Exploring the Yoruba tradition in the United States; Hucks begins with the story of Nana Oseijeman Adefunmi's personal search for identity and meaning as a young man in Detroit in the 1930s and 1940s. She traces his development as an artist; religious leader; and founder of several African-influenced religio-cultural projects in Harlem and later in the South. Adefunmi was part of a generation of young migrants attracted to the bohemian lifestyle of New York City and the black nationalist fervor of Harlem. Cofounding Shango Temple in 1959; Yoruba Temple in 1960; and Oyotunji African Village in 1970; Adefunmi and other African Americans in that period renamed themselves "Yorubas" and engaged in the task of transforming Cuban SanterÃa into a new religious expression that satisfied their racial and nationalist leanings and eventually helped to place African Americans on a global religious schema alongside other Yoruba practitioners in Africa and the diaspora.Alongside the story of Adefunmi; Hucks weaves historical and sociological analyses of the relationship between black cultural nationalism and reinterpretations of the meaning of Africa from within the African American community.
#3097887 in Books University of Missouri 2009-05-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .80 x 6.00l; 1.05 #File Name: 0826218474208 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Thorough; well researched work on Quakers of BarbadosBy QuakerstudiesLarry Gragg has provided a carefully researched thorough study of this important group of early Caribbean colonists; many of whom later migrated to the North American colonies seeking religious freedom. He identifies a significant number of the Quaker leaders and shows both the persecution Friends endured on Barbados and the significant contributions they made to island society; especially as champions of religious civil liberty and in opposing the worst brutality of the oppressive system of slavey; even though some of the Friends there held slaves themselves. It was the condition of slaves on Barbados that led to Quaker founder George Fox issuing his historic epistle asserting the essential equality of black and Native American Indian peoples to those of European background; and declaring the clear Christian duty of every slaveholder to treat their slaves and indentured servants humanely; to have concern for the spiritual lives of slaves; and to set them free after a period of service. This book is well written; authoritative; and comprehensive; but could have benefited from more maps and perhaps discussion of the later role of Barbados Quakers in Carolina politics; which became a re-match with their former Barbados oppressors. Many Americans will have ancestors among the over 1200 Quakers of 17th century Barbados. This book was helpful to me in expanding my online database of Quakers in the Caribbean. I highly recommend it.
