African-American Exploration in West Africa: Four Nineteenth-Century Diaries

504 Pages·2003·15.248 MB·English

by  J. Fairhead, T. Geysbeek, S. E. Holsoe, M. Leach (eds.)

African-American Exploration in
West Africa
African-American Exploration in
West Africa
Four Nineteenth-Century Diaries
EDITED BY
JAMES FAIRHEAD
TIM GEYSBEEK
SVEND E. HOLSOE
MELISSA LEACH
Publication of this book is made possible 1. Liberia—Discovery and explo-
in part with the assistance of a Challenge ration. 2. African Americans—
Grant from the National Endowment for Liberia—History—19th century. 3.
the Humanities, a federal agency that African Americans—Liberia—Diaries.
supports research, education, and public 4. Guinea—Discovery and exploration.
programing in the humanities. 5. African Americans—Guinea—
History—19th century. 6. African
This book is a publication of
Americans—Guinea—Diaries. I. Sims,
Indiana University Press
James L. II. Seymour, George L. III.
601 North Morton Street
Anderson, Benjamin J.K.,
Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA
b. 1834. IV. Fairhead, James, date.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Publication Data
African-American exploration in West
Africa : four nineteenth-century diaries /
edited by James Fairhead . . . [et al.]. p.
cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. )
and index.
ISBN 0-253-34194-9 (alk. paper)
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
List of Maps ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
One
The Liberia of the Journeys 7
Two
Journeys in the Interior 31
Three
James L. Sims, 1858 93
Four
George L. Seymour, 1858 124
Five
Benjamin J. K. Anderson, 1868–69 157
Six
Benjamin J. K. Anderson, 1874 240
Seven
The Journeys and the Interior 279
Notes 345
Bibliography 403
Index 451

Illustrations
Figure1.EdwardW.Blyden 11
Figure2.StephenA.Benson,presidentofLiberia,1856–64 42
Figure3.ViewofMonroviafromtheAnchorage 43
Figure4.PortraitofBenjaminAnderson 52
Figure5.TheoldblockhouseatBandajuma,SierraLeone 60
Figure6.Captaind’Ollone,1901 80
Figure7.“TheLatitudeofMusahdu”and“AstronomicalCalculations,”
1903 82
Figure8.“AnItineraryTable”and“SundryAbstracts,”1903 83
Figure9.AcottontreeassociatedwithBenjaminAndersoninMusadu 90
Figure10.Four-footedMandingosandals 147
Figure11.ApagefromtheLiberiaHeraldcontainingGeorgeL.Seymour’s
account 148
Figure12.OriginalfrontpageofBenjaminAnderson’sdiary,1870 156
Figure13.Anderson’soriginalmapfromAJourneytoMusardu,1868–96 160
Figure14.AshmunStreet,Monrovia,1858 163
Figure15.MusicandtransliterationofanIslamicshaha¯dafrom
Anderson’sdiary,1870 179
Figure16.PortraitofBolokoloZaoroBilivogui 198
Figure17.ResidentsofBooposingontheremainsofthetownwall 199
Figure18.ChiefDiagbo,orDiagbaOuro,ChiefNzebelaTogba,and
MagnanFormowiththeirarmy 200
Figure19.LianabridgeacrosstheSaintPaulRiveratZiggahPorrahZue 204
Figure20.“TheelephantstakepossessionofthecottonfieldsofBallatah” 205
Figure21.“Mahommadu” 208
Figure22.Musadufromtheair,1993 211
Figure23.ThemainmosqueofMusadu 212
Figure24.BeylaandDiakolidugu,withtheFon-GoingMountainstothe
West 220
Figure25.CoverofAnderson’s“Appendix,”1870 232
Figure26.FacsimileoftheoriginallettersentwithAndersontothe
presidentofLiberiafromthepeopleofMusadu,1870 237–239
Figure27.Anderson’s“MapoftheRepublicofLiberia...1879” 242
Figure28.“KingofSanojii” 251
Figure29.TheObserver,11September1879 253
Figure30.Mandingwarrior 270
Figure31.Gravesofkings,Boporo,1907 301
Figure32.TheoldwallofZorzor,1947 302
viii | Illustrations
Figure33.Bousse´dou(Bousse´mai)afterFrenchtroopstookthevillage,
1907 303
Figure34.ThedefensivewallofBousse´dou,asitwasbeingdestroyed 303
Figure35.ThegateofBousse´dou,asitwasbeingdestroyed 304
Figure36.FortificationsofthevillageofN’Ze´bela,1907 304
Figure37.Soldiersonafiringplatform 305
Figure38.Anintactvillagewallshowingablacksmithforgeoutsidethe
gate 332
Maps
Note:Theboundariesinthesemapsdonotimplyanyjudgmentonthelegalstatusofany
territory.
Map1.Thejourneysinregionalcontext 33
Map2.ThejourneysinsouthernLiberia 34
Map3.ThejourneysinnortheastLiberia 35
Map4.Thejourneysinthenorth,Guinea 36
Map5.Apoliticalmapoftheregion 37
Map6.ValleysoftheNiger,Milo,andSaintPaulrivers 38
Map7.JamesL.Sims’sjourney,1858 92
Map8.GeorgeL.Seymour’sjourney,1858 126
Map9.BenjaminAnderson’sjourney,1868–69 158
Map10.Konya 209
Map11.BenjaminAnderson’sjourney,1874 243