Noah’s Curse on Canaan in the Book of Genesis concerns Noah's drunkenness and his son Ham, the father of Canaan.
Genesis 9:20-27
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
The question of why Noah cursed Canaan when Ham had was the one who offended him has created a lot of debate over thousands of years.
Some believe there was a political purpose to justify the subjection of the Canaanite people to the Israelites, which was not the issues during this account.
Later it was interpreted by some Jews, Christians, and Muslims as an explanation for people with black skin and the justification of slavery, also not part of the issues for Noah. But the manipulation of this text cost countless lives and suffering through prejudice around the world.
Today most Christians, Muslims and Jews disagree with these later assertions, because in the biblical text, Ham himself is not cursed, and race or skin color is never mentioned.
Its is believed that the curse was a prophecy of the history of the tribes descending from Canaan.