How do the slaves continue to embrace their own culture? Do both cultures exist side by side?

Incidents showcases the rich heritage of African history, tradition, and religion that fused with their American counterparts. This is most evident in the Christmas celebrations that the slaves partake in; they enjoy the western Christmas traditions but bring in the Johnkannaus tradition from its West African roots. They also sing spirituals, which, as historians of the period have thoroughly researched, use biblical themes and allusions but weave in themes of their own stories and sufferings that sometimes derived from their African past. Slaves also performed dances that drew on western and African traditions and rituals. Finally, even slave language was an amalgam of English and African dialect. Through these cultural fusions slaves created meaning for themselves in the context of their harsh lives.