Ring Shout & Rebellion
The Ring Shout is an African American spiritual tradition that involves singing and dancing, done in a circle, which is where the name comes from. It originated in Central and West Africa and was carried to the New World by way of the middle passage. Because of the middle passage and the experiences of enslaved people in the Americas, the Ring Shout as it is known today became a mixture of cultures, traditions, songs, and dances. Keep reading to learn more!
Key Elements
Ring Shouts main feature is the element of call and response. This means that the lead singer of the ring shout will first start out with a phrase, and those participating or singing along will respond with a different phrase, which is usually repeated until the end of the song. The rhythm the singers follow is provided by members clapping their hands and tapping their feet against the ground, or sometimes using objects like broomsticks or thin pieces of wood as percussion against the floor. Similar to the “hambone” style of percussion. For the song, the tempo is set by the lead singer, and it usually quickens over the course of the song. It combines some of the other aspects seen in other negro spirtuals, like hollers and loud cries, except more upbeat.
Although there isn’t video record of early enslaved people doing the ring shout, there are records of historians describing their ways of worship similar to the way modern day African Americans describe and continue to practice ring shout.
Rebellion & Significance
Ring Shout has been used to carry the pain, struggles, joys, and triumphs of African Americans over centuries. The rhythms, songs, and dances have manifested their way into thousands of Black southern churches, and beyond that in the Caribbean in places like Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados. In the deep south, in places like Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, Gullah Geechee culture still uses ring shout as a spiritual celebration.
The practice also served as a form of resistance against the slave masters western culture that was pushed onto them. Because of the fear that White people felt toward the enslaved, they used it to their advantage in the midst of rebellions, such as the Stono Rebellion of 1739 in South Carolina. Ring shouts constantly had restrictions placed on them, such as only being able to be sung in English. Ring Shouts continued, however, taking place in the night in hidden locations.
