Banjos

/ˈbændʒoʊz/ noun

Definition

Plural of banjo; multiple stringed percussion instruments with a round wooden body and skin surface, typically producing a bright, twangy sound.

Etymology

Plural of banjo, which traces through Portuguese colonial languages to African roots, likely connected to Bantu languages spoken in Angola and the Congo.

Kelly Says

When enslaved Africans created banjos in colonial America, they were innovating with memory—building instruments from their homeland using the materials they had access to, preserving cultural memory through music.

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