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One of the more famous African American potters during the Civil War times in the United States was David Drake (Burrison, 2012). Until he became emancipated he was known simply as Dave or Dave the Slave (Burrison, 2012). In 1801, Dave was born in the United States under his first owner Harvey Drake (Burrison, 2012). Harvey Drake is the most probable person to have taught young Dave how to read and write because of his belief that God gave him the responsibility to help his servants, or slaves how to read the word of God (Burrison, 2012). Many of his pieces are signed and dated, some have short facts about the piece, and others have short poems (Burrison, 2012). The words written on the pottery seems to have been inscribed while it was barely damp greenware (Burrison, 2012). Harvey Drake died in 1832 and in 1834, the South Carolina General Assembly passed a regulation that made it illegal for slaves to be taught how to read and write (Burrison, 2012). In 1840, after passing from one master to another Dave was finally given to Lewis Miles (Burrison, 2012). Dave was one of the few enslaved potters to be allowed to sign the ceramic pieces he produced during his enslavement under Lewis Miles (Burrison, 2012). On one piece Dave inscribed the words "LM says handle will crack" (Chaney). These words mean much more than what is written. It shows that Dave knew what he was doing and possibly even knew more than his master LM, Lewis Miles (Chaney). It seemed that Dave who was an enslaved man was the master, and his master was the fool because the handle, to date, has never cracked (Burrison, 2012). Dave Drake continued to sign his name and sometimes writing poetry on his pottery even though the law had been passed that made it illegal (Burri...
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...with a function in mind or even a purpose. Odundo's ceramic pieces are more of a contemporary conceptual idea of the human body transcribed to clay and made into a vessel.
Works Cited
British Museum. (2000). Magdalene odundo, ceramic vessel. Retrieved from http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aoa/m/magdalene_od undo,_ceramic_vess.aspx
Burrison, J. A. (2012). South carolina’s edgefield district: an early international crossroads of clay. Retrieved from http://www.asjournal.org/archive/56/213.html
Chaney, M. A. (n.d.). The concatenate poetics of slavery and thearticulate material of dave the potter . Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/1904635/The_Concatenate_ Poetics_of_Slavery_and_the_Articulate_Material_of_Dave_the_Potter
Slayter-Ralph, A. (n.d.). Magdalene odundo. Retrieved from http://magdaleneodundo.com/
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Douglass was taught the alphabet by his master’s wife he didn’t approve because “it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant...
The first step in understanding the Attic Black-Figure Ovoid Neck-Amphora and other black figure pottery is to understand how the pottery is made. The artist started by digging a place in the ground to hold water in. After the large hole was filled by water, he would throw in a large amount of dry clay into the water. Then he would wait for the sun to evaporate the water leaving water pliable clay. The next step was to compact the clay and squeeze out and extra water. He would do this similarly to crushing grapes to get out the juice by stepping and walking on it. After this process, the clay would be ready to a make the vase.
I am the master of the elements but I am not the master of myself. I am Dave the potter and I am also an African American slave. I know nothing more than Edgefield, South Carolina but my pottery is my connection to other lands. It is also a job and lifestyle that keeps me grounded. Pottery is my body and it is my voice.
I recently visited the American History museum and came upon the most interesting artifact in the Lighting a Revolution section within the Transportation and Technology wing of the museum. This artifact is an advertisement from Charleston, South Carolina in 1769 about the selling of “a choice cargo” of two hundred and fifty slaves.
“I would at time feel that learning to read and write had been a curse rather than a blessing.” In the Autobiography The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass An American Slave by Fredrick Douglass, Fredrick unfolds his journey being a young boy that is born into slavery, believing that it was normal, and was educated by his Mistress. His Mistress was able to teach him the alphabet before Fredrick’s Master, the mistress’ husband, disclosed the “lessons”. Being that it was forbidden to educate slaves in their society, the Master warned his wife that if anyone found out that she was educating a slave there would be consequences. Since Fredrick had at least knew his alphabet, he knew that he could learn more, where his motivation to expand his literacy, was awoken.
Shackel returns to his theme of studying how consumerism acts on society in Harpers Ferry. In Culture Change and the New Technology, he analyzes consumer movements such as technology bringing mass produced ceramics and the idea of the Romantic consumerism (Shackel, 1996, pg. 23). Like in Annapolis, Harpers Ferry ceramic assemblages tell archaeologists about the availability of ceramics and the purchasing patterns of homeowners (pg. 119, 122). The Beckham and Moor households are both wealthy households that can afford wide assemblages of ceramics, but they differ in the variation of ceramics used for complex dining habits (pg. 122). This displays Shackel’s idea of social behaviors being reflected in material culture by the wide variety of ceramics
Frederick Douglass is an exemplary example of why literacy was such a guarded commodity during the 1800’s. When Douglass went to live with the Auld family, the mistress Mrs. Auld had never before owned a slave. Her behavior towards Douglass was different—kinder, and she even began to teach him the alphabet. When her husband, Mr. Auld, found out of her actions she was scolded and told that a slave should never be taught how to read. From that day on, Mrs. Auld never again taught Douglass any letters. Her attitude completely changed. Not only was the issue of slaves being illiterate keeping slaves ignorant, but the masters also. By Mrs. Auld’s sudden change in attitude to Douglass it became apparent that the idea of slavery was not a natural occurrence, it was taught. When Douglass saw how protective Mr. Auld was over keeping him illiterate, he became more curious and concluded that education would be vital to the emancipation of his race. He used his knowledge of the alphabet to eventually learn how to read and write.
Slaves were forbidden to read and slave owners were forbidden to teach slaves to read and write. The existence of such a restriction on educating slaves is proof that the slaveholders felt a need to suppress the capabilities of slaves. As a slave, Douglass was given the opportunity to learn and elevate his status only to have all that, including the invitation to join "high" society snatched away. Such a tease and broken promise of a better day proved to be more than Douglass could bear. He devoted each of his idle moments to mastering the language arts. In addition, as if mastering it were not enough, Douglass meticulously educated other slaves in the English language of reading and writing. Douglass' action was indicative of the significance found in literacy. If he had not put literacy at such high esteem, he would not have taken the time to continue his education and persuade others to pursue theirs. Douglass knew first hand that education was a effective tool of empowerment especially to slaves—those who had spent their lives without any power. This separation of man from education was a control issue and reclaiming control meant education one's self and his or her peers. Through educating his peers, Douglass demonstrated his knowledge of the underlying power in literacy.
Shaw, Madelyn. “Slave Cloth and Clothing Slaves: Craftsmanship, Commerce, and Industry.” Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts. Mesda Journal. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
Michael Twitty is a food writer and culinary historian best known for preparing, preserving and promoting African American food ways and its origins in Africa. He emphasizes how African food culture has made a great impact on the American South. His cooking helped him to learn about his identity and culture. He describes “identity cooking” a way to better understand him and his culture as a Jewish-African American. A project he developed called “The Cooking Gene” is what he explains as a means of “exploring my family history through food, from Africa to America, from slavery to freedom.” Race, food and ethnicity all have a more complex and cultural meaning especially when fused together. Different
For example, the Chi Wara is a ceremonial object. The Chi Wara is from the Bamana people, who used the visuals of dance as well in their art. The Chi Wara is a mystical, zoomorphic, animal headpiece that encompasses an antelope, anteater, and human. It is said to bring favors of fertility, agri...
Being a resident of South Carolina, African-American Culture was chosen as part of the applied learning project for the Intercultural Nursing class, because African-Americans make up more than a quarter of this state’s population. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the total population for South Carolina (S.C.) is 4,625,364, with 27.9% being of African-American descent. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding and sensitivity to issues and cultural variances or phenomena that are unique to the African-American Culture. Another goal is to identify nursing interventions that are important for the nurse to consider in caring for this population. These phenomena’s include variances in social organization, communication, space, perception of time, environmental control, and biological variations associated with the African-American culture. (Giger, 2013 and South Carolina minority, n.d.)
Nearly every society in the studies of different cultures throughout time has had some kind of ceramics/pottery that it created, particularly if the societies’ cultures were at all engaged in cultivation. Native Americans created their own designs of ceramics/pottery; a lot of the Native American ethnic groups made use of pottery (long) before European powers first entered the Americas. Although some of the ethnic groups that were hunters did not make much use of the distinctive pottery, the tribes that were mainly farmers appeared to have more uses for the ceramics. Native American ceramics date back as far as two thousand years – when the itinerant Indians began settling down. These Indians became skilled at Native American pottery;
"Vanitas still life with portrait of a young painter " by David Bailly includes such objects as dying flowers, a skull, a painting of musician, musical instruments (recorder, conductor’s baton), statuary of a young, virile man and a young child, a portrait of another young man, and a clean palette hanging on the wall. The meaning behind these articles can be manifold, depending upon one’s point of view, but I think they are all important symbols of the passing nature of vitality and life itself. The flowers, once brilliant and lovely, are now withering in their vase. Music, represented by a man playing a lute in a portrait on the wall and by numerous music related items (a recorder, a conductor’s baton) is itself transient and elusive. Obviously a skull can represent death, but it can just as easily be a reminder of what remains behind. The clean palette hanging on the wall is evocative of a clear start, a new beginning, the option available to us all to begin again, before it’s too late!