Yep; Coon is a hardy, tough, wily animal that can eat almost anything, take a heck of a beating, and survive. Given the day-to-day challenges of living under chattel slavery, it would be a blessing to invoke the power of that animal onto someone! Of course, just as many things, when it translates from one culture to another, much is lost and/or confused.

In traditional AfrAm culture, "Do Your Thing!" means "show us your stuff! You're among friends; demonstrate your creativity: dance, talk, sing. And do it with style! Make a statement, given the confines of decorum and propriety for this situation". When "Do Your Thing" "crossed over" into pop culture, it became synonymous with "I'll do what I damn well please, and you have no right to criticize".

By the way, I think more "Coon Songs" should be done, for two reasons: 1.) If the songs are done in public or recordings, and contextualized, their "power" will lessen, as folks have to deal with their own emotional reactions to such stuff. 2.) It's a reminder to all to not let U.S. culture backslide to those mentalities--which it can, and has a tendency to do, every time whites feel "threatened" (that is, have to share with a "new" group of immigrants, or neighbors).

I'm proud to say that Mike Seeger (of the New Lost City Ramblers) called me up with just such a question: "should we include "Colored Aristocracy" in our farewell CD?" I explained the history and context of the term "colored" to hi, and we agreed that the title should stay as is. And I love to play that tune, and "Run, Nigger Run" and "Buffalo Gals" (napppy-headed gals) and "Yalla Rose" and all that great Americana. If you don't feel bad about singing the Stones' "Brown Sugar" or Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca"--which each speak about white guys having sex with melanized women, and how good it is--why shirk and worry about the old tunes?