ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

From the moment of leaving the west coast of Africa for North America, the slaves became nameless. It was only when they were sold to masters in America that they obtained new names. The masters gave them names which were originated in the Bible, Greek-Roman classics and others. Some of the slaves refused to be re-named and were successful to hold their original African names probably by pretending to forget the newly given names. An overwhelming majority of the slaves, however, adopted themselves to the new names. Being allowed to name their children, the slaves utilized various sources of names around them. First, some of the slaves gave African names to their sons and daughters according to African customs of naming. Even though many of the original meanings came to fade out over time, the slaves continued to use the African names in shorter, simpler forms. Second, the slaves also turned to Western names, the same kinds that their masters gave them. They included big names in the classics as well as those of the Founding Fathers and statesmen of America. The slaves might not have known who the names were originally for. But they chose those names for their own reasons, far different from those of the masters. Slaves expressed their aspirations for their children in names. Among many figures in the Bible, the slaves tended to favor those who led the Israelites out of bondage or sufferings. They also converted some English adjectives and even abstract nouns to names, hoping their children realize the meanings in their lives. They even used some materialistic words and titles of high status. Unconventional to the eye of white American masters, naming of African American slaves was not just simple resistance nor mere assimilation. It was a distinctive, creative process of acculturation on the part of the slaves who were once portrayed passive victims.

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