Cornell prof addresses slavery's effects

The pre-colonial history of Western Africa and its implications for the Western Hemisphere were the subject of a lively lecture yesterday entitled, "African Ethnicities in the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade." To a crowd of about 30 professors and students, Cornell University Professor Sandra Greene related a topic which many may not have previously considered: the slave trade's effect on the ethnicity of the African people. She defined African ethnicity as "concepts of the self and how they were transferred back to the Americas during the slave trade." Greene expounded on the many tribes in Africa prior to the slave trade and the shift in identity which occurred as a result. Such tribes -- including Akwamu, Krepi and Dahomey -- were divided during the slave trade, noted Greene. "The political relationships were complex," she added. Compounding the complexity, some of the tribes emitted an aura of power and prestige, while others were portrayed as weak and insignificant. Greene added that the tribes faced a variety of stereotypes, with descriptions ranging from "hardworking" to "suicidal." Wanting to avoid certain negative descriptions, Greene explained that some Africans said they belonged to a different tribe once they arrived in America. This also often gave them a higher degree of prestige and power. "Africans shifted their identity in Africa to identify in slave communities in the Americas," she added. Although Africans typically changed their tribal ethnicity upon arrival in America, the shift was occurring in Africa as well, according to Greene. She noted, "This kind of interaction within various ethnic groups coming together existed in Africa already." As a result, many tribes began to discover a "sense of common identity" with one another. The tribes, according to Greene, were"very much connected culturally to other groups." Despite their differences in culture, political hierarchy and traditions, these tribes identified with each other through common practices of worshipping the same gods, experiencing the same social issues and engaging in the same practices, such as intermarriage. Praising Greene's clarity, Anthropology Professor Sandra Barnes said after her lecture, "Sandra Greene enhances our understanding of the interactive Atlantic world." History Professor Barbara Savage added, "Her work really enforces what we mean by ethnicity."