Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2019-02-20T16:43:24.000Z
Views:
16,005
Video Title:
Spotlight on Amythyst Kiah from Our Native Daughters [Behind the Scenes Documentary]
Description:
In this behind the scenes documentary, members of Our Native Daughters discuss the truth, power and beauty of the voice of Amythyst Kiah while making the song “Black Myself." It is part of the 'Songs of Our Native Daughters' project released by Smithsonian Folkways on February 22, 2019. "This song was inspired by a line from north Mississippi hill country musician Sid Hemphill’s 'John Henry:' I don’t like no red-black woman Black myself, black myself. This sentiment is linked to the history of intraracial discrimination, the idea that being a lighter shade of black is more desirable because it means that you look closer to being white than black. And from that I thought about how this negative connotation of blackness was integral to slavery, segregation, and then the 'white flight' to suburban neighborhoods after desegregation. I thought of my experience as a black girl in a white suburban neighborhood in the 1990s, and how, once puberty hit, the doors of my neighbors would soon be suddenly closed to me. And thus the refrain and title of this song are intended to be an anthem for those who have been alienated and othered because of the color of their skin." — Amythyst Kiah 'Songs of Our Native Daughters' available on CD, Vinyl LP, and Digital. Stream/download/purchase: Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu/songs-of-our-native-daughters Bandcamp: https://ournativedaughters.bandcamp.com/album/songs-of-our-native-daughters 'Songs of Our Native Daughters' gathers together kindred musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell in song and sisterhood to communicate with their forebears. Drawing on and reclaiming early minstrelsy and banjo music, these musicians reclaim, recast, and spotlight the often unheard and untold history of their ancestors, whose stories remain vital and alive today. The material on 'Songs of Our Native Daughters' -- written and sung in various combinations -- is inspired by New World slave narratives, discrimination and how it has shaped our American experience, as well as musicians such as Haitian troubadour Althiery Dorval and Mississippi Hill Country string player Sid Hemphill, and more. Our Native Daughters Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ournativedaughters Twitter: https://twitter.com/ondaughters Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ournativedaughters Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smithsonianfolkwaysrecordings Twitter: https://twitter.com/folkways Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithsonianfolkways The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.
Video Duration:
3 min 10 sec
YouTube Keywords:
music folk "Woody Guthrie" "Pete Seeger" Smithsonian Folkways old-time non-profit
