Slave Culture

Slaves are among the people who had difficult lives. For slaves to survive they had to hold on their culture. By holding onto culture, endurance and tolerance became part of their lives. The harshness and misery under which slaves lived in encouraged them to hold on to their culture. In slavery slaves lost everything but their culture remained deep in their souls and blood. Some slaves were lucky to be taken in as families meaning that they were not separated from their loved ones. Unfortunately, some slaves were separated from their families entirely. Slave culture was, therefore, necessary to maintain as it was the only source of identity and comfort especially for slaves who had to endure the pain of separation with their families. Children were part of the slaves. They were not excluded or given special treatment. This shows the level of cruelty the slaves had to endure. Part of the slave culture included traditional beliefs and religion. The slave culture was very vital for the slaves whose lives had turned to face cruelty, harshness and misery from their masters.

Slaves Living Conditions and Slave Culture

The slaves lived under very harsh conditions. Some slaves had to work in farms others worked as rivers and others had to work for their masters in the house. The living conditions for the slaves were destitute and this made the life for them a misery. It thus became very vital to hold on to slave culture. Slave culture would be used to encourage the slaves and give them hope.

Slave Culture and Slaves Survival

Slave culture was very essential for the slaves who had already lost their freedom to their masters. For them to survive, the slaves used slave culture to encourage one another and to carry out tasks assigned to them. They had a source of encouragement for performing rituals and practicing their traditional beliefs. An after work, for example, they would set time for tale-telling, riddles and proverbs and narratives. All these were a source of encouragement for the slaves. This also ensured that the slaves by use of slave culture maintained their identity. During the burial of one of the slaves, the slaves would perform traditional rituals and were encouraged by their belief of life after death. The slave culture was thus important in encouraging the slaves to press on and hope for the best for their families. The belief in super powers and super naturals also played an important part in encouraging the slaves.