This is our introduction to the Affrilachia Mama Podcast and our West Virginia African-Americans now called Affrilachians and their culture! What was it like to grow up down in those hills, valleys and hollers? If you want to have a good laugh, learn something about W.Va. Affrilachians and hear a story about their culture, be sure to tune in for the lighthearted antics of Affrilachia Mama! It's the beginning of something "wild and wonderful," as they say in West Virginia. You'll be tickled with this podcast and learn something too.
The background music is "Still Pickin" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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Rooster Crowing
Banjo Music
Well, Welcome to Affrilachia Mama, your podcast for Hillbilly Soul and Country Roads take me home. MMMMM huh, Almost Heaven, for some folks that is and not so much for others. But any who, I’m right glad to be here and this is our very first podcast of Affrilachia Mama, and I’m just toot ‘in our horn and beaten our drum, cause the best is yet to come. And you know I need to start off on the right foot by greetin you the way we did down in those hills by saying “Howdy Do. Howdy Do, that was our way of greetin each other. We’d always say, Howdy Do! How your Mama nem?
Howdy Do Ms. Mable, Howdy do, Mr. Tom. Why growin’ up, we were taught to speak to every body even if you didn’t know em. It was considered bad manners not to say, Howdy Do. Now further south, folks would just say, Howdy. In fact, there was a woman on the Grand Ole Opry, named Minnie Peal who made that greeting famous. She would open the show, with her famous, howdy… but down in those W.Va. hills where I come from, we put the Do on the end of it. Howdy Do. When I was a schoolgirl, my girlfriends and I would walk to school together. We had to walk quite a way in the morning to get there and along the way, a lot of the time the people would be sittin out on their front porch, or waitin’ for the bus, or passin us on their way to work and we always had to speak to them. Sometimes, it would be 5 ,10, 15 times every morning… Howdy Do, Howdy Do Ms. Peoples, Howdy Do Ms. Leonard. Sometimes we’d make jokes about saying it. Howdy Do, Do Do. No matter what, we had to speak cause If you didn’t speak to your neighbors, word would get back to your parents, and you’d be in trouble. It was considered disrespectful.
Well, that southern tradition carried over for me cause when I first visited the big city, I was speakin to everybody and soon people started lookin at me cockeyed cause they thought there was something wrong with me…” What’s she speaking to me for, I don’t know her, never seen her before in my life.” You know it was the hardest thing for me to get over speaking to people that I did not know. I finally did, because I was warned time and again that you don’t speak to strangers here, honey they might attack you or something, but even now at this age, when I walk past somebody it is still difficult for me not to say, “Howdy Do!”
Now all you little Honey Bunny Boos out there, I hope you will tune in to this spankin’ brand new show every week to learn something you didn’t know, have a good laugh with my corny jokes and hear some personal stories about growin up in them hills, coupled with some tall tales, folk tales and stories of other Affrilachians from West, by God Virginia that I betcha’ you didn’t even know about. I’m talkin about Affrilachians like my two Uncles. One of them built a hotel with a theater, barber shop, Night Club and Restaurant for W.Va. Affrilachians when we couldn’t stay anyplace else. It was so grand that it became a Resort for Famous African Americans from all over the world. His name was Gurnett Ferguson. Ever heard of him? Most of us haven’t. Well, they called him Cap because he was a Captain in World War I and made history there too. What a story of courage and brilliance, unlike any you’ve ever heard before. So be sure to tune in for that podcast. I will also bring you the story of my other Uncle. Not to brag but greatness runs in my family. Probably does in yours too, if you know your roots. His name was Walter Ferguson. He was not kin to Gurnett, but they had the same last name. Uncle Gurnett was on my father’s side and Uncle Walter was on my mothers. Uncle Walter was made the Honorary Lt. Governor of West Virginia and served under nine governors. Ha, can you imagine that? More than any man in the United States of America. He was the only man to have a key to every single door in the W.Va. Capital and State House. Again, quite a story here that I bet you’ve never heard. And certainly there were a lot of great Affrilachian women, too that were strong, brilliant and courageous. How fortunate I was to be under the Girl Scout Leadership of a great woman by the name of Mrs. Elizabeth Gilmore. Mrs. Gilmore had a great big Funeral Home and was the only female Mortician in the State of West Virginia. I think she was the first one, too. She was, also, one of the most powerful civil rights leaders in the State. The stories about this great Affrilachian woman needs to be told. Oh, there are so many stories to share, and I want to tell you about the greatness of these West Virginia Affrilachians, cause nobody else is tellin’ their stories. If you are a West Virginian Affrilachian and have a story you’d like to tell or have me tell, drop us a line at Affrilachiamama@gmail.com. In this podcast, I also want you to hear about how we were raised growing up in those hills, hollers and valleys and what our traditional culture was all about.
And you can also expect to hear some good ole country and mountain music here. It’s our Affrilachian Roots! Especially music with the banjo since this instrument was originally from West Africa and the Caribbean. Some of it will be by other artists and from time to time, I’m gonna give it a whirl with my guitar and banjo and invite you come on and sing along with me. You know a cheerful heart is mighty good medicine. Well, I think I’ve hit the nail on the head and its time to put the hammer down. So, I hope your interest was peaked and that you’ll be on the lookout for our next Affrilachia Mama Podcast. If you liked us go ahead and give us your support and subscribe and meanwhile, I’ve got a poem I want to leave with you. I wrote it specifically for you. “I wish I was a great big rock, a sittin’ by a still and every time the wind would blow, I’d roll right down that West Virginia Hill.” Well, like the old folks use to say, “Don’t take no wooden nickels, cause you don’t want to git no splinters in your hand.” And I wanna say God Bless You and I hope to see you again. Good Lord Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise…Until then, Todoloooooooo.