Following the Drinking Gourd: Considering the Celestial Landscape

Summary

The world of enslaved African Americans included not only the solid ground beneath their feet and other physical landmarks, but also the sky above them, replete with planets and stars.  In a world without maps, compasses or, in many instances, the ability to read directions, the enslaved were dependent upon visual cues for making their way through the landscape.  Oral traditions and historical documents reveal that planets and constellations were important guides for finding one’s way, particularly on the road to freedom.  This paper will explore an assemblage from mid-19th century Maryland and suggest that enslaved individual’s reliance on the heavens may sometimes find its way into the archaeological record.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Landscapes of Chesapeake Slavery

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 302