Landfall
The approach to the West Indies by sea can be a visually stunning experience. From Columbus onwards visitors have been smitten by the beauty of landfall when approaching the West Indies. However, for the captured slaves, penned and shackled below deck in horrible conditions for weeks past, arrival marked the end of their seaborne horrors.
As the slave ships approach the Americas, the routines of arrival were similar to those of the departure from Africa. The slaves had to be cleaned and prepared for sale, no mere task considering their wretched state. Demoralized, run-down and often sick, the slaves needed rejuvenating before they could be paraded before potential purchasers.
Slave traders would go to any lengths to hide the weakness of their slaves. Anuses were plugged with wadding, grey hair dyed black, mouths thoroughly washed out, body cleaned and oiled. Only then were planters allowed to look. Slave traders wanted the best prices for their slaves and were prepared to leave one island for another to secure higher returns. Perhaps for the slaves, the most terrifying form of sale was the 'scramble,' whereby family members and friends would be separated and sold separately.
It was not enough that planters have new slaves to augment their work-force; they also needed to change them to render them disciplined in the ways of the New World. The first thing was to give them new names. Re-naming involved an attempt to change a slave's identity, a denial of his or her former self, and offered both a convenience for white owners and conformation of their power.
In the British West Indies, new slaves, needless to say, were predominantly males. One-third of imported slaves died in their first 3 years in the West Indies. In the utterly new world, slaves even had to learn to communicate anew. Slaves soon realized how important it was to understand and be understood -- with the cracking sound of the whip.
As the slave ships approach the Americas, the routines of arrival were similar to those of the departure from Africa. The slaves had to be cleaned and prepared for sale, no mere task considering their wretched state. Demoralized, run-down and often sick, the slaves needed rejuvenating before they could be paraded before potential purchasers.
Slave traders would go to any lengths to hide the weakness of their slaves. Anuses were plugged with wadding, grey hair dyed black, mouths thoroughly washed out, body cleaned and oiled. Only then were planters allowed to look. Slave traders wanted the best prices for their slaves and were prepared to leave one island for another to secure higher returns. Perhaps for the slaves, the most terrifying form of sale was the 'scramble,' whereby family members and friends would be separated and sold separately.
It was not enough that planters have new slaves to augment their work-force; they also needed to change them to render them disciplined in the ways of the New World. The first thing was to give them new names. Re-naming involved an attempt to change a slave's identity, a denial of his or her former self, and offered both a convenience for white owners and conformation of their power.
In the British West Indies, new slaves, needless to say, were predominantly males. One-third of imported slaves died in their first 3 years in the West Indies. In the utterly new world, slaves even had to learn to communicate anew. Slaves soon realized how important it was to understand and be understood -- with the cracking sound of the whip.