labeled the durag as something criminal and crude. But now people of color are leading the charge to reclaim the durag, and redefine it in their own terms. In art, music, and fashion, durags are being embraced as a symbol of divinity and diaspora, a marker of identity and existence, and a tribute to a black tradition that should no longer be ridiculed but revered.

Although there is no one origin of the durag, according to The New York Times, William J. Dowdy is known for popularizing it with So Many Waves, a brand that started in 1979. Darren Dowdy, William’s son and current president of the company, told The New York Times earlier this year that durags were first called “tie downs.” They were, and still are, used to keep curls and coils from springing back up after they were brushed down. The end result? A head of hair that resembles a sea of uniform waves. Durags can also prevent cornrows and braids from frizzing and keep locs neat. In the aughts, some of our favorite rappers brought visibility to durags in the mainstream media: Nelly, 50 Cent, Cam'Ron, and Ja Rule are a mere few who proudly wore theirs as a fashion statement. They rocked durags with suits, jeans, and jerseys, and underneath fitted caps. The varied ways they wore durags were a testament to their versatility, their fashionable functionality.

In spite of the obvious practical uses for durags, black men were, and still are, often labeled as thuggish and low-class when they wear them. In a 2017 GQ article, writer Brian Josephs explained that durags share a similarity with the head wrap, which many black women wear to protect their hair, for aesthetic appeal, or to cover their hair for religious reasons. In late-1700s New Orleans, the Tignon Laws required women of African descent to wear head wraps, according to Broadly. This was intended to suppress their beauty and physically distinguish their slave status. Similarly, in 2001, the NFL banned players from wearing durags and bandanas, but permitted skullcaps (if they showed team colors and logos). The NFL claimed the intention was to enforce a more uniform dress code, but the decision seemed rather, well, racist, as black players primarily wear durags. The NBA followed suit in 2005, around the time Allen Iverson became popular for wearing durags on the court, according to GQ."...

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Excerpt #2:
From https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5893219718076521675#allposts
"A durag or du-rag is a scarf usually worn on the head after a hair treatment process (hairdo).[1]
....Controversy
In the United States, there have been attempts to ban the wearing of durags[2][3] in high schools as a part of regular school attire. When John Muir High School in Pasadena, California, banned durags as part of a school dress-code policy, students staged a peaceful walk-out in February 2019.[4] The walk-out was staged by the Black Student Union; protesting students contended that school administrators banned the head wear because of its affiliation "with gang culture", although the school's principal claimed that it was banned because "of values we have for how we present ourselves at school".

In 2001, the American National Football League banned its players from wearing durags and bandanas underneath their helmets.[5]"...

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Excerpt #3:
From https://www.gq.com/story/who-criminalized-the-durag
..."Walk through a bodega or hair supply spot in a major American city, and you’ll see them: rectangular packets uniformly covered with an image of a black man donning a durag (or doo-rag or do-rag). He’ll either be stone faced or slyly grinning, eyes glinting with promise. Some wear them to lay down their cornrows. Others, like myself and the young man on the bus, tie them for waves—those linear textures whose suppleness brings the instant satisfaction of a “That’s the Way Love Goes”-era Janet Jackson. The bargain luxury is symbolically significant, too. Seeing the durag as a crown is to take pride in something inextricable from blackness. Wearing it, the practical uses... are connectors amongst young black men...

With hip-hop’s rise as the core of black youth expression, the durag has become a fashion statement and a stand-in for the “black thug.” My mother was aware of that conception, so it’d makes sense that she’d attempt to protect me by demanding I only wear the durag inside our home. But remove the myths and you’ll find that, at the most basic level, it’s a self-maintenance cloth, something we use to keep our hair lain.

The durag’s existence as a utilitarian marker of black cool loosely parallels the head wraps worn by women in slaver-era America. With aesthetic roots in sub-Saharan Africa, head wraps grew to be one of the few means of expressions slaves had in the dehumanizing pre-Civil War America, where the stolen laborers would save what they had to buy headwear fabric. The garments had the practical purpose of absorbing sweat and protecting scalps from scathing daytime sun. Symbolically, the different stylings of the head wrap expressed individuality. “Here was a way for black women to reclaim their own sense of humanity,” says Tanisha C. Ford, associate professor of black American studies and history at the University of Delaware. Black hair care has since evolved into a cultural touchstone even as it’s policed by respectability politics and anti-black policing. You abandon the headwraps and durags in the private space in hopes of succeeding in the white, corporate world.

[...]

It wasn’t long, however, before both the NFL and NBA banned durags, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. Allen Iverson, always one to represent the culture, noted, “They're targeting my generation–the hip-hop generation." NBA journeyman Sam Perkins was also admonished for wearing a durag in a preseason game because, apparently, “the league considers it ‘a safety hazard.’”

What’s more, the league’s biases were compounded by criticism by African-Americans, some of whom were ignited by cultural elitism and respectability politics. In a 2005 Washington Post column titled “The Case Against Do-Rags,” for example, author Jabari Asim wrote: “Maybe you'd rather discuss the late, great Rosa Parks, the ultimate modern symbol of principled individuality. Photos show that she was arrested and fingerprinted in 1955 while wearing a crisply tailored suit and minimal makeup. Dignity in abundance, but no do-rag in sight.”

Intra-cultural and white opposition toward the durag don’t run parallel. Ford argues that parents and guardians feel the anxiety my mother felt when she told me not to wear mine outside of the house. “I think when African-Americans of certain generations reject durags, they’re doing it, in part, out of fear—out of the desire to protect black youth,” Ford says. “They’re unsafe from agents of the state or white vigilantes. What we’ve learned—and what we’ve always known—is that your respectability won’t save you. That not wearing a durag will keep you alive.

[...]

I often do [wear durags outside my home] for two reasons: First, I’m no criminal because I want waves. Secondly, the durag’s stigma isn’t singular; black expression is susceptible to criminalization because it’s attached to a black body. So, greeting the sun and walking to Midtown for work with a durag snugly worn under my beanie is my quotidian existential triumph. One has to be ready to risk it all to be black and wavy."
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Here's an excerpt of a Wikipedia page on "waves" [hairstyle] for Black males:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waves_(hairstyle)
"Waves are a hairstyle for curly hair in which the curls are brushed and/or combed and flattened out, creating a ripple-like pattern.

The hairstyle begins with a short-cropped haircut and frequent brushing and/or combing of the curls, which trains the curls to flatten out and wearing a do-rag. Wave pomades and moisturizers can help hold the hair in place while preventing the hair from getting too dry.[1][2] A do-rag is worn to preserve moisture while compressing the hair and holding it in place.[3][4][5]

In the early 20th century, as many African-American men sought to style their hair with texture-altering products, "cold soap" waves became a popular hairstyle. Men produced waves by washing their hair with soap but not rinsing all of it out before putting on their do-rags.[6]"
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I believe that the term "curly hair" that is used in that Wikipedia page is a euphemism for what is now commonly [among African Americans and some other Black people] referred to as "type 4 hair texture". Note that some African Americans and other Black people have type 3 hair textures, and other type hair textures, and it is common for some African American individuals and other Black individuals to have a mixture of hair textures.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents hyperlinks to pancocojams' alphabetized lists of words for stomp & shake cheers from high school or university stomp & shake cheerleading squads.

Two video examples of stomp & shake cheerleading are showcased in this post to serve as visual and aural examples of this style of cheerleader cheering.

The content of this post is presented for recreational and folkloric purposes.

Thanks to all those who composed these cheers and choreographed these routines. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all the stomp & shake cheerleaders who are featured in these videos.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PANCOCOJAMS COLLECTION OF STOMP & SHAKE CHEERS
This pancocojams collection of stomp & shake cheers documents stomp & shake cheers for folkloric and recreational purposes.

This collection isn't meant to be a comprehensive compilation of these types of cheers.

All the stomp & shake cheer examples that are given in this collection were retrieved from YouTube videos. The text (words) of these cheers were either provided by the YouTube video's publisher, or were retrieved from a comment in a video's discussion thread, or were transcribed by me from that video.

I began this collection in July 2017 and have periodically added to it by surfing YouTube videos. In addition to the words for these featured cheers, this collection includes videos of some of these cheers, and a limited number of comments from some of those videos' discussion threads.

There are many more stomp & shake cheers that I'd LOVE to add to this compilation, but unfortunately I can't find their words online or I can't understood what is chanted in their videos.

The titles used below for these cheers may not be the only titles that have been used in the past or are now used for these cheers. Also, the words for these cheers may not be the original words, or what were considered the definitive words for that cheer or what are now considered the definitive words for that cheer.

When no title for a cheer is given, I’ve chosen a title for that cheer and sometimes I placed an asterisk next to the title to indicate the fact that this title is my guess.

Readers shouldn't assume that the cheerleading squad who perform these cheers in these video composed those cheers and were the original choreographers of those cheers' movements. A lot of high school and younger cheerleading squads "borrow" from other squads, particularly from some highly regarded university squads.

However, stomp & shake cheerleader squads prize originality and creativity and really disapprove of squads that only copy other school's/university's words and movements.

If your squad uses these cheers, in addition to substituting your high school's name/mascot or your competitor's high school name/mascot, try changing some of the words and some of the movements that your squad performs.

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Additions and corrections to these cheer examples and the words to these cheers are welcome.

Please add to this compilation for folkloric purposes by sharing words to stomp & shake cheers and/or sharing links to stomp & shake YouTube videos videos in the comment section below. Thanks!

This post is part of pancocojams' ongoing series on Stomp & Shake cheerleading.

Click the stomp and shake cheerleading tag to find additional pancocojams posts about this type of cheerleading and information about the cheerleading style that is known as "stomp & shake".

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HYPERLINKS TO THIS PANCOCOJAMS COLLECTION OF STOMP & SHAKE CHEERS

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/examples-of-stomp-shake-cheerleading.html for Part I of this series.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/examples-of-stomp-shake-cheerleading_29.html for Part II of this series.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/examples-of-stomp-shake-cheerleading_73.html for Part III of this series.

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TWO VIDEO EXAMPLE OF STOMP & SHAKE CHEERLEADING
Video #1: 2013-2014 Virginia State University Woo Woos



TrojanNation1882, Dec 10, 2013

The best cheerleaders in the CIAA: Virginia State University Woo Woos, coached by Cassandra C. Artis-Williams, shake, break, and pump their way through the 2013-2014 year. In addition to taking this year by storm, they are "Taking it Back to the Basics." These girls are upholding the legacy of the world renowned organization effortlessly. If you are in the Petersburg area, you can see them at every home football or basketball game on the campus. If you are not from the area keep a lookout for them. . . they may be on their way to a city near you.

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Video #2: WSSU Cheerleaders (College Stomp and Shake Cheers, Chants and Dances )



Two Sockz, Feb 5, 2017
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WSSU = Winston-Salem State University (North Carolina)

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series about the (mostly) female hairstyle which is known as "Bantu knots" in the United States.

This post showcases a 2015 video entitled "Wearable Threaded Bantu Knots | Protective Natural Hairstyle".

Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are included in this post. These comments are part of a somewhat contentious discussion between Caribbean, African, and African American Black women about how attitudes about wearing "Bantu knots" and other natural hairstyles have changed because it is now considered "trendy".

Part II showcases another tutorial video about Bantu knots and includes selected comments from that discussion thread. Most of those comments provide names for the "Bantu knots" hairstyle in the Caribbean, and in parts of Africa.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this embedded YouTube video.
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-bantu-knots-hairstyle-throughout.html http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-bantu-knots-hairstyle-throughout.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series on that subject. That post includes comments that aren't included in this 2019 post. The link for Part II is included in that post. Part II showcases two African music videos that include women with Bantu knots & several African American tutorial videos about Bantu knots.

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WHAT DOES THE "BANTU KNOTS" HAIRSTYLE LOOK LIKE?
From https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bantu-knots-mini-buns-difference_n_7452532##targetText=Bantu%20knots%20are%20said%20to,until%20they%20form%20mini%20knots. These Are Bantu Knots, Not 'Mini Buns.' There's A Difference.
By Dana Oliver
05/28/2015 10:50am EDT | Updated December 7, 2017
"Bantu knots are said to have originated centuries ago with the Zulu tribes in southern Africa. They're styled by sectioning the hair into parts all over the head, then twisting those individual sections until they form mini knots."

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Wearable Threaded Bantu Knots | Protective Natural Hairstyle



Naptural85, Nov 2, 2015

See how to make your bantu knots look regal, and more wearable using the threading technique, I hope it helps

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
My sense is that since the early 2000s, Black attitudes in the United States and the Caribbean (and probabkt elsewhere) have changed from considering Bantu knots (and other names for this hairstyle) to be a hairstyle for young girls and/or a "maintenance" hairstyle worn only at home, to a fashionable hairstyle for girls and women which can be worn with pride anywhere.

I believe that the credit for this change in attitude belongs to the Black women's natural hair movement which began in the United States and has spread worldwide.

The selected comments from the discussion thread for this embedded video provide various perspectives about this subject.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THESE THE DISCUSSION THREADS FOR THIS EMBEDDED VIDEO
All of these comments except the first one are from 2016. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1. sugarwaters, 2017
"i never ever liked bantu knots as a style to wear out, but i actually think these are cute!"

2016
2. Kikster Tripster
"We called those Chiney bumps in Jamaica, and every little girl had to wear them out, not in or for a later hairstyle; so used to seeing this out!"

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3. Chinaija
"really interesting how the traditional African styles we used to get made fun of for are becoming trendy now."

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REPLY
4. nelly31283
"we use to to get made fun of just for being natural. I would say that we have made monstrous progress since then. isn't it wonderful"

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REPLY
5. iloverette
"Let it be "trendy" for now, at least we're embracing ourselves right? I remember getting made fun of in school for having different black hairstyles...maybe other little black girls won't have to deal with the same BS because these styles will not only be more commonplace but finally accepted as beautiful by us (black women) across the African diaspora. We just gotta accept the many things that make us unique and beautiful - things that only we can pull off."

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REPLY
6. 241Genevieve
"+Chinaija I was thinking the same, but I guess its also great that others of the African diaspora are getting in touch with their "roots". I just hope that our Africans back home also get rid of the weaves and stuff, and do not see styles such as this are for poor people. Or even start styles like this again because black people in America are doing the styles :( smh we all have a long way to go"

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REPLY
7. Sandie Ugo
"exactly! I did this with braids right from childhood and see it's a trend now"

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REPLY
8. Chinaija
"+Sandie Ugo exactly. this is a very old technique for us, and now it's trendy."...

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REPLY
9. byoung4eva1
"+Chinaija I don't think we are necessarily "getting in touch withour roots", we are just embracing our natural. For some of us, our "roots" will never be mended. So, i'm just focusing on being more aware/knowledgeable/educated on my culture as a black American. It would be cool to know where my ancestors were from in Africa, but that's not why i went natural. Idk why some Africans like to separate themselves from black Americans, by saying "traditional African hairstyle that we used to get made fun of", um excuse me, black American women wore this style as well (just not out of the house in the US, because it's "unprofessional" and "ghetto" here), we are of African descent. My mom used to put string/thread in her hair, because that’s what she was taught, her mom, her mother’s mother, etc. We don’t know where we are from in Africa, either.:

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REPLY
10. drlovie
"+Chinaija I agree sis...I couldn't help but think about that. This look is now played out by "hipsters"."

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REPLY
11. spainyo
"+Chinaija Certainly you can do better than this. Bantu knots aren't a trend to black americans so you may want to speak for yourself. If you look at the history of natural hair in the US and the caribbean, bantu knots are nothing new and you act like we aren't african descent. Did our families not come here from Africa? We've worn this style as equally as long as y'all have. Look up some 90's videos OR slave photos and the way women in america wore their hair in the 70's , bantu knots for days. You tried it though. You stay acting like we aren't from the same place. Thats hilarious to me"

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REPLY
12. supergirl power
"+spainyo Na wa for this comments o. All she said and meant was that this hairstyle wasn't looked at keenly before and all of a sudden everyone is treating it like it's something new. She never said anything about African Americans not wearing bantu knots before or wearing their hair like this. People are reading too deep into such a simple comment. Point of the matter is, the hairstyle isn't new, and people have been wearing it for centuries. That's a fact."
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"Na wa o" is Nigerian slang (or West African slang). I'm not sure what it's meaning is in the above comment, but my guess is that it's something like "I'm really surprised that you wrote that, spainyo".

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REPLY
13. spainyo
"@supergirl power
"She never said anything about African Americans not wearing bantu knots before or wearing their hair like this"

It was implied. Also Naptural is west indian not african american. I still hope folks do their homework and look up photos of women throughout the americas and caribbean during slavery with bantu knots."

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REPLY
14. Called To Purity
"+Chinaija Whooo girl. You should've deleted this. People read between the lines, of the lines, of the LINES that aren't even there. My goodness. Up in arms about nothin'! Put your pistols down. Lawd have mercy. Everyone wants to talk about "what the problem really is". This whole comment section just demonstrated the problem, we're always at war with and attacking one another. Jeeze louise. So dang on CATTY. Ew. Y'all talking about some "do better..." do better FOR REAL. Talking at, instead of TO one another. So childish. Have a good day Ms. I'm sorry you have all these ladies shooting at you for no reason.

~#WhereISTheLove~"

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REPLY
15. byoung4eva1
"@Zephaniah Bedford I think ppl "read between the lines" because there were other Africans at the time claiming this was their hairstyle, and now black Americans think it's "trendy" to wear. That may not have been her intent, as i see from her last comment, but her posting this at that time, was one of the reasons i responded, and told her that black Americans had/have worn bantu knots too, just not outside because of how society deems it. Many Africans have stories of being picked on/teased by black Americans for "being too African", which is why many Africans of them like to separate themselves from black Americans. I went on to say idk why Africans felt the need to separate themselves from black Americans as if we aren't the same ppl, we wear the same hairstyles, just not out in public"

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REPLY
16. chgosyndicate
"byoung first of all, Naptural is Jamaican. Black Americans are the ones who revolutionized and revamped this style just like we do every other hairstyle. We've never not worn this style. Where have you lived where you don't see us wearing our natural styles in public???? You should google how many lawsuits are currently pending against schools and corporations due to us wearing our hair "outside"."

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REPLY
17. byoung4eva1
"chgosyndicate First of all, Naptural is Jamaican AND Black American. I get mixed up, but I believe her father is Jamaican, and her mother is Black American, or it's the other way around. Either way, she's American, and would be classified as Black, because she doesn't know what part of Africa she's from. Idk why ppl stay trying to act like they have no ties to black Americans. Even Naptural just calls herself black. She mentioned it a couple years ago about being part Jamaican (basically black), and ppl can't seem to let that go. Second of all, i said we USED to not walk around with our natural hair because it was frowned upon, not only by society, but within the black community BEFORE this natural hair movement started. Majority of us used to walk around with relaxers, weaves, or braids. The only styles we used to "revamp" were styles that involved us straightening our hair, or adding fake hair, in some way shape or form. If this came of rude, i didn't mean it to be, peace."

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series about Bantu knots.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series about the (mostly) female hairstyle which is now known as "Bantu knots" in the United States.

Part II provides general information about the hairstyle known as "Bantu knots", including some information about the word "Bantu" and Bantu languages/people as well as a general description of Bantu knot hairstyles.

Part II also showcases a 2017 tutorial video about Bantu knots and includes selected comments from that video's discussion thread. Most of those comments provide names for the "Bantu knots" hairstyle in the Caribbean, and in parts of Africa. Some of those comments and additional comments document how negative attitudes about this hairstyle as well as who wears it, when, and where have changed since the early 2000s.

Some comments about the various names for this hairstyle from the video embedded in Part I of this series are also included in that post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/11/how-black-attitudes-about-wearing-bantu.html for Part I of this series. That post also provides a general introduction to the hairstyle known as "Bantu knots", including some information about the word "Bantu" and Bantu languages/people as well as a general description of Bantu knot hairstyles.

That post provides general information about the hairstyle known as "Bantu knots", including some information about the word "Bantu" and Bantu languages/people as well as a general description of Bantu knot hairstyles. Part I also showcases a 2015 video entitled "Wearable Threaded Bantu Knots | Protective Natural Hairstyle".

Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are included in this post. These comments are part of a somewhat contentious discussion between Caribbean, African, and African American Black women about how attitudes about wearing "Bantu knots" and other natural hairstyles have changed because it is now considered "trendy".

The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this embedded YouTube video.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-bantu-knots-hairstyle-throughout.html http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-bantu-knots-hairstyle-throughout.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series on that subject. That post includes comments that aren't included in this 2019 post. The link for Part II is included in that post. Part II showcases two African music videos that include women with Bantu knots & several African American tutorial videos about Bantu knots.

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT "BANTU KNOTS" HAIRSTYLE
"Bantu knots" is a late 20th century or early 21st century American (United States) name for certain traditional African female hairstyles that had/has various names.

A 1898 photograph of a woman from Madagascar is the earliest documented photograph of the hairstyle that is now called "Bantu knots" (in the United States). Click https://www.ebony.com/style/everything-you-need-know-about-bantu-knots/ to view that photograph and read more about "Bantu knots".

Here's a general description of this hairstyle from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-textured_hair#Styling
..."bantu knots"... involves sectioning the hair with square or triangular parts and fastening it into tight buns or knots on the head. Bantu knots can be made from either loose natural hair or dreadlocks."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-textured_hair#Styling

Here's another general description about this hairstyle from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bantu-knots-mini-buns-difference_n_7452532##targetText=Bantu%20knots%20are%20said%20to,until%20they%20form%20mini%20knots. These Are Bantu Knots, Not 'Mini Buns.' There's A Difference.
By Dana Oliver, 05/28/2015 | Updated December 7, 2017
...."Bantu knots are said to have originated centuries ago with the Zulu tribes in southern Africa. They're styled by sectioning the hair into parts all over the head, then twisting those individual sections until they form mini knots."

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORD "BANTU"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu_languages
"The term "Bantu" ... was coined (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858... to represent the word for "people" ... from the plural noun class prefix *ba- categorizing "people", and the root *ntʊ̀ - "some (entity), any" (e.g. Zulu umuntu "person", abantu "people")...

The total number of Bantu speakers is in the hundreds of millions, estimated around 350 million in the mid-2010s (roughly 30% of the total population of Africa, or roughly 5% of world population).[3] Bantu languages are largely spoken east and south of Cameroon, throughout Central Africa, Southeast Africa and Southern Africa. About one sixth of the Bantu speakers, and about one third of Bantu languages, are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.

[...]

The Bantu language with the largest total number of speakers is Swahili; however, the majority of its speakers use it as a second language (L1: c. 16 million, L2: 80 million, as of 2015).[4]

Other major Bantu languages include Zulu, with 27 million speakers (15.7 million L2), and Shona, with about 11 million speakers."...

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: How To | Perfect Bantu Knots on Natural Hair & Transitioning Hair



Bella Mecia, Jun 18, 2017

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS EMBEDDED VIDEO
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

Note that this post includes comments from two people who self-identified as being from the South American nations of Suriname and Belize. These nations are frequently categorized as Caribbean nations because of their shared cultures.

2017
1. Jorgiiee Hewitt
"Samee I'm Jamaican and I've only ever called them Chiney bumps. My whole family calls them that and we are all Jamaican. I never knew what people were talking about when they said bantu knots?!?! 😂😂🌴🌴🌴"

**
2. Chenai David
"As soon as you said chiney bumps I knew you were Caribbean! I think it's called that because the hair style is similar to Buddha's hair"

**
3. Kedine Peart
"I remember hating when my hair was in chiney bumps when i was little cause used to tease me. But now I love it so much"

**
4. Liz Austin
"we called them "motyo kumbas" in my sweet country of Suriname"

**
5. Ashley Morris
"In Barbados we call them cork screw. I wore my hair like this as a child."

**
6. D N
"i am from barbados and we call them corkscrews use to do them when we finish washing our hair and dont want to blow dry or for a twistcurl or wear it as is"

**
REPLY
7. Bella Mecia
"Same here girl..lol Almost every Sunday my mom would wash my hair and do this style right after but I would always try to unravel it because I thought the curls looked better. Not to mention I always got stares like I was an alien because this style wasn't well known then. She would be so happy to know that I kept it in and rocked it as is..lol"

**
REPLY
8. K Rob
"My grandmother also called them corkscrews. That's what she did with our hair every Sunday morning after she washed it. We were so embarrassed to be seen like that. We'd hide if any visitor showed up and we had corkscrews or there would be tears if one of us was asked to go on an errand to the corner shop then. My grandmother's parents, my great grandparents were from Barbados."

**
9. Briana Johnson
"We call them knockers in New Orleans. My mom used to do mine like this when I was a kid. Yours came out PERFECTLY 😍"

**
10. Kyea Phipps
"in stkitts (that's in the Caribbean) we call them pig titi"

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2018
11. Makhosazana Khumalo
"They are called Bantu knots because long back in are culture the Nguni or the Zulu tribe..women with high status in the community used to wear it or do it...just like that long gold necklace u see pple wearing these days..it was a sign of wealth and status ."

**
12. Shalana Thomas
"We used to call them pepper seed in Trinidad =))"

**
13. Beyonce Antoine
"From the Caribbean but we call them pepper seeds in St.Lucia."

**
REPLY
14. Chezanne Griffith, 2019
"We call them pepper seed too in Guyana"

**
15. Chante Toby
"In St. Vincent we call them cork screw"

**
16. Y_ me_
"Bantu knots = Kaka Cabrit☺ in creole"

**
REPLY
17. Bella Mecia
"Love that name just as much as I love Haiti!🤗😘"

**
18. Erica Xo
"We just call them moñitos in the Dominican Republic 💀 I remember crying when my mom forced me to go to school with them"

**
19. Lecira T
"In Nigeria, we say Periwinkle or Bantu knots"

**
20. Arlene Newell
"My Jaimaican parents called them Chiney Bumps too. Reason? Look at Budda's head, lots of bumps on it. Since Jaimaicans associate Chinese people with worshiping budda.. called this Chiney Bumps...we never wore this in public though..just to bed and around the house...times have changed."

**
21. DESEREY '
"Bantu knots or either Nubian knot"

**
22. Jiseal Mendez
"I'm from the Cayman Islands, we call them chiney bump"

**
23. alexis keys
"I grew up in Philadelphia and they were called "corkscrews". Lol"

**
REPLY
24. Gail Scott, 2019
"Are you relatives from the Caribbean? Namely, Barbados."

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25. Angie Palacio
"Love it! Trying tonight.. yesss omg. From di caribbean we know dem as chiney bumps toooo. #Belize"

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2019
26. Layla I
"We always used to call it koos koos (I'm somali btw)"

**
27. LiyahsWorld
"In Puerto Rico we call them monyos I didn’t really know what Bantu knots were until I seen them, everyone in my family calls them monyos. We normally wear them after washing our hair"

**
28. lovely littlegirl
"I think we call this periwinkle in Nigeria. Any Nigerians here? What's the name of this style again😂?"

**
29. Curlee
"Chiney bumps!!where all my caribbean naturals at??😘😘❤❤"

**
30. and I'm Kanye West
"We call them Twissy Bobby in Antigua lol"

**
31. Ayanda Maseko
"Amagodo in isizulu"
-snip-
Google translate from Zulu to English "amagodo" - the logs

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OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT THE NAME FOR "BANTU KNOTS" IN VARIOUS NATIONS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoFPhmZ4-Ic
1. Bleepblopchu, 2015
"+created2worshipGOD Bajans call the Corkscrews! Seems depending on the area, we all have a name for the same style! :D "
-snip-
"Bajans" = people from Barbados

**
2. Mimi N, 2015
"Shout out to all the Nigerian chicks who grew up wearing the "ko-oso" hairstyle! #Nigeriawehailthee"

**
3. created2worshipGOD, 2015
"Nice. Jamaicans call these Chiney Bumps. My mom would do these after washing my hair. They were never worn outside. I still can't get myself to wear them out.


I really liked when you did the front and left the rest out best though"

**
4. MsGlobegirl, 2015
"Whitney, you would have automatically gotten your Jamaican card back if you had referred to bantu knots as chiney bump."

**
REPLY
5. deb needsleep, 2016
"+La Jessicana The 'Chiney' part of the term refers to how tight the wrapping sometimes was, that it made you look Chinese. (pulling on the skin around the eyes and temple)"

****
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ7psK7_KWU(Bantu Knot Out - Pleasant Surprise)

1. somaliangle, 2010
"@MrKaerf Dhudhub just means to twist! its a quick way of maintaining your hair, most girls do it before bed time so that the hair does not get in to knots and stuff. you just undo it in the mornin and comb."

**
2. hibothebibo, 2010
"LOL! My mom is always telling me to duuduub my hair and it really does look good. Somali moms know best!"

**
3. ruthrachel18, 2010
"I also have many heritages, touching every continent, reflected in my very thick (!!!) soft, curly hair...Somali and Ethiopian classmates of mine taught me how to duuduub my hair when I was in college, and it works wonderfully, just as it did for you!!! Thank you for sharing"

**
4. Amina Zainab, 2010
"nigerians call it do do too lol i think it's an African thing"
-snip-
Note these comments are also found in the Part I of 2014 Pancocojams series about "Bantu knots" whose link is given above.

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This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series on Bantu knots.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the YouTube policy enacted in February 2019 that disallows comments for most videos that feature children under 13 years old.

This post also includes my brief comment about that policy and introduces my archived lists of pancocojams posts that include comment examples from those now deleted discussion threads.

This post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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YOUTUBE'S NEW POLICY OF TURNING OFF COMMENTS FOR MOST CHILDREN'S VIDEOS
[These article excerpt are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.}

Article #1:
From https://tech.co/news/youtube-blocks-comments-videos-children-2019-02
YouTube Blocks Comments on Videos Featuring Children
February 28, 2019
"YouTube has just announced that it is disabling the commenting function for videos on its platform that feature children under the age of 13.

The decision follows reports that the massive video sharing site has failed to protect children's safety online by allowing and promoting predatory comments on children's videos.

[...]

YouTube's new stance is a sweeping, across-the-board approach. While easier than attempting to hire thousands of content editors to manually check videos, this approach will also wipe out any healthy commenting communities that might have revolved around YouTube channels not major enough to receive an exemption from the comment ban."...

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Article #2:
From https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/28/18244954/youtube-comments-minor-children-exploitation-monetization-creators
YouTube is disabling comments on almost all videos featuring children
Only a few select channels will have comment sections enabled

By Julia Alexander, Feb 28, 2019

"YouTube will no longer allow the majority of channels featuring kids to include comment sections following a controversy over predatory comments being posted on videos of children.

YouTube will temporarily remove comments from videos that feature minors in the coming months. Only a select few channels with children will be allowed to include a comment sections, but even that comes with a caveat: they’ll be required to monitor their comments for safety.

“These channels will be required to actively moderate their comments, beyond just using our moderation tools, and demonstrate a low risk of predatory behavior,” YouTube wrote in a blog post.

[...]

MAJOR COMPANIES PULLED THEIR ADS OVER THE PREDATORY COMMENTS
YouTube also says it’s launched a better algorithm to let it automatically “identify and remove predatory comments.” The classifier is “more sweeping in scope,” according to the blog post, and will catch up to twice as many predatory comments from individuals.

YouTube’s decision to remove comments comes in the wake of major corporations like Disney, Nestlé, AT&T and Fortnite maker Epic Games pausing ad spending after discovering their ads were playing on videos that had predatory comments on them. It’s unclear if those companies have reactivated their spending, or if they plan to at this time.

As part of an initial response, YouTube said last week that it had deleted tens of millions of comments and removed more than 400 channels associated with writing predatory comments on videos staring minors.

YouTube also sought to clear up confusion around how these changes will impact creators’ ability to run ads. In its blog post, YouTube says none of this will affect creators’ monetization. That was a concern among YouTubers as the controversy arose, along with comments being weaponized against creators.

A YouTube spokesperson told The Verge that although the company understands comment sections are important to creators as way of measuring engagement, “we also know that this is the right thing to do to protect the YouTube community.”

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT THIS POLICY
I've previously written pancocojams posts expressing my concern about the safety of children posting on YouTube discussion threads*, and I understand the reasons why YouTube turned off the comment feature for most children's videos. That said, as a (self-identified) community folklorist, I deeply regret the lost of many of these now deleted comments on videos about children's recreational rhymes.

Those mostly deleted discussion threads for YouTube's hand clap rhyme videos were a treasure trove for people like me who are interested in collecting old and new hand clap rhyme examples. I particularly liked the usually rare occasions when commenters shared their demographic information (such as what age/s they are or were when they performed that rhyme, how they perform/ed it, and what city & state they live in or what nation they live in if they lived outside of the United States- but NOT their address, instagram account, or school name). That information was (and still is) helpful for comparing how rhymes stay the same or how they change depending on which population (race, ethnic group, gender, ages) chants them and where those people live.

Some comments in those deleted discussion threads were also interesting for socio-cultural reasons in that the rhymes (and the way the comments are written, and their content) can provide insights into how those who chanted/chant those examples view/ed themselves and others, and what children thought about adults and about "being an adult". (For instance: examples of "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea" that include racial references and examples of "life milestones" rhymes such as "When Susie Was A Baby" which chant about a different characteristic for each progressive stage of life such as "baby", "teen", "mom", "grandma", "angel".)

In addition to documenting how certain children's hand clap rhymes were changing in relatively short periods of time, those YouTube discussion threads also documented how children and other commenters thought about those changes, and about the idea that there could be multiple versions of the "same" rhyme and rhymes with different words or rhymes that were played differently than the way they learned it weren't "wrong". Such openness to differences could be transferred to many other aspects of people's lives.

Most examples of hand clap rhymes and other children's recreational rhymes that were included in these now deleted YouTube discussion threads are rarely found in published books of children's rhymes, although there are other online sites that can be gleaned for those type of rhyme examples (such as pancocojams).

And there are still open discussion threads in YouTube videos of hand clap rhymes and other "children's" recreational rhymes, singing games, and cheers. Most of those discussion threads feature adults performing those "children's" recreational activities. However, just last night while researching this post, I happened upon a YouTube video of two Black children performing hand clap rhymes and I was surprised to find that that video's comment section was still opened. Big name channels such as PBS and Disney still have their comments open. However, that publisher wasn't a "big name", and given the profanity, sexualized content, and the personalized way that commenters wrote on that discussion thread (sharing their school name and talking about knowing someone by name), those comments -if not the entire comment thread- should certainly have been deleted.

Since 2000, I've been surfing YouTube and saving examples of YouTube comments from children's rhyme videos to share on my now deleted cocojams cultural website and on this pancocojams blog and my other (relatively inactive) cocojams2 blog that focuses on children's rhymes, cheers, and game songs. But, I didn't think that the time would come that those YouTube comment threads would eventually be entirely deleted. :(

I've compiled a hyperlinked lists of pancocojams posts that include a small number of comments from those now deleted YouTube discussion threads from videos about hand clap rhymes that featured children under 13 years old. The link for that post will be added here.

I hasten to emphasize that the pancocojams posts whose hyperlinks are given below aren't a complete list of pancocojams posts about children's hand clap rhymes that were published during that time period.

There are many other pancocojams posts about hand clap rhymes that don't have any comments from YouTube discussion threads. Some of these posts present examples from other sources besides YouTube (such as my direct collecting; from books or records, and/or from my "gleaning" rhyme examples from other internet sources, including my no longer active cocojams cultural website which was online from 2000-2014 and received a lot of material from children, teens, and adults).

In addition, there are some pancocojams posts that showcase YouTube hand clap rhyme videos that were published by older teens or adults. The comment sections for those videos are still open. Therefore, links to those pancocojams posts aren't included in this series.

Other pancocojams posts on children's hand clap rhymes that I have published feature one or more embedded YouTube video/s or sound files of hand clap rhyme/s along with my (or someone else's) transcription of that rhyme/s and some comments about that rhyme/s. Links to those posts aren't included in this particular pancocojams series.

In addition, most of the pancocojams posts that provide information and speculation about possible sources for verses of hand clap rhymes, and most of the pancocojams posts that provide my textual analysis of these rhymes aren't included in this particular list.

Also, there are many other pancocojams posts about other types of children's recreational rhymes (and/or children's cheers) besides hand clap rhymes.

This archived list of certain pancocojams posts is provided for the general public, educators, and folklorists who may be interested in documenting and studying these children's recreational rhymes.

Click the "children's rhymes" or "African American children's rhymes and cheers" tags to find a complete listing of pancocojams posts on those subjects. Some posts can be identified by both of these tags. Or you can use Google to search for pancocojams posts on specific children's recreational rhymes. A lot of times that's what I do :o)

*Here are links to two pancocojams posts that I published in which I shared my concerns about children publishing comments on YouTube, and/or the ways that some children publish comments on YouTube:
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/children-posting-on-youtube-discussion.html
"Children Posting On YouTube Discussion Threads- A Recipe For Danger"

and

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/06/facebooking-youtube-video-comment.html
"Facebooking YouTube Video Comment Threads: Kids Commenting On Starrkeisha Videos' Discussion Threads."

By "facebooking" YouTube comment threads I mean treating YouTube discussion threads as if it is a social media platform in which people "get personal" with people who are either family and friends, or people who they want to be family and friends, or people who they are upset or angry with as if they were interacting face to face.

These two pancocojams posts address part of the reasons why YouTube instituted this "no comment" policy for mot videos that feature children under 13 years.

As I've mentioned earlier, I regret losing access to many of the comments on those YouTube discussion threads, but there are still YouTube discussion threads for videos on hand clap rhymes (and other videos) that people can read to glean new examples of rhymes and read comments about rhymes from past decades. Those YouTube videos (such as this one that I just found today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zEcsIfe6lU&t=10s" 90’s hands games !!!!!" published by Geneas, Nov 4, 2018 feature adults performing hand claps. Some of the comments on that video's discussion thread are from self-identified children. And some of the comments that they could read (or comments that they themselves post) include profanity, sexualized references, violence, and other Not Suitable For Kids content.

Since children are creative, it will be interesting to see what they do with their desire to comment about hand clap rhymes since YouTube has disallowed comments on most children's videos. Of course, they could always comment about rhymes on specific pancocojams discussion threads which I hasten to say are moderated so Not Suitable For Kids content isn't allowed.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.