Veins to a Dark Heart: Delineating Physical and Cognitive Boundaries in the Lower Cape Fear Rice Canals

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Port of Call: Archaeologies of Labor and Movement through Ports", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The historic tidal rice plantation waterways that form a patchwork of chasms visible from space are stark reminders of the impact the rice industry had in the Lower Cape Fear, but their origins are frequently overlooked. Dug by hand by enslaved men and women these waterways became the circulatory system that led to arterial ports and landing sites within the region. The maritime cultural landscape of the area is often defined by activity at the major ports, but investigations conducted this spring revealed a system of landing sites, water control features and rice infrastructure that have much to contribute in establishing a more comprehensive and nuanced definition. The author seeks to push beyond the physical concept of boundaries into ideas of cognitive thresholds, liminality, and power shifts to understand how enslaved people navigated, transformed, and found freedom within the Lower Cape Fear waterways.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• Port of Call: Archaeologies of Labor and Movement through Ports

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow