Hey, thanks for mentioning that African African/American culture thingy.

I checked it out & came up with a few very interesting quotes which will surely be of interest to any Fife or Flute players here:

Black Fife and Drum Music in Mississippi

"The Music of Black Americans; A History, has suggested that as early as the seventeenth century blacks may have "picked up" the skills of fife or drum playing from the militia units in New England and the Middle Colonies, since all slaves were compelled to undergo military training until the 1650's.7"
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"The normal combination is a five-hole cane fife, a snare drum, and a bass drum, but occasionally the fife has six holes or there is a second snare drum."
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"Another important consideration is the fact that there seems to be a tradition of fife playing among blacks without drums. In the only two instances found of this type, the instrument is called a "quill.""
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"Numerous advertisements for slaves or notices of runaways during this century attest to their skills on a variety of instruments including drum and fife as well as the "German flute.""

Fife and drum blues

"the use of fife is merely a replacement for instruments the slaves had used in Africa."

Cascade Blues

"Fife and drum bands have their roots firmly planted in African music."

Fife and Drum Blues

"the last of the real fife and drum bands come from the North Mississippi hills and were decendents of slaves."
"Slavery brought African versions of fife and drum to America."

N.B. You might like to check out the sound clips on this page too!