Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora (Blacks in the Diaspora)

297 Pages·2008·4.61 MB·English

by  Edda L. Fields-Black

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Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora
Edda L. Fields-Black
Deep
Roots
Blacks in the Diaspora
Founding Editors Darlene Clark Hine
John McCluskey, Jr.
David Barry Gaspar
Series Editor Tracy Sharpley- Whiting
Advisory Board Herman L. Bennett
Kim D. Butler
Judith A. Byfi eld
Leslie A. Schwalm
Deep
Roots
Rice Farmers in West Africa
and the
African Diaspora
Edda L. F ields- Black
indiana university press
Bloomington and Indianapolis
Th is book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street
Bloomington, IN 47404- 3797 USA
http:// iupress .indiana .edu
Telephone orders 800- 842- 6796
Fax orders 812- 855- 7931
Orders by e-mail [email protected]
© 2008 by Edda L. Fields- Black
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher. Th e
Association of American University Presses’
Resolution on Permissions constitutes the
only exception to this prohibition.
Th e paper used in this publication meets the
minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48- 1984.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fields-Black, Edda L.
Deep roots : rice farmers in West Africa and the African
diaspora / Edda L. Fields-Black.
p. cm. — (Blacks in the diaspora)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-253-35219-4 (cloth)
1. Nalu (African people)—Agriculture—Guinea. 2. Baga
(African people)—Agriculture—Guinea. 3. Rice farmers—
Guinea—History—18th century. 4. Rice trade—Guinea—
History—18th century. 5. Slave trade—Guinea—History—
18th century. 6. Rice—South Carolina—History—18th
century. 7. Rice—Georgia—History—18th century.
8. Slavery—South Carolina—History—18th century.
9. Slavery—Georgia—History—18th century. I. Title.
DT543.42.F54 2008
633.1'80899632—dc22
2008007846
1 2 3 4 5 13 12 11 10 09 08
To
D.J.F., E.L.F., and K.L.F.
on whose shoulders
I stand

Contents
List of Maps viii
List of Tables ix
Orthography xi
Ac know ledg ments xiii
Introduction 1
1. Th e Rio Nunez Region: A Small Corner of West Africa’s
Rice Coast Region 25
2. Th e First- Comers and the Roots of Coastal Rice- Growing
Technology 55
3. Th e Newcomers and the Seeds of Tidal Rice- Growing
Technology 79
4. Coastal Collaboration and Specialization: Flowering of
Tidal Rice- Growing Technology 107
5. Th e Strangers and the Branches of Coastal Rice- Growing
Technology 135
6. Feeding the Slave Trade: Th e Trade in Rice and Captives
from West Africa’s Rice Coast 161
Conclusion 187
Appendix 1. Fieldwork Interviews 195
Appendix 2. Rice Terminology in Atlantic Languages Spoken
in the Coastal Rio Nunez Region 197
Notes 209
Bibliography 237
Index 257
Maps
Map 1.1. Rice Coast/Upper Guinea Coast 27
Map 1.2. Rio Nunez Region and Present- Day Ethnic/Linguistic Boundaries 34
Map 2.1. Proto- Coastal Homeland and the Present- Day Locations of
Coastal Languages 60
Map 3.1. Proto- Mel Homeland and Present- Day Locations of Mel Languages 83
Map 3.2. Proto- Highlands Homeland and Present- Day Locations of
Highlands Languages 85
Tables
2.1. Inherited Forms for “Salt” in Northern Branch Atlantic Languages 64
2.2. Inherited Forms for “Salt” in Southern Branch Atlantic Languages 64
2.3. Inherited Forms for “Avicennia africana” in Coastal Languages 67
2.4. Areal Innovations for “Rhizophora racemosa” in Coastal Daughter Languages 72
2.5. Areal Innovations for Coastal Features in Nalu and Mboteni
Daughter Languages 73
2.6. Areal Innovations for Coastal Features in Mbulungish and Mboteni 74
3.1. Inherited Forms for Social Or ga ni za tion in Highlands Languages 94
3.2. Borrowed Forms for Social Or ga ni za tion in Coastal Languages 97
3.3. Inherited Forms for Forest- Savanna Features in Highlands Languages 98
3.4. Inherited Forms of Pre- Agricultural Features in Highlands Languages 100
3.5. Borrowed Forms for “Herding” in Highlands Languages 102
3.6. Inherited Forms for “Cutting Trees” in Highlands Languages 104
4.1. Borrowed Forms for “Rice” in Coastal and Highlands Languages 118
4.2. Areal Innovations for Specialized Rice Vocabulary in
Highlands and Coastal Languages 120
4.3. Areal Innovations for “Fulcrum Shovel” in Highlands and
Coastal Daughter Languages 121
4.4. Forms for “Fulcrum Shovel” in Mbulungish Language 122
4.5. Areal Innovations for Localized Rice Vocabulary in
Nalu and Sitem Languages 125
4.6. Areal Innovations for Localized Rice Vocabulary in
Mboteni and Sitem Languages 126
4.7. Areal Innovations for “Cutting Trees” in Coastal and Highlands Languages 127
4.8. Areal Innovations for D’mba “Headdress” in Coastal and Highlands Languages 128
5.1. Mande Loanwords in Coastal and Highlands Languages 150
5.2. Susu- Jalonke Loanwords in Coastal and Highlands Languages 151
5.3. Susu Loanwords in Atlantic Languages/Atlantic Loanwords in Susu 153
6.1. Total Number/Percentage of Captives Disembarked in South Carolina
from All Regions in Africa 175
6.2. Total Number/Percentage of Captives Disembarked in Georgia from
All Regions in Africa 176