What is the Hamitic myth?

Answer 1

The Hamitic Hypothesis derives principally from Genesis 9:18-27. These verses recount the story of Ham, the son of Noah, who, upon discovering his father naked and in a drunken stupor, "exposed" him to his brothers, Shem and Japheth. [Some commentators conjecture that the sin committed by Ham involved much more than "exposure;" specifically, bestiality and sodomy.] Canaan, Ham's son, was also apparently involved. When Noah awoke, he "knew" what Ham had done and pronounced a curse in retribution; interestingly, only Canaan is directly mentioned: "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brothers." (Gen. 9:25)

Sadly, Europeans and others interpreted the "curse of Ham" to mean that black people were cursed, even though no racial component exists in the Genesis story. But for generations, white colonizers used this myth to justify enslaving black people, since supposedly The Bible established that the "negro race" was to be punished for what Noah's son did. Of course, it is never explained how Noah, who by all accounts was Semitic, rather than black, had one black son, nor is it explained how the subjugation of the black race can be traced to Noah, who never mentioned his son's ethnicity.