--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once upon a time, we were Africans…" description: "\"“Once upon a time, we were Africans involved in a unique lexicon of beliefs, lore, stories, and customs that were designed to help integrate us into an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/stephanie-rose-bird-279572_african-american-aut_once-upon-a-time-we-were-africans-involv_2503061.jpg" --- # Once upon a time, we were Africans involved in a unique… ![“Once upon a time, we were Africans involved in a unique lexicon of beliefs, lore, stories, and customs that were designed to help integrate us into an environment filled with plants, animals, elements, and a complex array of spirits. With the advent of slavery, the physical bond with the…” quote by Stephanie Rose Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/stephanie-rose-bird-279572_african-american-aut_once-upon-a-time-we-were-africans-involv_2503061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/stephanie-rose-bird-279572_african-american-aut_once-upon-a-time-we-were-africans-involv_2503061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/stephanie-rose-bird-279572_african-american-aut_once-upon-a-time-we-were-africans-involv_2503061.jpg) > ““Once upon a time, we were Africans involved in a unique lexicon of beliefs, lore, stories, and customs that were designed to help integrate us into an environment filled with plants, animals, elements, and a complex array of spirits. With the advent of slavery, the physical bond with the motherland was broken, but like seeds lifted from a ripe plant by wind, we found fertile ground in distant lands elsewhere.”” Stephanie Rose Bird ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A historical reflection on African cultural continuity and resilience despite slavery, likening diaspora to seeds finding new fertile ground. **In simple terms:** African traditions survived and adapted after displacement. Key Takeaway Value cultural roots and adaptability. Themes history culture resilience diaspora spirituality Mood hopeful reflective determined Type African-american-authors:0 Africans:1 Culture:1 Faith:0 Healing-herbs:0 Herbalism:0 Hoodoo:0 Mojo:0 Nature:0 Slavery:1 Spirituality:1 Time:0 Traditions:1 Africans Involved:0 Beliefs Lore:0 Slavery Physical:0 When to use this quote - education - community building - heritage preservation - personal reflection Key Concepts anthropology post-colonial studies identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do displaced peoples maintain identity? - What modern practices echo ancestral traditions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African-american-authors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american-authors/) [Africans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africans/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Healing-herbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing-herbs/) [Mojo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mojo/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Traditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditions/) ## Related quotes > [“She held out her hands, cupped and holding a small plant. 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"Hoodoo"? said Tybalt, sounding amused.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/chelsea-s-not-near-here-i-said-do-whatever-hoodoo-you-need-to-do-to/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [“That was before you guys turned up, the new hoodoo team. I knew this street samurai got a job working for a Special Forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/that-was-before-you-guys-turned-up-the-new-hoodoo-team-i-knew-this/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“Please, let me take you home. 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There are countless ways to develop listening skills. Some helpful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-rose-bennett/if-you-listen-to-your-body-and-your-intuition-they-ll-guide-you-well/) [Robin Rose Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-rose-bennett/) > [“I was not brought up to know the Earth in intimate detail. No one I can remember from my childhood ever suggested that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-rose-bennett/i-was-not-brought-up-to-know-the-earth-in-intimate-detail-no-one-i/) [Robin Rose Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-rose-bennett/) > [“Bodies always tell the truth. 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Not only does violet help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-rose-bennett/if-ever-there-was-a-plant-that-speaks-to-its-connection-to-your-heart/) [Robin Rose Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-rose-bennett/) > [“The wisdom teachings that permeate this book revolve around the truth that radically honest, compassionate self-exploration leads to self-awareness, and that true self-awareness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-rose-bennett/the-wisdom-teachings-that-permeate-this-book-revolve-around-the-truth/) [Robin Rose Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-rose-bennett/) ## More African-american-authors quotes > [“The South believed an educated Negro to be a dangerous Negro. And the South was not wholly wrong; for education among all kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/the-south-believed-an-educated-negro-to-be-a-dangerous-negro-and-the/) [W.E.B. 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Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [“Anyaele Sam Chiyson Leadership Law of Reproduction: Distinguished leaders impress, inspire and invest in other leaders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/anyaele-sam-chiyson-leadership-law-of-reproduction-distinguished/) Anyaele Sam Chiyson > [“Sociologically, politically, psychologically, spiritually, it was never enough for James Baldwin to categorize himself as one thing or the other: not just black, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/sociologically-politically-psychologically-spiritually-it-was-never/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“Don't descend to the lowest ebb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e-3/don-t-descend-to-the-lowest-ebb/) [Agu Jaachynma N E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e-3/) > [“Desire to impact lives! Change destinies and make dreams come true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/desire-to-impact-lives-change-destinies-and-make-dreams-come-true/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [“You buy so little and ask for even less, which makes me want to spoil you. That’s not how I grew up, which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-jones/you-buy-so-little-and-ask-for-even-less-which-makes-me-want-to-spoil/) [N.D. 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Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [“In your emotions: exercise Joy over sadness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e-3/in-your-emotions-exercise-joy-over-sadness/) [Agu Jaachynma N E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e-3/) [Browse all 98 African-american-authors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american-authors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once upon a time, we were Africans involved in a unique lexicon of beliefs, lore, stories, and customs that were designed to help integrate us into an environment filled with plants, animals, elements, and a complex array of spirits. 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