Who is Sambo?

by Imani Muhammad

Sambo is an ugly word used towards African-American males during the slavery and post-Civil War era. Sambo in the United States depicted the African-American male as one who was irresponsible, ugly, big lip, non- articulate, This narrative in the United States began in 1808 with a short story by Reverend Edmund Botsford called, Sambo and Toney.  Sambo and Toney was a story of a conversation between two slaves. The two characters were depicted as subservient, ignorant and inarticulate linguistically. This was the beginning of negative stereotyping of the African-American for the enjoyment and entertainment of white audiences.

This culture in North America would continue with books written by authors such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote, Uncle Tom's Cabin, it was published in 1852. The character in Uncle Tom's Cabin of Sambo was an overseer on the plantation ran by Simon Legree.   In 1899 Scottish author Helen Bannerman who was living in India wrote the book called, Little Black Sambo   
 Little Black Sambo is about a, " South Indian boy who lives with his father and mother, named Black Jumbo and Black Mumbo, respectively. While out walking, Sambo encounters four hungry tigers, and surrenders his colourful new clothes, shoes, and umbrella so they will not eat him. The tigers are vain and each thinks he is better dressed than the others. They chase each other around a tree until they are reduced to a pool of ghee (clarified butter). Sambo then recovers his clothes and collects the ghee, which his mother uses to make pancakes." Wikipedia

The derogatory images, stereotypes and stories about African-American males and females would continue on through minstrel shows during slavery and the post-Civil War era. This was used to convince a white audience on the support of slavery. Minstrel shows, 1880's-1900's, after the Civil War turned into Vaudeville shows,1880's-1930's, again in the entertainment of white audiences.  These shows showed the white male in stereotypical blackface, even though this practice goes further back, it can be traced back to 1827 to Thomas Dartmouth Rice.

The portrayal of white actors in blackface continued into the 20th century with actors such as 

Shirley Temple

Al Jolson

Mickey Mouse

The list goes on with Eddie Cantor, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Bob Hope, Robert Downey Jr.  Just google actors who have played in black face and a list will come up.  You can also click here to see that this pratice still continues over seas. This was and still is a racist tactic to depict a group of people. The damage of the portrayal of African-American people in North America has set into motion. What's really disheartening is the African-Americans who have jumped upon this band wagon and choose to act this way.

Was there an actual Sambo in History?

Actually, yes there was.  In the book, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Their History and Iconography, is an account of a Buddha known as Sam Bo. Sam Bo was a deity in Hinduism.

from Anacalypsis

If you ever noticed in children's books written on the Sambo, he always had a tiger or tigers around him. It was not coincidental.  They discovered what you know not.

"In Nepal, Colonel Kirpatrick found Maha Muni, Maha Deo or Buddha, under the name of, Sumbo or Sambo Nath; that is the Lord Sam Bo."  The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and Its.., Vol. , page 20.  Written in 1816-1862

The images that Americans have been shown so long of their version of Sambo was to make African-Americans feel denigrated, inferior and used as a form of racism from one group to another.  You were not to know about a melinated Buddha because it would strengthen and empower you. You are not inferior. You had your feet on every continent.  This is Sambo. Are you still ashamed?

I also suggest checking out the website Black Buddha and the Israelite Buddhist. The above quote from Anacalypsis was borrowed from this page.  This site goes more in depth of the Black Buddhas in the East.

Sambo the Black God of Asia and Africa

The Secrets of Ancient Black India

Other Books of Reference

Race

  Every since I was in my 20's I have become disgusted with the division that I see.  There is division in class, race, religion and its all just like can we get over this?  The thing that has bothered me the most is how we are divided as a race of people.  There were many stories that I heard in my life time like.. The Africans had among them a light skinned hue of people who they escorted out of Africa up into the Caucasus mountains because they simply looked different.  Over the years they mated with one another and there line stayed fair. The civility they had and learned while among the Africans soon dissipated and they became uncivil, unmoral.  It would take a Moor years later to find them and teach them again what they once knew.   The other story was told by Elijah Muhammad by way of Fard Muhammad. This was the Yakub story.  How Yakub hated black people so much because they teased him when he was younger because he had a big head.  So to get back Yacub's plan when he got older was to create a lighter race of people.  According to the story he did.

     So in my estimation wouldn't that make all "white" people albinos?  We all hear the story that all peoples ancestry started in Africa.  Yes, there were Albinos among them at the time but I don't believe they were ran out.  The first wave of migration out of Africa was to Australia.  The second migration out of Africa was Northward to Southern Asia and China.   The Albinos who migrated in this wave are said to have stayed in Central Asia and Europe without migrating any further.

     According to The Real History of Whites "the European "White" is actually an Albino whose migration out of Africa ended up in Central Asia before making there way into Europe. The Albino is descended from the Dravidian who were of darker hue."

     So where did the classification of whiteness come from if these are just Albino versions of darker hued people.   In 1795  German Scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach divided the human species into five races: Caucasian, the "white" race; Mongolian, the "yellow" race; Ethiopian, the "black" race Malayan, the "brown" race; the American, the "red" race.    So here is where we find the division of people according to skin tone.  He also considered the Caucasian the first race which is known to be a lie.

Origin of White People

Dr. Nell Painter

Dravidian's The Real

     Lets face it we are all one human family that has been divided by lies.  The point I see of my "white" family is that most of you have to work yourselves back into the human family. Some have. Some will still not except this. Its 2014 to much information has come to light about ourselves to be still stuck consciously in a 1950's mode of thinking.   The ancestors are showing us who we are.  It is documented that there are "white"  couples having black children.  Now she either slept with a black man or genetics are kicking in. A black couple can have children from Albino to blue black. That's just how its always been. 

Skin Trailer- About a white couple who have a black child in 1960's South Africa

     The racial tension in North America is so high because after the 1960's riot there was never any real dialogue about race in this country. It was all swept under the rug and black history taught as if slavery was the beginning of black people's history. Which it is not!  So under the surface you still have a high tension brewing.  The murders of black men in North America is tragic, most of it plays in the left over tensions from the 60's and the other having a victim mentality.  A lot of people don't want to hear that.

     Its time to raise your vibration and get it together.

Booker T. Coleman  

Origin of Human Race

Black People Ruled Europe, Spain and Russia

Blacks in Asia