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Article: Veil, in African American Culture
- Article from:
- International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences
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Veil, in African American Culture
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The veil in African American culture is a mystical dimension of a spiritual belief system that traveled with slaves on the Middle Passage. An infant
“
born with a veil
”
of fetal membrane enveloping the head was interpreted as supernaturally gifted with a second sight, an ability to see into the future. Likewise, the seventh child of a seventh child would also be gifted with spiritual powers. The veil, also called a caul, like roots, charms, and conjurers, is a vivid aspect of African American spiritual, literary, and folklore tradition.
Moving beyond the mystical, African American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois explored the ...