“R” is for Ring shout. In West and Central Africa dances done in a circular formation was widespread. In these dances participants move in a counterclockwise manner accompanied by drumming, clapping, and singing. As enslaved people adopted Christianity in the South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry, these rituals became a profound aspect of the Africanized Christianity they practiced. No longer accompanied by drums (which were prohibited), the singing, hand clapping, and counterclockwise movements remained part of the ecstatic worship services where the “Holy Spirit” frequently entered the participants. The ring shout, as the practice was known, evoked controversy because Black and White religious leaders sometimes denounced it as a vestige of “paganism.” During the era of enslavement as Africans from various ethnic groups joined together in the ring shout, it became an important mechanism through which a new common African American identity was formed.
“R” is for Ring shout
