by Jackie
(United States)
Thanks so much for posting the music for the Alaska String Band's rendition of Farther On. That song is such a treasure!
I wanted to comment on your story about Harriet Tubman. I've read that many of the Negro Spirituals had embedded codes with special meanings, sometimes attributed to colors, times of day, etc.
For instance, "Wade in the Water" used different color garments that each had meaning... and also "My God Called Me This Morning" uses time of day. Rich history, wonderful songs!
If you do a Bing search for Spiritual Code Songs... you'll find tons more info. I just did one and even found a 7th grade lesson plan about the code songs!
http://www.voicesacrosstime.org/come-all-ye/ti/2004/lessons/04BaconSlaveCodeSongs.html
Here are some other links:
http://www.osblackhistory.com/songs.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_the_Underground_Railroad