Teaching an immigration course is a great learning experience! Sharing new information is a joy.
The word shout is likely derived from “saut.” This is a West African word of Arabic origin that describes an Islamic religious movement performed to exhaustion.
African slaves who were brought to the coast of Georgia and South Carolina preserved their language and customs, as much as masters allowed.
Slaves held religious meetings in “praise houses.” This provided a spiritual outlet for enslaved Africans on plantations, where fast-paced rhythmic hand clapping accompanied ring shout (spiritual) songs.
Anthologists have discovered that these services often included the ring shout, in which rhythmic hand clapping and counterclockwise dancing were performed to spirituals.
These customs barely survive today. One group that keeps the flame burning is in Georgia, known as the McIntosh County Shouters. If you want to see and hear this, click on this link (8:30 is the start of the song, clap, dance, and shout): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxPU5517u8c.
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