ABSTRACT
One of the most psychologically difficult aspects of African American contemporary life continues to be the “sense” of a lack of history due to the systematic attempts to eradicate or malign African history, inclusive of every aspect of its culture. The period of time within the field of American psychology that epitomizes the most racist view of African Americans was most vehemently expressed through eugenics. The justification for slavery and later religious conversion of Africans was partially substantiated by discrediting Africans by skull size and other physical limitations. Africanist cultural tradition indicates medicine was a communal experience that was heavily dependent not only on one individual in a private setting but also on family and extended family members. In South Africa, Janzen described a different ngoma that he believed was influenced by the hostile and potentially volatile atmosphere of the townships.
