Monday, September 12, 2016

The Warrior Within: a trip to the International slavery Mueseum

Going to the International Slaver Museum was an Eye opening experience. There was so much history in those rooms that there were many times when I had to sit and think everything that was in the museum and how it all has led to me being where I was. I have nothing but gratefulness after visiting, In this assignment I will be reflecting on the trip in a story. for the class. 

The Warrior Within
As I walked through the museum I couldn't hep but think what story would be told of, if it were the future and the it was stumbled upon this exhibit. It came to me that they would see the different objects that caught my eye and think to themselves that the people that were enslaved were a strong people. From the women to the men to the children the first thing they will see is their culture. The art work that was created in the time before they were treated like cattle. These Strangers will look at their craftsmanship and know that these were very skilled people. The doors were carved from trees and stone each of the designs that was a representation of the status of the family. The more intricate the better the status of the family. The culture is deeply rooted within in the ground that surrounded them and just like the door is deeply carved in the wood, the culture of the people is carved deep within them. Their true nature was not to be captive people, not to be treated as cargo, property, or animals. They were warriors, princes, mothers, daughters, queens and kings and this does not change even if you are put into captivity.  

The warrior spirit was so strong that there had to be a way in order to break that soul. We talked about how when enslaving a people it is common practice to hold power over them in every way possible and in order to break the warrior spirit they had to show that they held power over the African slaves. One way that they did that was through the art work. On the vase below there is a picture of a slave that is serving the master. Having pictures, scriptures and a society built upon white supremacy is one of the ways the masters kept the slaves in the slave mentality. This repetition of how the master is better than the slave is how they broke the warrior spirit within the slaves and they were able to have control over them. Of course there were other ways they broke the spirits of the slaves like beating them into submission and embarrassment in front of other slaves.  


Even within captivity their warrior spirit was not completely broken  or gone. They learned to preserve it and to keep it within themselves. Through the hard times they drew from the strength of the warrior to help them fight on when it seemed like they could not fight anymore. This replenished their being giving them hope and a fighting spirit that they used to get their freedom later in history. The guest will come across the video section and they will hear the stories of the slaves trying to escape. This will be a testament of their strength at the end of the video they will hear the lady say "We were Africa in the beginning, we will be Africa in the end."  This phrase means that no matter what they go through they will always be true to who they are. This is a key phrase to the whole exhibit, this shows the warrior spirit to the fullest. They will fight to preserve their identity.
  This is even seen in modern times through the people that are not inhabitants of America. They hold close to the traditions and the the history of their people to show honor to the ancestors that have come before. They keep the warrior spirit going and living within themselves and the history of their lives. This is key for moving forward, staying true to the culture that many have tried to strip away and change.
This is the story that any visitor will gain from visiting the museum a story of survival, strength, and courage. They will truly find the Warrior within.

1 comment:

  1. Josh--yes--warriors. Fighters, craftsmen, artists, teachers, lawyers, presidents. There is more of Africa in American culture than white people want to admit...

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