PINKSTER – HamboneAmbience: hambone, percussionHeres a program from our archives.Music can convey a hidden language, a story, an emotion. It can also demonstrate the power and resilience of traditional culture. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. In the eighteenth century, African slaves in New York State celebrated a holiday called Pinkster with music from their homeland.McBee: From what we know, people were actually prohibited actually from playing drums throughout a good part of the history of enslavement.Ron McBee is a percussionist with Children of Dahomey, a performance group that’s a part of the annual Pinkster celebration at Phillipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, New York. McBee: People realized that something went on when you played drums that excited people, that pulled people together, that communicated to people. It couldn’t exist within the framework of slavery; slavery is not about allowing great outputs of energy and communication and openness; it’s about containing.Keith Johnston is another Dahomey performer.Johnston: Slaves weren’t allowed to have drums, so they came up with different ways to play their rhythms, using tools and buckets and just playing the body. It’s called hambone. (sings) ‘Hambone hambone have you heard?’ You know, it was that kind of thing, so you use their body. The power of the drum unifies people. Puts them on one accord. It’s like a heartbeat.Pulse of the Planet is presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner. Weve been listening to a program from our archives. If you want to hear more, check out our podcast.
PINKSTER- Drumming
African slaves, banned from playing drums, found other ways of performing traditional rhythms.
Air Date:05/25/1999
Scientist:
Transcript:
PINKSTER - HamboneAmbience: hambone, percussionHeres a program from our archives.Music can convey a hidden language, a story, an emotion. It can also demonstrate the power and resilience of traditional culture. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. In the eighteenth century, African slaves in New York State celebrated a holiday called Pinkster with music from their homeland.McBee: From what we know, people were actually prohibited actually from playing drums throughout a good part of the history of enslavement.Ron McBee is a percussionist with Children of Dahomey, a performance group that's a part of the annual Pinkster celebration at Phillipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, New York. McBee: People realized that something went on when you played drums that excited people, that pulled people together, that communicated to people. It couldn't exist within the framework of slavery; slavery is not about allowing great outputs of energy and communication and openness; it's about containing.Keith Johnston is another Dahomey performer.Johnston: Slaves weren't allowed to have drums, so they came up with different ways to play their rhythms, using tools and buckets and just playing the body. It's called hambone. (sings) 'Hambone hambone have you heard?' You know, it was that kind of thing, so you use their body. The power of the drum unifies people. Puts them on one accord. It's like a heartbeat.Pulse of the Planet is presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I'm Jim Metzner. Weve been listening to a program from our archives. If you want to hear more, check out our podcast.