Gender, Power, and Color in the Life of a Creole Midwife

Summary

During investigations in advance of the redevelopment of the Lafitte Housing Project in New Orleans, Louisiana, routine excavations by Earth Search, Inc., of a well in the rear of what had been a series of townhouses produced a rich assemblage containing distinctive artifacts.  These were eventually determined to be associated with the household of Julia Metoyer, an African-American midwife.  The story of Metoyer, told through historical documents and the material record, provides insight into the changing dynamics of race, class, gender, and color in the years prior to the construction of the Lafitte project.  Metoyer drew both upon both the most modern medical knowledge available in the period and upon the diverse multi-ethnic background of the city in her practice.  In doing so, she challenged dominant norms that attempted to subordinate women of color on the basis of race, class, and gender.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Orleans Archaeology at the Tricentennial   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 232