Africans In Colonial Louisiana: The Development of Afro-Creole Culture in the Eighteenth-Century

by Gwendolyn Midlo Hall

Although a number of important studies of American slavery have explored the formation of slave cultures in the English colonies, no book until now has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the development of the distinctive Afro-Creole culture of colonial Louisiana. This culture, based upon a separate language community with its own folkloric, musical, religious, and historical traditions, was created by slaves brought directly from Africa to Louisiana before 1731. It still survives as the acknowledged cultural heritage of tens of thousands of people of all races in the southern part of the state. In this pathbreaking work, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall studies Louisiana's creole slave community during the eighteenth century, focusing on the slaves' African origins, the evolution of their own language and culture, and the role they played in the formation of the broader society, economy, and culture of the region. Hall bases her study on research in a wide range of archival sources in Louisiana, France, and Spain and employs several disciplines--history, anthropology, linguistics, and folklore--in her analysis. Among the topics she considers are the French slave trade from Africa to Louisiana, the ethnic origins of the slaves, and relations between African slaves and native Indians. She gives special consideration to race mixture between Africans, Indians, and whites; to the role of slaves in the Natchez Uprising of 1729; to slave unrest and conspiracies, including the Pointe Coupee conspiracies of 1791 and 1795; and to the development of communities of runaway slaves in the cypress swamps around New Orleans.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Race, Cultural, African American

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Gwendolyn Midlo Hall (born 27 June 1929) is an American historian who focuses on the history of slavery in the Caribbean, Latin America, Louisiana (United States), Africa, and the African Diaspora in the Americas.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an academic history but so very thorough. The writing is sometimes repetitive but I loved how the author connected her own life experience to her scholarship—especially after a life of doing this vital work. So much knowledge we can glean about the particular African nations enslave people belonged to and how African born folk shaped the creole culture in Louisiana and the United States. Really important work.

[Irma Suggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information for history buffs or those doing geneaology research. Very detailed.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heretofore I had no knowledge of Louisiana history or the impact and development of Afro-Creole culture. A significant read that connects dots on a history of a specific part of the country and diversity.

How did I get to this book? At least four steps: Step 1. read "How the Word is Passed" by Clint Smith. Step 2 A trip to the Monticello and Mount Vernon Plantations. Step3. read "A Tale of Two Plantations" by Richard S. Dunn Step 4. read "Bouki Fait Gombo" by Ibrahima Seck and now "Africans in Colonial Louisiana" that I havent finished reading yet but I will not put it down until the end.

Thank you Gwendolyn Midlo Hall for sensitive, inclusive research and writing.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterful work, but overflowing with detail.

[Lilli Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

#history class

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE most complete history of African and Louisiana history.

[Jinaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIGHLY recommended for tremendous insight into the history, culture, cosmology and life of Africans in America.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Careful, detailed, and compelling, this study of cultural development reveals the power of ordinary people, even those who were enslaved, in creating lives of meaning and resilience. Recommended.