African Diaspora-The dispersion of Africans from their native homeland, mostly through the Atlantic slave trade to the Americas.

Archaeology- 1. The scientific study of past human life and culture by the examination of physical remains. 2. The physical remains of the past that are found in the ground.

BaKongo-Prominent society that lived on the Atlantic coast of Africa, many of this group were enslaved by Europeans and brought to North and South America. Many African religious traditions, among others, seen today come from the BaKongo culture.

Bureaucracy- A group of officials and administrators, often of a government or government department.

Bric-a-brac- Small, usually ornamental objects valued for their old age, rarity, originality, or sentimental associations.

Census- an official list of the population, with details as to age, sex, occupation, etc.

Chromolithographs- Prints created through the process of printing color pictures from a series of stone or zinc plates by lithography, a printing process that uses chemicals to treat the surface that is being printed on so that some areas attract ink and others repel ink.

Condomblé-A religion practiced in Brazil, which combines traditional West African religious beliefs and elements of Catholicism.

Consumption- the using up of goods and services having an exchangeable value.

Diasporic- A dispersion of a people from their original homeland.

Hoodoo- Magic healing and control, especially in African-based religion in the United States and the Caribbean.

Legislature- The part of the government, which has the power of making laws.

Privy- An outdoor toilet; an outhouse.

Santeria-A religion practiced in Cuba, which combines traditional West African religious beliefs with elements of Christianity.

Segregated- Restricted to one group, exclusively on the basis of racial or ethnic membership.

Vodun- A religion practiced in Benin, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Haiti, Togo and various centers in the US - largely where Haitian refuges have settled. It combines traditional West African religious beliefs with elements of Christianity.