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Mammy's Little Yaller Gal
Monday, June 18, 2007
If you have been reading my blog for some time you know I am utterly fascinated by trying to find the historical cause for black women breastfeeding in such low numbers today. I was under an unwavering impression that black women currently breastfeed in low numbers because we were wet nurses during slavery and afterwards which in turn made us collectively abandon the practice altogether when formula came on the market. However, I discovered (quite to my surprise) that slave women did indeed breastfeed their own children (they were known as sucklers) and today I found more evidence of black breastfeeding.. this time in music! These songs were written during the late nineteenth and very early twentieth centuries when formula wasn't available. However, it's still amazing to see breastfeeding references for black women.
What racist times these were, but what historic gold this is...
This is a song called "Mammy's Little Yaller Gal: Ethiopian Lullaby with Refrain" written by Charles Graham in 1897. Here are some of the most important lyrics:All day long, in the cotton field, Working night and day beneath the sun; Mammy rocks her little pickaninny; Waiting till the coon's "hez" done; When the supper's over in de kitchen; Pappy makes the banjo ring; Mammy takes little Lucindy to her bosom; And this is the song she likes to sing.
Here is "Mudder Knows" by the Cole and Johnson Brothers in 1903.A little pickaninny was sitting on the cabin flo'; a screamin'; Jes as loud as he could bawl; Dey tole him 'bout the bogey man, it didn't seem to scare him never dreamin' of a lettin'up at all; Den ole mammy Lou stooped down to de flo'; And she hugged the little rascal to her breast, He quickly hushed his cry and have a little sigh.This song is called "Ma Pickaninny Babe" written by Chas L. Johnson in 1913.
Come, my pickaninny babe; It's time to go to bed; Ma little ink spot, ma honey boy; Come and lay your kinky head up on old mammy's breast.Now, presumably in the last song's case, the writer was talking about a baby simply laying his head on his mother's breast, but I don't think this is the case. I found that in pickaninny lullabies where there were "silver-haired mammies" there was never any mention of her breasts.
These pickaninny songs are a trip, aren't they? I only featured a few, but there were at least thirty others I could have chosen.
Tomorrow, I'll be posting some old 1930s and 1940s pictures of black and white women fixing baby bottles. Be sure to come back for that!
Labels: breastfeeding history, mammies
posted by Jennifer James @ 8:30 AM,
