[ClearCase_guy]

American slaves played a sophisticated, technical role

Meaning: they put pointed objects near the doorway, in order to keep harmful spirits from entering the building.

[Pharmboy]

I think they were referring to the actual construction rather than the superstitions they brought from Africa. And, they were no different than other peoples who brought their own superstitions with them. My grandparents certainly did...

[AppyPappy]

“Meaning: they put pointed objects near the doorway, in order to keep harmful spirits from entering the building”

Oh that never works.

[Hardraade]

Obamafaces or gargoyles? Same thing?

[Lee'sGhost]

Geez.... you say that like being ascared of haints ain’t sophisticated.

For shame...

[Red Badger]

IIRC, I think it was Arthur C. Clark, the late SF writer, who said he was amazed by people who would condemn primitives for beating on drums to scare away evil spirits are the same people who would honk their automobile horns in an effort clear a traffic jam.................

[IronJack]

No doubt this will be spun into further evidence that Africa is the seat of all western civilization, and that we owe all we have today to the genius of black people.

[Jack Hammer]

One grows used to the frantic press attempts to “discover” early cross-cultural contributions to the “useless and clueless cultural contributions of European White Males” (i.e., everything worthy of note), but this piece, entering into paroxyisms of enthusiasm for what amounts to a few broken stones and bits of chicken bone a la voodoo, is so grotesquely over the top, one suspects the author is mentally unbalanced.