high five

[James A. Landau]

I'd like to see this discussion continue, because I think the list is closing
in on a good history of the gesture and its name.

First, my theory that the high five is bascially the same gesture as the
European handshake (that is, "I greet you with no weaon in my right hand") seems
to be wrong, because the high five is only one of several (related?) gestures
involving contact between your hands and someone else's, and not all these
gestures can be used to indicate your hands are weaon-free.  Also some of these
gestures were in use by children, and the handshake is an adult ceremony.

We have as yet no suggestions as to whether these customs originated in the
United States or if they came from Africa.

When did the high five cross from African-American customs to being a white
custom?   We have one data point, the 1968 movie _The Producers_.

How did it cross from black to white culture?  I can think of three avenues
1) white soldiers picked it up from black soldiers---note Wilson Gray's
citation of black Vietnam veterans "bapping and dappng" in 1966.
2) from what might be called "black chic", whites who deliberately imitate
African-American customs, as has been described by several ADS-L: members.
3) from sports.  I don't recall seeing any high fives on sports programs on
TV in the early 1960's, and I ddin't watch TV sports while in college
(1965-69).  Then in the 1970's there was the "Fun Bunch" (a group of Washington
Redskins, I don't recall what races, who did mass high fives in the end zone after
each Redskin touchdown).  There were probably others on sports TV of the 1970's.

I'm sure all three avenues contributed.  As an argument for 3), though, I
would point out that among whites the high five is most often used at sporting
events, by both players and spectators.  A little less often it is used, like
the handshake, as a congratulatory gesture, but this could also be derived from
sports usage.

A personal note:  I once met the Atlanta Braves mascot in a corridor in the
old Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia.  What did I do to greet him?  I
high-fived him.  It seemed the appropriate thing to do.  He seemed to expect it.  It
did not seem appropriate to shake his hand.

As to the name "high five" and why Merrian-Webster cannot locate it before
1981:  here is another of my theories.  As discussed on this list, there have
been several names for the high five gesture.  If it became a common sight on
sports TV in the 1970's, then the announcers (who were then mostly or maybe
exclusively white) would have had to use a term to describe the gesture.  A term
involving the word "skin" would not do.  Not only does it sound (to me at
least) a little uncouth, it also can be easily misinterpreted as something risque
("bare with me").  Other terms such as " bapping and dapping" might have been
used, but some white sportscaster heard the term "high five" and started to use
it.  Other white sportscasters copied him and the term became dominant in
print in time for Merriam-Webster's 1981 dating.

Why "five"?  I have always assumed because of the five fingers on the hand
that does the slapping.

I hope I have given an accurate recap of what has been said so far in the
list, and also hope that list members are able to contribute more to this topic.

           - James A. Landau