great afro indians

7/23/2019 Great Afro Indians

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GREAT AFRO INDIANSBlack Indians, like other African Americans, have been treated b the !riters ofhistor as invisible" T!o #arallel instit$tions %oined to create Black Indians& thesei'$re and mistreatment of Indians and their lands, and the enslavement ofAfricans" Toda %$st abo$t ever African(American famil tree has an Indian branch"E$ro#eans forcef$ll entered the African blood stream, b$t native Americans and

Africans mer)ed b choice, invitation and love" The t!o #eo#le discovered thatthe shared man vital vie!s s$ch as the im#ortance of the famil !ith children andthe elderl bein) treas$red" Africans and native Americans both cherished thereo!n tr$st!orthiness and sa! #romises and treaties as bonds never to be broken"Reli)ion !as a dail #art of c$lt$ral life, not merel #racticed on S$ndas" BothAfricans and Native Americans fo$nd the shared a belief in economic coo#erationrather than com#etition and rivalr" Indians ta$)ht Africans techni*$es in +shin)and h$ntin), and Africans ta$)ht Indians techni*$es in tro#ical a)ric$lt$re and!orkin) in a)ric$lt$ral labor )ro$#s" F$rther, Africans had a virt$al imm$nit toE$ro#ean diseases s$ch as small #o !hich !i#ed o$t lar)e comm$nities of NativeAmericans"

The +rst recorded alliance in earl America occ$rred on -hristmas Da, ./00, !henAfrican and Indian slaves on a #lantation o!ned b -hristo#her -ol$mb$s1s son,rebelled and m$rdered their !hite masters" These Indian and African slavesesca#ed into the !oods to)ether and !ere never reca#t$red" Another s$ccessf$lalliance occ$rred aro$nd .233 !hen r$na!a slaves and friendl Indians formed theRe#$blic of 4almares in Northeastern Bra'il, !hich s$ccessf$ll fo$)ht the D$tchand 4ort$)$ese for almost one h$ndred ears" The Re#$blic of 4almares )re! tohave one half(mile lon) streets that !ere si feet !ide and lined !ith h$ndreds ofhomes, ch$rches, and sho#s" Its !ell(ke#t lands #rod$ced cereals and cro#sirri)ated b African stle streams" The Re#$blic !as r$led b a kin) named 5Gan)a(6$mba5 !hich combined the African !ord for )reat !ith the Indian !ord for r$ler"

The histor of the Saramaka #eo#le of S$rinam in So$th America started aro$nd.27/, !hen African and Native American slaves esca#ed and to)ether formed amaroon societ !hich fo$)ht !ith the D$tch for 73 ears, $ntil the E$ro#eansabandoned their !ars and s$ed for #eace" Toda the Saramakans total 03,333#eo#le of mied African(Indian ancestr"

B .2/3, 8eico had a mied African(Indian #o#$lation of .33,333" Race miin)became so common in 8eico that the S#anish )overnment #assed la!s #rohibitin)the t!o races from livin) to)ether or marrin)" In .7.3, 9incente G$errero of miedAfrican(Indian ancestr led the !ar for inde#endence" In .70:, he became#resident of 8eico and immediatel abolished slaver and the death sentence" ;ealso be)an far reachin) reforms incl$din) the constr$ction of schools and librariesfor the #oor"

Esca#ed slaves became S#anish Florida1s +rst settlers" The %oined ref$)ees fromthe -reek Nation and called themselves Seminoles, !hich means r$na!as"Intermiin) became so common that the !ere soon called Black Seminoles"Africans ta$)ht the Indians rice c$ltivation and ho! to s$rvive in the tro#ical terrainof Florida" Event$all the Black Seminoles had !ell(b$ilt homes and raised +necro#s of corn, s!eet #otatoes, and ve)etables" The even o!ned lar)e herds of live


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stock" The Black Seminoles str$ck fre*$entl a)ainst slave #lantations and r$na!aslaves s!elled their ranks" The


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declared that 9ir)inia alone lost J3,333 and others estimate that as man as.33,333 slaves fo$nd their !a to the British lines" One half of D$nmores troo#sthat fo$)ht at Great Brid)e on December :, ./ !ere r$na!a slaves"

R$na!a slaves armed b the British are said to have terrori'ed the So$th" 8anslaves over#o!ered their masters and handed their #lantations over to the British"

In the North, a stron) )arrison of Blacks kno!n as the Ne)ro Fort,C defeated theirformer masters in a battle in the Bron, Ne! Kork -it" Other Blacks %oined theBritish Nav as seamen and #ilots and s$ccessf$ll stole American shi#s andattacked n$mero$s coastal to!ns" D$rin) the sie)es of -harleston and Savannah,tho$sands of Black laborers b$ilt forti+cations, !hile others in 9ir)inia constr$ctedt!o dams" Blacks also served as )$ides, s#ies, and intelli)ence a)ents for invadin)British armies" E(slave Thomas ohnson claimed to have cond$cted thedetachment !hich s$r#rised -olonial ?ashin)ton at 8onks -orner" The British evencreated a Black cavalr troo# in .70" British General ?illiam 4hilli#s commented&These Ne)roes have $ndo$btedl been of the )reatest $se"C

Geor)e ?ashin)ton told -on)ress that D$nmores a##eal made him the most

formidable enem America hasH and his stren)th !ill increase like a sno!ball brollin) and faster if some e#edient cannot be hit $#on to convince the slaves andservants of the im#otenc of his desi)ns"C American slaveholders !ere still$n!illin) to arm their slaves $ntil all other co$ntermeas$res !ere tried" ;i)h!aand river #atrols !ere instit$ted to ca#t$re r$na!a slaves" 9i)oro$s anti(British#ro#a)anda !as circ$lated and So$thern slaves !ere fre*$entl hidden in mines toavoid British ca#t$re" Several So$thern states even a##roved the death #enalt forreca#t$red slaves, b$t nothin) co$ld sto# the Black contrib$tions to the British !areort" General ?ashin)ton !rote -olonel ;enr @ee on December 03, ./& ?em$st $se the Ne)roes or r$n the risk of loosin) the !ars$ccess !ill de#end on!hich side can arm the Ne)roes faster"C

The -ontinental arm +nall a)reed to acce#t African American vol$nteers Lbothslave and freeM !hen the desertion rate of ?hite soldiers be)an to reach enormo$s#ro#ortions" ?ashin)ton com#lained& The lack of #atriotism is in+nitel more to bedreaded than the !hole of Great Britain assisted b Ne)ro allies"C Once freedom!as #romised, African Americans sho!ed the real S#irit of 2C and %oined the-ontinental arm in s$ch massive n$mbers that General Sch$ler !rote& Is itconsistent !ith the sons of freedom to tr$st their all to be defended b slavesC OnOctober 0J, ., a British oPcer named Schlo'er !rote& The Ne)ro can take the+eld instead of his master and therefore no re)iment is to be seen in !hich thereare not Ne)roes in ab$ndance and amon) them are able(bodied, stron), and bravefello!s"C Sir ;enr -linton !rote @ord Germaine, British 8inister of State& It is safeto sa that b$t for the aid of the Ne)ro, inde#endence !o$ld not have been !on"C

The American victor re*$ired the evac$ation of all #ersons !ho had been loal tothe British" Abo$t 0,333 ?hite @oalists !ere relocated to Nova Scotia, -anada,b$t the ma%orit of the Black @oalists !ere betraed b the British )overnment!hich sold almost all of the former slaves back into slaver" Onl the ori)inal J,/33Black soldiers !ho became @ord D$nmores Ethio#ian Re)imentC !ere relocated toNova Scotia" Altho$)h the !ere #romised land and #rovisions, most Blacksreceived neither and became be))ars or chea# laborers for ?hite @oalists !ho


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!ere )iven farms as lar)e as 033 acres b the )overnment !ith free #rovisions forthree ears" ?hen a @ondon based abolition )ro$# headed b ohn -larkson oeredthe Black @oalists a ne! home in Africa, over .,033 sailed in ./ cro!ded shi#s forSierra @eone on an$ar ./, .:0 !here the fo$nded the ca#ital cit of Freeto!n"

The Nova Scotians event$all embraced and intermarried !ith the Africancomm$nit and #rovided the core of !hat became the national c$lt$re, lan)$a)e,

and earl leadershi# of Sierra @eone" ;o!ever, more than t!o cent$ries later, theirdescendents still identif themselves as Nova Scotians and the direct descendentsof @ord D$nmores Ethio#ian Re)imentC"

-;RISTO4;ER -O@


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#arliament and Bel)i$m #eo#le had no interest in Africa, he essentiall !as ar)$in)for a land mass 73 times the si'e of Bel)i$m, !hich he !o$ld o!n #ersonall"

-ol$mb$s and @eo#old sa! the #ro+ts from their ne! lands as virt$all limitless ifeno$)h free labor !ere available" Both men immediatel #roceeded to instit$teslaver amon) the native #o#$lation and set *$otas for individ$al #rod$ction" The

favorite method of #$nishment b -ol$mb$s and @eo#old for not meetin) *$otas!as to c$t o the hands"

-ol$mb$s ordered all #ersons .= ears old and older to collect a certain *$antit of)old ever three months" ?hen the bro$)ht it, the !ere )iven co##er tokens tohan) aro$nd their necks" Ara!aks fo$nd !itho$t co##er tokens to han) aro$ndtheir necks had their hands c$t o and bled to death" @eo#old chose to set *$otasfor ivor and r$bber for each villa)e" ?hen a villa)e fell short of its *$ota, hissoldiers br$tall raided the villa)e and c$t o the victims ri)ht hands" Sean Qell!rote& ;ands became a sort of c$rrenc in that soldiers !ere #aid their bon$ses onthe basis of ho! man ri)ht hands the collected"C

-ol$mb$s and @eo#old !ere ece#tionall cr$el to !omen and children" Both menallo!ed their soldiers to kidna# !omen as se slaves, and the also held !omenand children as hosta)es to ins$re that the native men !o$ld not r$n a!a" Femalehosta)es !ere $s$all #oorl fed and lar)e n$mbers died of starvation" Ne!bornsalso had a ver hi)h mortalit rate beca$se the mothers !ere too famished to#rovide n$rsin) milk"

The Ara!aks and Africans both fo$)ht back b$t !ere no match for the armor ands!ords of -ol$mb$s nor the )$ns and artiller of @eo#olds soldiers" Rebellin)natives !ere treated eceedin)l cr$el b both o##ressors" Altho$)h both men$sed han)in), -ol$mb$s #referred b$rnin) victims alive if #ossible or feedin) themto the attack do)s" @eo#olds soldiers en%oed s$mmar eec$tions follo!ed bcho##in) o the victims heads and #lacin) the heads on #oles aro$nd their)ardens" G$illa$me 9an Qerckhoven, a @eo#old oPcer, cheerf$ll bra))ed to amissionar that he #aid his Black soldiers +ve brass rods #er h$man head thebro$)ht him d$rin) the co$rse of an militar o#eration he cond$cted" ;e said it!as to stim$late their #ro!ess in the face of the enem"

A sin)le man in both cases dedicated his life to e#osin) the atrocities of -ol$mb$sand @eo#old to the !orld" Bartolome de @as -asas, a Dominican #riest, !as initialla friend of -ol$mb$s and hel#ed transcribe his %o$rnals" ;o!ever, he soon becamea vehement critic of S#anish cr$elt and #$blished a t!o(vol$me book detailin)S#anish tort$re" ;e estimates that three million Ara!aks died bet!een .=:/ and./37" Edm$nd Dene 8orel, a tr$sted em#loee of the @iver#ool shi##in) line,dedicated his life to e#osin) the atrocities of Qin) @eo#old" ;e sin)le(handedl #$tthis s$b%ect on the !orlds front #a)es for more than a decade, !hich res$lted in!orld!ide #rotest rallies" 8orel mobili'ed everone from Booker T" ?ashin)ton tothe Archbisho# of -anterb$r to %oin his ca$se" ;e even !ent to the ?hite ;o$seinsistin) to 4resident Theodore Roosevelt that the


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Des#ite res#onsibilit for death tolls of holoca$st dimensions, neither -hristo#her-ol$mb$s nor Qin) @eo#old II !as convicted or im#risoned for an crimes" Bothmen lived a f$ll life and died ece#tionall rich" -ol$mb$s s#ent his last ears livin)in a mansion in 9alladolid !ith an ann$al income of >23,333 from his ;is#aniolas$)ar #lantations La fort$ne in the ./33sM" @eo#old died in .:3: !ith a #ersonal

fort$ne L#rod$ced b the -on)os ivor and r$bberM of !ell over a billion dollars intodas c$rrenc"

In order to #revent the h$man atrocities of -ol$mb$s and @eo#old from everreocc$rrin), it mi)ht be #r$dent to ado#t the c$rrent #hiloso#h re)ardin) Adol#h;itlerH that is, constant reminders of the holoca$sts in ne!s#a#ers, ma)a'ines,books, radio, television, and even holoca$st m$se$ms follo!ed b the statement&Never A)ain"C

B@A-QS AND T;E RE9O@


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As the !ar dra))ed on and the n$mber of !hite deserters became enormo$s,?ashin)ton com#lained that the lack of #atriotism is in+nitel more to be dreadedthan the !hole British arm"C ?ashin)ton chan)ed his mind drasticall after hisdefeat b the British at Ne! Kork, !hen he !as )reatl o$tn$mbered" ;e then#artitioned the ne! )overnment to !elcome all able(bodied men into the-ontinental Arm !hether black or !hite, slave or free" Accordin)l, on 8arch .=,

.:, Aleander recommended that So$th -arolina and Geor)ia take meas$res forraisin) J,333 able(bodied Ne)roes !ho !o$ld receive no #a b$t !o$ld beemanci#ated at the end of the !ar"C ?hite slave masters of the North and So$th!ho didnt !ant to risk their lives or their sons lives !ere allo!ed to send slaves totake their #lace" There !ere soon so man black soldiers that General Sch$ler!rote is it consistent !ith the sons of freedom to tr$st their A@@ to be defended bslavesC Nineteenth cent$r American historian, Ben " @ossin), !rote that as the!ar !ent on, and the ranks of the arm )re! thinner, an increasin) n$mber ofNe)roes took the #lace of the !hites, $ntil it be)an to a##ear that Ethio#ia as !ellas America !as in arms"C Baron 9on -la$sen stated that of the 03,333 men he sa!!ith ?ashin)ton in an$ar, .7., /333 !ere Ne)roes"C

It is indis#$table that African Americans #rovided the balance of #o!er that bro$)htAmerica inde#endence" The distin)$ished themselves in ever #ossible mannerfrom combat soldier to s$##ort #ersonnel !ho b$ilt virt$all ever forti+cation andne! b$ildin) from 9ermont to So$th -arolina" Sir ;enr -linton !rote @ordGermaine, British minister of state, it is safe to sa that b$t for the aid of theNe)ro, inde#endence !o$ld not have been !on"C All black re)iments as !ell asindivid$al soldiers !ho distin)$ished themselves !ere mentioned b the h$ndreds"Rhode Island, !ith a small #o#$lation and t!o thirds of its territor occ$#ied b theBritish, became the +rst colon to a$thori'e the enlistment of all slave re)iments"At the battle of Rhode Island, A$)$st 0, .7, a re)iment of 002 slaves re#elled aforce of 2,333 British !ho char)ed them three times in an attem#t to dislod)e themfrom a strate)ic valle" Dr" ;arris !rote the #reserved o$r arm from ca#t$re andhel#ed )ain o$r libert"C General @afaette called this the best action of the !hole!ar"C

A com#an of blacks from Boston called the B$cks of AmericaC rendered s$chval$able service that ohn ;ancock )ave them a s#ecial a) and honored them !itha s#ecial aair at Boston" Geor)e Bancroft !rote of the Battle of 8onmo$th in Ne!

erse in .7, ma histor record that more than 33 Black men oered their livesfor their co$ntr and fo$)ht side b side !ith !hites"C -ommander Nathaniel Shalertho$)ht so hi)hl of the black soldiers !ho fo$)ht $nder him that he sent a letter toGovernor Thom#kins statin) that the o$)ht to be re)istered in the book of fameand remembered as lon) as braver is considered a virt$e"C

In )eneral, the contrib$tions of black Americans !ho had fo$)ht to brin) freedom toAmerica !ere not for)otten" 9irt$all all of the slaves !ho fo$)ht in the !arreceived their freedom after the !ar" In fact, the instit$tion of slaver did not evenlast thro$)ho$t the !ar in most northern states" In ., 9ermont became the +rststate to abolish slaver" 4ennslvania follo!ed in .73, and 8assach$setts in .7J"Rhode Island freed its slaves in .7=" Even 9ir)inia #assed a la! freein) all slaves!ho #artici#ated in the !ar"


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!ere soon for)otten in the So$th, !here the vast ma%orit of them lived, and theinstit$tion of slaver soon ret$rned to b$siness as $s$al"

AFRI-AN ?ARRIOR&


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4robabl as #art of a #rivate a)reement intended to reinforce the treat, N'in)astaed in to!n and became ba#ti'ed as AnnaC in the -hristian faith" S$ch a move!as more #olitical than reli)io$s beca$se N'in)a kne! that even her father hado##osed the mass conversion to -hristianit of the 8b$nd$" She kne! that the

es$it #riests ran the slave trade for the 4ort$)$ese" The s#rinkled ;ol ?aterC!hile oPciatin) at dail mass ba#tisms on the docks, !here lines of ca#tives

sh$Ued into slave shi#s !ith s$ch names as es$sC and ohn the Ba#tist"C N'in)aalso kne! that her stat$s as a -hristianC all of 4ort$)al !o$ld entitle her #eo#le tofavored stat$s" She !as even #oliticall ast$te eno$)h to allo! herself the f$ll-hristian name of Dona Anna DeSo$'a in order to stren)then her links !ith the)overnor"

Shortl after ne)otiatin) !ith N'in)a, Governor DeSo$'a !as re#laced b a ne!)overnor after *$arrelin) !ith the es$it #riests" The ne! )overnor #rom#tl brokeall the treat a)reements" N'in)a demanded that her brother, Qin) 8bandi, declare!ar on the 4ort$)$ese"


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to the nei)hborin) co$ntr of 8atamba !here she defeated the r$lin) *$een andcreated a ne! land for herself, her #eo#le, and all esca#ed slaves" Sheconsolidated her #o!er in 8atamba and then be)an sendin) o$t !ar #arties from8atamba to attack an settlement or tribe that had aided the 4ort$)$ese" In .20:the 4ort$)$ese stood shocked !hen $een N'in)a b$rst $#on them from the)raveC reca#t$rin) lar)e se)ments of her o!n co$ntr" She !as no! *$een of both

8atamba and Ndon)o and redo$bled her eorts a)ainst slaver b dealin)r$thlessl !ith an Black chief fo$nd #artici#atin) in the slave trade"

N'in)a never sto##ed resistin) the #o!erf$l 4ort$)$ese even as she a##roachedher 73th birthda" She !as called the Black TerrorC b the 4ort$)$ese and !asclearl the )reatest adversar and militar strate)ist that ever confronted thearmed forces of 4ort$)al" ;er tactics ke#t the 4ort$)$ese commanders in conf$sionand disma and her constant aim !as never less than the total destr$ction of theslave trade" The lon) )$erilla cam#ai)n that led to An)ola inde#endence J33 earslater !as contin$o$sl ins#ired b the *$een !ho never s$rrendered"

great afro indians

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