A Postcolonial Path Sugar Mills from Taboo to Attraction St. Croix, USVI
Amal Abdi Ashur Master’s Thesis 2017 Appendix #4 The Silent History
Freedom
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Table of contents
Slaves
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Punishments
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The White Gold
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Understanding an entangle history
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The Postcolonial Path
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Bibliography
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Slaves
The auction of the slaves took place at harbor area of Christiansted. The slaves arrived wounded and traumatized but had to be sold the plantations owners immediately. They had to be salable so the women would get a linen skirt to indicate decency and the most muscular men were attractive. After a plantation owner had bought slaves and branded them they were divided in four groups: House slaves, field slaves, Bomba and craftsman slaves. House slaves This was the slaves that the plantation owner found could interact with the white women and men. They worked as servants as washerwomen, drivers and as valets for the plantation owner’s mistresses. Sexual assault and rape of enslaved women was not unusual. This often resulted in birth of children of mixed race, who usually inherited their mothers’ status as slaves (Nationalmuseet, 2017). Field slaves The field slaves were in the hardest settings. At first, they had to work naked until the gospel found its way into their hearts (…) (Mentze, 1981, p.103). and the work was back-breaking. They would often die young and they were lowest in the hierarchy receiving very harsh punishments by the attendant called “the bomba” The Bomba The National Museum of Denmark describes the bomba: The bomba held one of the highest positions. He was enslaved, but appointed to control the other slaves. He was both feared and respected by the enslaved population on the plantation. His job was not only to keep everyone performing slave labor, but also to administer punishment. On plantations with no manager the bomba actually ran the plantation. There were advantages to the position, both for the bomba himself and his family. His daughters, for example, might work as servants in the main house instead of doing the backbreaking work of field slaves. (Nationalmuseet, 2017)
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Craftsman slaves The craftsman slaves were more privileged than the other slaves. They worked as tailors, saddlers and wheels men. They were popular at the auctions and they were also the ones who worked for the warehouses of the company and in the military depots. Free slaves It was possible for enslaved Africans to achieve their freedom. This happened in several ways like buying themselves free or be released by their owners. Some children could be born free. They could buy real estates and some even owned slaves. The free people was given an area in Christiansted (Free Gut) they could live in and build improved houses for their families. This is the vernacular architecture seen in Christiansted today. The vernacular architecture seen in Free Gut is demolishing rapidly and should be preserved (Virgin Islands History, 2017). Maroons Maroons were a description given to fugitive slaves. They would often run away from the field and hide in the bush were extremely difficult to find. If they were caught and brought back to the plantation very brutal punishments were waiting.
Free Gut, St. Croix http://www.kb.dk/da/nb/tema/dvi/index.html
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Field workers with sugar canes, 1923 http://samlinger.natmus.dk/search?q=vestindien
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Sion Farm på St. Croix 1888-1893 http://www.kb.dk/da/nb/tema/dvi/index.html
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Punishments
The brutal punishments the slaves were exposed to I believe is one of the reasons why this period of our history is tabooed and difficult to deal with. Follow is translated descriptions of some illustrate the brutality of our colonial era.
punishments
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The bomba’s long whip was frequently used. The actual punishment resulted in a various number of whips, which the sinner received lying on the ground, and often the wounds worn out by the beats was poured with brine and Spanish peppers, something that caused unpleasant pain but at the same time healed. Was the penalty awarded by the plantation owner personally, the slave had to acknowledge the punishment with a: “Danke baas” - Thank You Master! (Mentze, 1981, p.104)
Some was put on the wheel living or got both feet cut off. (Mentze, 1981, p.104)
Some slaves were punished beyond death. It is stated in a report: His dead body was dug up, dragged by a horse through the city and then by the right leg suspended in a gallows for later to be taken down and burned on fire. (Mentze, 1981, p.104)
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Prisoners on deck http://www.kb.dk/da/nb/tema/dvi/index.html
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The White Gold
Until around the 1700s sugar was reserve for the rich society and used for both sweeten food but also as medicine. Sugar at this time was very expensive and called “The White Gold�. Sugar canes The sugar canes that were cultivated was several meters high and felled with machetes. The canes needed warm tropic climate and a lot of water which made St. Croix perfect for sugar production (Dansukker, 2017). Sugar mills Both the animal mill and the windmill had the same machinery. The sugar canes was grinded between the rollers and the juice sent to the fabric. The fabric was connected the plantation and the sugar juice was sent from the sugar mills directly to the fabric. At the fabric the sugar was crystallized and then shipped to Denmark (Den Vestindiske Arv, 2017). Sugar cane and sugar beets In connection to the Napoleonic War (1803 - 1815) there was a need to find a substitution for the imported sugar the Virgin Islands. It was in this context that sugar beets got discovered. At that time the sugar content in the beets was not profitable. Later when the sugar content reached the level of the sugar canes and the slaves were emancipated it was no longer profitable to import sugar from the colony. The Virgin Islands were no longer economically profitable (Dansukker, 2017),
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Family working in the field, St. Croix http://www.kb.dk/da/nb/tema/dvi/index.html
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Explanation of the Principle drawing Peter Lotharius Oxholm, 1797 (OXHOLM and MUELLER, 1797)
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Principle drawing of a typical sugar mill Peter Lotharius Oxholm, 1797 http://www.kb.dk/da/nb/tema/dvi/index.html
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Understanding an entangle history
In this Master’s Thesis, I have been trying to illuminate and understand the shared history between Denmark and the Virgin Islands. In connection to centennial the tabooed history about Denmark’s colonial era has become relevant once again. The approach towards this Thesis has been highly investigating and practical. My study trip has been a big part of illuminating the voice of a people who feel left behind. Interviews and interaction with locals has been a significant factor in the exploration of the use of sugar mills and if it is at all possible to make a new use of them. The first discovery Aarhus School of Architecture, The Royal Danish Academy together with US Virgin Islands and BYFO initiated (spring semester 2016) a collaborating centennial project in form of two transformation projects on St. Croix and St. Thomas called “In Search of Identity”. The studio worked on a transformation of old Danish barracks on St. Croix into an architecture and crafts school. In this connection, the studio went on a three-week study trip to measure, draw and gather information about the buildings as well as the site, city and Islands. This was my first meeting with St. Croix and a history that have been tabooed. I did not learn about the colonial era at school, only that Denmark was the first to emancipate the slaves. I did not know anything about the Virgin Islands before the study trip. On the study trip, it came clear that the people of St. Croix go through a confusion of identity. Walking through the streets of Christiansted the people is a great mixture of color living side by side. Superficially it seemed perfect and people greet each other, but coming from Denmark with African roots I could sense the confusion of identity.
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I got interesting in this strange tabooed history, that we do not talk about in Denmark. It was the people of St. Croix that caught my interest and curiosity. In St. Croix, the colonial era is a constant reminder. They must deal with the remains and heritage from a brutal history that we in Denmark almost has erased from our consciousness. I had to go back. This was the start of my Master’s Thesis. Virgin Islanders Virgin Islanders are American citizens but are treated as secondclass citizens. They must deploy the military service and pay taxes but they cannot vote for the presidential election. How can this be possible in 2017? It is clearly an open suppression of a people and a distortion of the democracy. This creates a trivial and resentful relationship and may be a constant reminder of the slavery. For centuries, no one have considered the people of the Virgin Islands. Walking around St. Croix there is a feeling of a lost people. Their history has been erased and overtaken by bigger nations that still today suppresses the Virgin Islands. How are they supposed to know who they are when superior nations throw them back and forth? They are not taught in their own history in school so how should they know anything about their Danish roots? Mario Moorhead mentions, in the movie “West Indies Voices” by Ulla Lunn, that they have no identification with their homeland and it makes sense as the only tangible identification is their dark skin color, the Danish and vernacular architecture and their last names in which many cases are Danish.
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Reestablishments of lost ties I believe that we have a moral obligation towards the people of US Virgin island. It is important that we understand our history both people in Denmark and on Virgin Islands. It is important that we in Denmark acknowledge the history and the Virgin Islanders accept it and make peace with it. By collaborating and reestablishing the lost ties I believe we can create acceptance and happiness. The collaboration is slowly increasing as Newspapers like Politiken, Informationen as well as Danish television, Danmarks Radio has been focusing on making the Danish history of the former Danish West Indies more available for the Danish people. In November 2016 USVI sent a public gift to Denmark, which is the first official monument as a reminder of Denmark’s history as a slave nation. The gift is a copy of the sculpture called “Freedom” and is a symbol of the rising of the slaves and their fight for freedom. The same sculpture is present on each of the three islands. This is a great way to reconnect Denmark and USVI and hopefully with a central placing in Denmark the sculpture can make the people of Denmark more aware of our history. In the article” Eksperter: Her bør Danmarks første mindesmærke for tiden som slavenation stå” from Politikken, Mich Vraa, argues how the sculpture will have a big influence on people’s awareness about this significant time in the Danish history. And as he states ”most Danish people today do not know much about the slave times”. In connection to the centennial and the renewed interest in the Virgin Islands I participated in a panel debate at Politiken together with Astrid Nonbo Andersen, researcher in reminiscence and history politics and Bertel Haarder, former minister. Together we contributed with a historical, political and architectural perspective to the former Danish West Indies followed by a good and nuanced debate, where the level of the debate was further enhanced by an enthusiastic audience.
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Participated in a panel debate about Denmark as a colonial power Politikens Hus, 15. maj 2017
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The Postcolonial Path
The sugar mills seemed as the most powerful element left from the colonial era. They are visible from every corner of the island and interacting with the locals together with the conducted interviews, it came clear that this was a symbolic landmark that divided the community. This was an element of the visible history that was ignored. It has been hard to articulate the slavery and what the sugar mills represent as the subject is so sensitive and painful. When I asked locals, what should happen to the sugar mills they were enthusiastic and everyone had a strong opinion both negative and positive. These many thematics has kept the project interesting during the semester. It has been a big project with many elements I felt I needed to engage in. Just the understanding of the sugar mills and its relation to the plantation could have been a project I could concentrate on, but I tried to illuminate a vision and an intervention that could work on three scales. The connecting path across the island, the plantation and then the sugar mills. My Thesis is not a finished project proposal but a way of working and processing our heritage. I see my Thesis as a healing process through an active use of the abandoned ruinous sugar mills. It is important as the architectural heritage forms a symbol of a people’s culture and identity that must be respected and protected (Magliozzi, 2016). Emancipation once again Some locals believe that it is wrong to make a use of the sugar mills as they represent slavery and a history they want to forget. I disagree in this statement although I respect and understand their feelings. If the sugar mills in 50 years all are demolished and gone, at some point we will once again forget the history. I see that as a failure of the hardworking slaves that fought for freedom and for a world in which black people are not seen as a subspecies. The Nara Charter describes the importance and influence of our heritage and how this should be preserved: The diversity of cultures and heritage in our world is an irreplaceable source of spiritual and intellectual richness for all humankind. The protection and enhancement of cultural and heritage diversity in our world should be actively promoted as an essential aspect of human development (The Nara Charter, Article 5)
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It is time for a new emancipation. The people of Virgin Island needs to deal with their history and to illuminate and discuss difficult subjects as slavery. In 1980 Bob Marley described some feelings I could recognize on St. Croix today. In the song Buffalo Soldier, he describes how Africans were stolen from their homelands and brought to America. Parallels can be drawn between the situation he describes and the Virgin Islands today. Buffalo Soldier was a name given to an African American soldier who had to fight in the American conflicts in 1866. It was a nickname given because their dark skin and dark curly hair reminded them of the buffalo (Musicbanter.com, 2017). I find the song relevant in connection to the situation of many Virgin Islanders. They still feel as a stolen people who was enslaved in heart of the Caribbean. They are still angry as I got to experience described in my interview with Jett Twotees (see appendix #2). The irony of fate would that, the Virgin Islands were sold to USA and the lyrics describe their feelings almost spot on: Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock Rasta There was a Buffalo Soldier In the heart of America Stolen from Africa, brought to America Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival Driven from the mainland To the heart of the Caribbean Furthermore, in the song Redemption Song Bob Marley encourage a new emancipation: Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds He describes an emancipation from mental slavery and that is exactly what the people of Virgin Island need. The Postcolonial Path can engage both locals, tourist and for instance schools were parts of the path can be hiked whilst having a discussion of the colonial era, slavery and how to emancipate oneself from mental slavery. As Bob Marley sings: none but ourselves can free our minds and make peace with the history.
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Bibliography
Musicbanter.com. (2017). Bob Marley - Buffalo Soldier - Lyrics Meaning - Song Descriptions, Song Meanings, Music Videos. [online] Available at: http://www.musicbanter.com/lyrics/Bob-MarleyBuffalo-Soldier.html [Accessed 6 Jun. 2017].
Den Vestindiske Arv. (2017). Faktoriet. [online] Available at: (http://den-vestindiskearv.dk/plantagen/faktoriet/) [Accessed 3 Jun. 2017].
Lemaire, R., Stovel, H., ICOMOS, UNESCO, and ICCROM, (1994). The Nara Document on Authenticity. [online] Nara. Available at: http://rum.aarch.dk/uploads/media/6_Naradokumentet_1994_03.pdf [Accessed 26 Apr. 2016].
Magliozzi, Z. (2016). To destroy architecture is to attack the cultural identity of a nation. [online] Architectural Review. Available at: http://www.architectural-review.com/rethink/ reviews/to-destroy- architecture-is-to-attack-the-cultural-identity-of-a-nation/10002660.article [Accessed 20 May 2016]. Mentze, E. (1981). Dansk Vestindien. 1st ed. [København]: Selskabet Bogvennerne. OXHOLM, P. and MUELLER (1797). De Danske Vestindiske Öers Tilstand ... i Anledning af nogle Breve fra St. Croix indrykkede i det Politiske og Physiske Magazin for Marts og April Maaneder 1797, hvortil er föiet Beskrivelse om Sukkerets Fabrikation med 4 Planer, etc. 1st ed. Kiöbenhavn.
Nationalmuseet. (2017). Slaveri. [online] Available at: (http://natmus.dk/ historisk-viden/temaer/danmarks-kolonier/dansk-vestindien/slaveri/) [Accessed 5 Jun. 2017].
Virgin Islands History. (2017). Slaveri. [online] Available at: (https:// www.virgin-islands-history.org/historien/slaveri/frikuloerte-ikke-heltsaa-frie/) [Accessed 5 Jun. 2017].
Dansukker. (2017). Sukkerets vej til Europa. [online] Available at: (http://www.dansukker.dk/dk/om-sukker/sukkerets-vej-til-europa.aspx) [Accessed 4 Jun. 2017]. Nationalmuseet. (2017). Vestindien. [online] Available at: (http://natmus. dk/historisk-viden/temaer/danmarks-kolonier/dansk-vestindien/slaveri/) [Accessed 1 Jun. 2017]. Vestindiske Stemmer. (2010). [film] Denmark: Ulla Lund.
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I took this picture on the first study trip in 2016. It symbolizes the pointed contrast and how we share history. This is a symbol of the divided Denmark and St. Croix and how our ties have been broken. However, it is still very possible to bring the two countries closer together. We are close connected.
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Amal Abdi Ashur Master’s Thesis 2017 Appendix #4
