The North African Slave Trade
To understand the origin of the banjo, one needs to look as far as the North African Slave Trade to recognize the great contribution that the African slave made in introducing to the white man, what has been called "America's instrument". As noted in Fretmentor's "Origin of the Banjo", the banjo was recognized and documented by Sir Hans Sloan observation of the enslaved African of the Caribbean.
Further connection to enslaved Africans has been found through countless documented interviews of former slaves who lived and worked on the southern plantations of the New World. The inhumane living conditions forced upon the enslaved Africans on these plantations, would leave even the strongest person demoralized. Yet, the slaves perservered through song and dance of their native customs and traditions. The earliest banjo, made of a gourd and consisting of three strings, was the focal point of these spiritual performances.
The following excerpt from "My Southern Home: or, The South and its People"1 documents the native customs of African tribes and the observance of the banjo player and one of the earliest forms of the instrument:
Congo Square takes its name, as is well known, from the Congo negroes who used to perform their dance on its sward every Sunday. They were a curious people, and brought over with them this remnant of their African jungles. In Louisiana there were six different tribes of negroes, named after the section of the country from which they came, and their representatives could be seen on the square, their teeth filed, and their cheeks still bearing tattoo marks. The majority of our city negroes came from the Kraels, a numerous tribe who dwell in stockades. We had here the Minahs, a proud, dignified, warlike race; the Congos, a treacherous, shrewd, relentless people; the Mandringas, a branch of the Congos; the Gangas, named after the river of that name, from which they had been taken; the Hiboas, called by the missionaries the "Owls," a sullen, intractable tribe, and the Foulas, the highest type of the African, with but few representatives here.
This excerpt is valuable in identifying not only that the banjo came from Africa but also identifies the tribes in which the music was played. If it wasn't for the cultural traditions brought to the American colonies by the African American slave, the banjo would never have reached the white performers of the minstrel shows playing in the cities, or the settlers living in the mountain of Appalachia. To only recognize the pioneers of the 1800s through the modern era of banjo performers who perform today, would be a disservice to those who came before them. Thus, the African American slave, is recognized here as the first Pioneer of the American banjo.