Krio: Creole language of Sierra Leone

Krio, a creole language credited with unifying most if not all of Sierra Leone is thought to have originated during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and over time developed as a method of communication between newly freed African slaves, as well as returned British and American Blacks, West Indians, and natives originally from the African Coast who settled in the West African nation during the early to mid-19th century.

Sign before entering the British Slave Castle ruins.  Dr. Turner took this image while conducting field work in Bunce Island, Sierra Leone, 1951. Lorenzo Dow Turner papers, 1895-1972, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Lois Turner Williams. 

Linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner had a special interest in the Krio language due to its history and structure, and similarity to the Gullah language spoken in America. Turner was fascinated with the origins of the African diaspora in countries like America and Brazil so Turner focused his scholarship on drawing conclusions and highlighting the similarities of commonly associated patterns of speech, processes of thought, and ways of life so typically exemplified in Black communities in the West.

In 1951 Turner conducted fieldwork in Sierra Leone.  In the backdrop of Turner’s visit was the founding of the SLPP, the Sierra Leone’s People’s party, whose members had advocated for the political independence of the Protectorate, and who would later come to dominate the political arena in Sierra Leone late into the 1960s. Present among the throng of political unrest, Turner was not only able to capture the underlining social, political, and economic issues occurring in West Africa but interview one of the most  influential African linguists in Sierra Leone: Thomas Leighton Decker.

In interviewing Decker and other informants, Turner was able to discover and examine the linguistic components of the Krio language, a language that is today spoken by more than 90% of the population of Sierra Leone. In his field notebook, Dr. Turner compiled notes relating to syntax, morphology, and semantic structures as well as the etymology of words and phrases most commonly associated with Krio speaking people.     Later he produced two Krio texts An Anthology of Krio Folklore and Literature, with Notes and Inter-linear Translations in English (1963) and Krio Texts: With Grammatical Notes and Translations in English (1965).

Dr. Turner recorded this unidentified Creole informant  while conducting field work in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1951. Lorenzo Dow Turner papers, 1895-1972, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Lois Turner Williams. 

Dr. Turner also used his research to develop education programs, lectures and courses for students, and he used the political crisis and conflicts in Sierra Leone and various other African states during his travels as a means to build upon his studies. By focusing on the expressions of language found in African proverbs and folklore, Turner was able to open doors that enabled further exploration of African culture.  The results of his fieldwork enabled him to place the importance of various African languages, customs and dialects on par with European languages.

Scroll through the pages of Turner’s Freetown Creole field notebook to transcribe and discover similarities between Krio and other creole languages.

Lorenzo Dow Turner's field notebook, Freetown Creole, Sierra Leone, B.W.A., October 1951.  Lorenzo Dow Turner papers, 1895-1972, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Lois Turner Williams.  

Bremacha LaGuerre
Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Volunteer

On Becoming a National Museum – 50th Anniversary of the National Museum of African Art

NMAfA Pavilion , 1987, by Jeff Tinsley, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 87-7812-36.

The National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Although it did not join the Smithsonian until 1979 and move to its present home in 1987, it was established in 1964 as a private museum at the initiative of Warren Robbins.  These images look back at the museum in the years since it joined the Smithsonian Institution.

Six children, visiting the National Museum of African Art, listen to Amina Dickerson, program director, at the museum in 1978, photographer unknown, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 96-1008.
 

 At the National Museum of African Art, Legani Kaunda, an artist-in-residence, is at work sculpting from wood a long pipe with a hinged bottom for the tobacco, 1980, by Jeffrey Ploskonka, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 80-16887-37.

Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, Vice President George Bush, and Secretary S. Dillon Ripley at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Quadrangle Complex, June 21, 1983. The complex includes the National Museum of African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the S. Dillon Ripley Center, photographer unknown, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 83-6885.12.  

The National Museum of African Art under construction. The photograph shows workers adding copper covering on the domes and the pink granite on the sides of the building. The hexagonal patio in the foreground, still under construction, will be the centerpiece of an Islamic garden with a waterfall, central water jet and seating walls shaded by eight hawthorn trees, 1986, by Jeff Tinsley, Smithsonian Institution Archives, sia85-5103-16.

Beatrice Birra dressed in traditional African clothing tells stories to an audience of children at the National Museum of African Art, July 15, 2005, by Anthony Cross, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 2005-22813.

Pamela Henson, Smithsonian Institution Archives

Singing the Past: Gullah Heritage & the Georgia Sea Island Singers

There are endless things to say--or sing--about the ways in which music unites us. Throughout history, people have raised their voices in choruses of faith, of protest, of hope and joy. One power of music, among many, is the ability to compress time between generations, to echo the words and voices of ancestors separated from us by so many years. For the unique culture of the Gullah people, folk traditions of music, storytelling, games, and dance form very real connections between the past and present. Exploring the legacy of the Georgia Sea Island Singers helps illuminate the powerful and little-told history of Gullah heritage, and the power of song. This post contains images of the Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers, captured by photographer Diana Davies, whose extensive documentation of folk performers, festivals, civil rights marches, and more is housed in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections.

The Georgia Sea Island Singers performing at the Poor People's March, Washington, D.C., 1968. Diana Davies Photograph Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

In the mid-18th century, thousands of acres of plantation land in coastal South Carolina and Georgia and on the neighboring Sea Islands were being developed primarily for rice production. As a result, there was a boom in popularity for slaves from the Windward Coast of West Africa, or “The Rice Coast,” imported for their knowledge of rice cultivation and irrigation techniques. Many scholars believe Gullah derives from “Angola” where many of these people originated. High prices were paid for slaves from these Western regions, and due to the slaves' skillful growing practices, white planters enjoyed immense profit and success.

Because of diseases carried by mosquitoes in the subtropical climate of the region, many plantation owners avoided the islands and lowcountry during much of the year, leaving African overseers in charge. Through the years to come, the isolation of these rice-growing ethnic groups, who re-created and blended their native African cultures, traditions, and community life, led to the formation of the unique Gullah identity. “Gullah” was originally used to designate the spoken language of Gullah people (also referred to as “Geechee” by some scholars) but its meaning has evolved to refer to the Gullah’s creole language and distinct ethnic identity. In addition to the unique situation of having little contact with whites, the Gullah people were able to strongly preserve many African cultural traditions because of a constant influx of African slaves from the same Windward region--which helped renew and numerically strengthen their community on the islands.

Georgia Sea Island Singers Bessie Jones and Leola Polite Harris, on St. Simon's Island, 1966. Diana Davies Photograph Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archive and Collections.

After the Civil War, much of the land in the Sea Islands was turned over to former slaves who remained and made livings through farming and fishing. The geographic isolation of the Gullah people, and the microcosm formed by their unique situation, created a community in the United States in which African cultural heritage has arguably remained the least changed.

Bessie Jones at home on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, 1966.
Diana Davies Photograph Collection,
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archive and Collections.

During the early 1900s, Lydia Parrish--wife of artist Maxfield Parrish--began documenting folklife on St. Simon’s Island, where she was living at the time. She collected traditional songs, recorded memories of slave descendants, and helped with the formation of the Spiritual Singers of Georgia, which included member Bessie Jones (who would later lead the Georgia Sea Island Singers).

In addition to Parrish’s documentation, which was published in 1942 as The Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands, extensive fieldwork was conducted by folklorist Alan Lomax, beginning in 1935 when he first visited the island with writer and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, and continuing through the late 1950s. Lomax made many recordings of the Spiritual Singers, and was told by Jones of her desire to “teach the chillun,” as she shared with him a wish to present Gullah culture more publicly. With Lomax’s help, Jones worked to solicit bookings for the singing group which, by this time, had been renamed The Georgia Sea Island Singers. With Jones as the song leader, the group was also comprised of Big John Davis, Peter Davis, Henry Morrison, Emma Ramsay and Mable Hillary. See footage (located in the Human Studies Film Archives) of the Singers from a 1964 performance in California.

Bessie Jones at the 1966 Newport Folk Festival. Diana Davies Photograph Collection, 
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archive and Collections.

A loyal commitment to authenticity echoed within the group, and continued even through years of changing members. This dedication to and internal reminder of the power of a focused, collective voice aided the Singers in teaching and performing the slave songs, dances, games, and shouts of their ancestors with people around the world, engaging with audiences in an interactive way that demonstrated the engaging quality of the traditions. Throughout the years, the Singers performed at such events as the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the Inauguration of President Jimmy Carter, the Poor People's March in Washington (where they acted as staff culture-workers), and the 1967 Festival of American Folklife. In addition, Bessie Jones appeared individually on Pete Seeger’s television show The Rainbow Quest, in 1966, and received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982—the same year she died of complications from leukemia, at the age of 82. Here are two songs from Jones’ 1962 performance at the University of California, Berkeley Folk Festival.

The legacy of the Georgia Sea Island Singers has continued into the present. Currently, the group is comprised of members of the Quimby family (read more here) who are keeping the rich Gullah tradition alive, performing every year for global audiences. Through their performances, the singers continue to offer insight into the history of their traditions and to emphasize the power of remembering the spirit and roots of a culture. Frankie Quimby, who was born and raised on the Sea Islands, has said: “I’m a firm believer that you can’t know where you’re going until you realize where you’ve come from. We have dedicated our lives to trying to preserve that rich heritage and culture that our ancestors handed down to us.” The Georgia Sea Island Singers, with their Gullah heritage, are a striking example of the resilience of human creativity and spirit. They demonstrate a powerful community dedicated to the living preservation of its history, and we are reminded to shout and stamp and clap--echoing voices of the past and celebrating a freedom to sing.

The Georgia Sea Island Singers performing at the Poor People's March, Washington, D.C., 1968. Diana Davies Photograph Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archive and Collections.

To hear more from the Georgia Sea Island Singers, check out this Folkways recording:

Lest We Forget, Vol. 3: Sing For Freedom

Elizabeth Lalley, Intern

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections 

DIVERSITY FOR BUSINESS: NO ETHNIC INSULTS ALLOWED

In my blog “Confrontational Curator, Cowardly Cataloguer” I wrote about the sometimes sticky issues one may encounter in describing collection materials which contain racist imagery and texts or which portray minority groups in other negative and unfavorable ways.  Many attempt to use crude ethnic and racial humor to attract viewers disposed to such stimulation.  Nineteenth-century trade cards, which are often colorful and visually delightful in other respects, are a rich (?) source of what we nowadays might consider “hate speech,” in both verbal and pictorial forms.  Fath Ruffins, NMAH curator and former Archives Center staff member, with the help of interns, located hundreds of examples of such offensive material in the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.

Keystone Manufacturing Co. trade card, ca. 1890. 

Contemporary viewers are often shocked at the ways in which ethnic stereotyping, prejudice, and “ethnic humor” were employed in advertisements to market a wide variety of products.  Since negative portrayals of minorities are so plentiful in nineteenth-century advertising, it is refreshing to encounter the exact opposite, in which diverse ethnic groups are referenced with restraint and respect.   An example is this undated trade card from the “Agriculture” series, which includes imagery portraying a wide international array of faces.  What’s going on here?  It appears that “Uncle Sam” is trying to sell Keystone hay-loaders to an international clientele and has decided that insulting the customers would not be good for business.  Their faces and costumes may be stereotypical, but they are benign, without any obvious attempt to offend.

An interesting research project might be to try to locate similar trade cards, intended for worldwide distribution, along with counterparts issued by the same company for a domestic audience which appreciated “negative” imagery of immigrants and minority groups.

David Haberstich
Curator of Photography, Archives Center  

What's Cooking at the Archives: Good to the Last Drop

 

Start of the brewing, bananas and grass; Albert_papers_227

In a culture increasingly committed to the D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) mantra, the limits of what can be accomplished at home or by one’s own hands are constantly being tested. Moving away from the modern conveniences of mass-produced and pre-packaged, there are plenty of resources available out there if you are looking for information on how to smoke meat, pickle vegetables, bake bread or even build your own brick oven. Basement vintners and home brewers bottle their goods and print their own labels. You don’t need a lot of people to help. Apparently the waiting is the hardest part—fermentation cannot be rushed. 

Removing bananas from pit, Albert_papers_224

When I came across these images of beer making in Burundi, Africa I was struck not only by the difficult process utilizing only what is found in nature, but also by the team-work and craftsmanship. Not to mention the ingredients! That’s not just any beer they are making, that’s banana beer. Anthropologist Ethel Mary Albert documented the beer making process during her extensive field work in Burundi as a Ford Fellow from 1955-1957. Her photographic slides number more than 300 and document many aspects of daily village life. Her writings cover a wide range of topics from ceremonies to relationships, agriculture, life cycle, language and, of course, food and drink.

Making the beer-vat (ubgato); Albert_papers_195

Albert’s notes describe making banana beer as “a rather complex and time-consuming problem, which presumably requires both know-how and muscle.” That pretty wells sums it up. The process involves ripening bananas in a pit heated with smoke for no less than five days. The heated bananas are peeled then mashed using grass for friction. The mash is strained and water is added to the juice. Both eleusine flour and sorghum are mentioned as fermenting agents. The mixture is placed back in a fire pit and covered with peels, leaves and straw until it is ready. 

Leaf covering of banana pit; Albert_papers_220

Mistress of the house, children and workers peeling bananas;
Albert_papers_225

Brewing--rich foam means good beer; Albert_papers_230

Brewer preparing the strainer; Albert_papers_232

Straining banana juice into pot; Albert_papers_234

Banana beer--good to the last drop; Albert_papers_237

The images Albert captured add life to the words and faces to the busy hands—from carving the beer vat to the rich foaming banana mash and finally to enjoying the fruit of that labor down to the last drop. I'm not saying you should try this at home, but if you're looking for a new project...just let me know how it goes.

Jennifer Murray

National Anthrological Archives

Link Love: Music Around the World

Check out Smithsonian.com for NMAI archivist Michael Pahn's February 15 contribution to the "Around the Mall" blog.  The post explores music and music related collections throughout the Smithsonian and we are delighted that the highlighted collection is HSFA's John Marshall Ju/'hoan Bushman film and video collection.  

Here's a preview of one of the songs.

Pam Wintle, Human Studies Film Archives

Collaboration Expands Access to Archival Resources

American Archives Month is a perfect time to provide an update on the Frederick Douglass Dwellings Collection. Since my previous post, our museum partnered with the Community Voice Project of American University’s School of Communication to create a short film by students that documents the memories of residents of the former Frederick Douglass Dwellings housing project. The film, The Only People in Town, was filmed partly in our archives and incorporates archival materials from two collections which visually capture the social activities in the community sponsored by the local recreation center during the 1940s. As an archivist, I am excited to see the resources of our archives used to recall detailed memories and instill a sense of pride in the residents about their former community. Archives helped tell this story of life in a World War II-era housing development built for African Americans. I also believed exposure to our resources helped the anthropology students from the American University College of Arts and Sciences and film students from the School of Communication realize the value of archives and the archivist’s role in providing access to research and film-worthy materials.         







Jennifer Morris
Archivist
Anacostia Community Museum Archives

Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge photographic collection

Collection Spotlight:

The Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge Collection
National Museum of African Art

Chief Solomon Osagie Alonge (1911-1994) was one of Nigeria's première photographers and the first indigenous photographer of the Royal Court of Benin. His photographic collection consists of over 2,000 glass plate negatives and large format film negatives, over 100 hand-tinted and black-and-white prints and photographic albums. The photographer’s camera equipment and personal memorabilia round out the collection.

Alonge self-portrait, c. 1942 (photograph on right)

The Chief Alonge Collection spans six decades (1926 - 1989) and represents a dynamic, continuous record of the Benin Royal Court, Nigeria. As the Royal photographer to the Oba of Benin, Akenzua II (1933-1978), Alonge documented the pageantry, ritual and regalia of the Obas, their wives and retainers for over a half-century, including the coronation of the king and the Queen Mother, Iyoba. The collection also documents historic visits to Benin by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip (1956), Princess Alexandra (1960), foreign dignitaries, traditional rulers, political leaders and celebrities. It preserves an important historical record of Benin art and culture during the periods of British colonial rule and Nigerian independence in the twentieth century. The rarity and historical value of the collection are enhanced by Alonge's privileged access to the Palace as a chief in the Iwebo Palace Society, a position which presents a unique insider's view of Benin royalty. The collection is unique as an indigenously created visual record of life in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria. The quality and sheer survival of the collection is testament to Alonge's technological skills in photography and his professionalism in keeping the collection ordered and well-preserved despite the heat, humidity and tropical climate of West Africa.


Chief S.O. Alonge's significance as one of the earliest indigenous photographers in West Africa has been documented in detail by anthropologist Flora Kaplan. Alonge learned the craft of photography as a youth in Lagos during the 1920s and saw himself and his profession as an honorable and distinguished calling. He clearly demonstrated an inclusive documentary perspective in his efforts to photograph many aspects of the world around him. In 1942, Alonge established the Ideal Photography Studio in Benin City and documented colonial society, the establishment of churches and businesses, and the formation of new civic organizations and social groups in the 1930s and 1940s. As a commercial photographer, Alonge photographed individual and group portraits, preserving a visual record of the everyday lives and peoples of Benin City. Alonge's studio portraits illustrate how the local residents of Benin City presented themselves to the camera and engaged with the practice of photography during the early to mid-twentieth century.

Preservation of the Chief Alonge Collection (2009 - 2010):
In 2009, an award from Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF) allowed the Elisofon Archives to preserve and duplicate 150 glass plate negatives and 1800 large format film negatives in the Alonge collection. The original glass plates were re-housed in non-buffered four-flap envelopes and glass plate negative boxes with proper spacing and support. Over 50 fragile glass plate negatives with flaking emulsion or chipped corners were placed in conservation sink mats. The Alonge conservation project created master interpositives and duplicate negatives for over 2000 images. Preservation, duplication and scanning of the Alonge film negatives has allowed cataloguing to proceed and will make the collection accessible to scholars, researchers and the general public.

With Phase I funding from CCPF, preservation surveys of Alonge's photographic albums, photographs, manuscripts and artifacts in the collection were completed with Phase I funding provided by CCPF. The artifacts include Alonge’s camera equipment, his accordion and vintage pants and boots which he wore as an official photographer of the Royal Court of Benin. With Phase II funding from CCPF in 2010, the Elisofon Archives is able to preserve Alonge’s photographic albums, hand-colored photographs and prints and manuscript materials.


Amy Staples, Senior Archivist, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives

http://africa.si.edu/research/archives.html