The Economic Contexts of Small Finds from Gullah Geechee Occupations

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "First Steps on a Long Corridor: The Gullah Geechee and the Formation of a Southern African American Landscape" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Enslaved and Freed Africans and African Americans in the Lowcountry of the Carolinas and Georgia had a rich economic life apart from the formal and official economy. Historical sources indicate they made, gathered, raised, or provided an extensive range of products and services, most of which would leave little, no, or ambiguous archaeological traces. This paper focuses on small finds commonly recovered at sites of enslaved peoples’ and Freedmens’ households in the Lowcountry. Placing these items into the broader economic context provides alternative and richer interpretations of, for example, sewing equipment, horse tack, and food procurement tools. Contextualizing small finds illuminates ways that participation in regional markets might be identified in archaeological assemblages. It also highlights the resourcefulness, energy, and skill that Gullah Geechee communities applied to confront slavery and institutional racism.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• First Steps on a Long Corridor: The Gullah Geechee and the Formation of a Southern African American Landscape   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology