Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"

by Zora Neale Hurston

Overview

A major literary event: a never-before-published work from the author of the American classic Their Eyes Were Watching God that brilliantly illuminates the horror and injustices of slavery as it tells the true story of one of the last known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade—abducted from Africa on the last "Black Cargo" ship to arrive in the United States.

In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation’s history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo’s firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States.

In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, the African-centric community three miles from Mobile founded by Cudjo and other former slaves from his ship. Spending more than three months there, she talked in depth with Cudjo about the details of his life. During those weeks, the young writer and the elderly formerly enslaved man ate peaches and watermelon that grew in the backyard and talked about Cudjo’s past—memories from his childhood in Africa, the horrors of being captured and held in a barracoon for selection by American slavers, the harrowing experience of the Middle Passage packed with more than 100 other souls aboard the Clotilda, and the years he spent in slavery until the end of the Civil War.

Based on those interviews, featuring Cudjo’s unique vernacular, and written from Hurston’s perspective with the compassion and singular style that have made her one of the preeminent American authors of the twentieth-century, Barracoon brilliantly illuminates the tragedy of slavery and of one life forever defined by it. Offering insight into the pernicious legacy that continues to haunt us all, black and white, this poignant and powerful work is an invaluable contribution to our shared history and culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538519301
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/08/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. She was the author of four novels (Jonah's Gourd Vine, 1934; Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937; Moses, Man of the Mountain, 1939; and Seraph on the Suwanee, 1948); two books of folklore (Mules and Men, 1935; and Tell My Horse, 1938); an autobiography (Dust Tracks on a Road, 1942); and more than fifty short stories, essays, and plays. She attended Howard University, Barnard College, and Columbia University, and graduated from Barnard College in 1927. She was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama, and grew up in Eatonville, Florida. She died in Fort Pierce, Florida, in 1960. In 1973, Alice Walker had a headstone placed at Hurston's grave site with this epitaph: Zora Neale Hurston: "A Genius of the South."

Deborah G. Plant is an African American literature and Africana studies scholar and literary critic whose special interest is the life and works of Zora Neale Hurston.

Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic's Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors' unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.

Date of Birth:

January 7, 1891

Date of Death:

January 28, 1960

Place of Birth:

Eatonville, Florida

Place of Death:

Fort Pierce, Florida

Education:

B.A., Barnard College, 1928 (the school's first black graduate). Went on to study anthropology at Columbia University.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Those Who Love Us Never Leave Us Alone with Our Grief: Reading Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" Alice Walker xi

Introduction xv

Editor's Note xxix

Barracoon

Preface 3

Introduction 5

I 17

II The King Arrives 25

III 33

IV 37

V 43

VI Barracoon 51

VII Slavery 59

VIII Freedom 65

IX Marriage 71

X Kossula Learns About Law 77

XI 83

XII Alone 91

Appendix 95

Takkoi or Attako-Children's Game 95

Stories Kossula Told Me 96

The Monkey and the Camel 101

Story of de Jonah 103

Now Disa Abraham Fadda de Faitful 106

The Lion Woman 107

Afterword and Additional Materials Edited Deborah G. Plant

Afterword 117

Acknowledgments 139

Founders and Original Residents of Africatown 145

Glossary 147

Notes 155

Bibliography 171

"In Search of Zora Neale Hurston" Alice Walker 175

Readers' Guide 203

More Zora Neale Hurston 207

Editorial Reviews

A profound work that shows a writer in the process of gathering a landmark story.

Garden &Gun

[Hurston] is most beloved for her novels…but she was also a gifted folklorist, and the qualities that distinguished her are on display in this early work: her patience, persistence and charisma; her ability to read her subjects; her tact. She has an unerring instinct of when to push Lewis—and when to slip away and leave him to his memories…The details [Lewis] shared with Hurston are indelible.

The New York Times - Parul Sehgal

★ 03/26/2018
This previously unpublished manuscript from Hurston (1891–1960) is a remarkable account of the life of Kossola, also known as Cudjo Lewis, the last survivor of the last American slave ship. Before writing Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston was working as an anthropologist in 1927 when she traveled to Plateau, Ala., to interview 86-year-old Kossola. Returning to Plateau in 1931 for three months, Hurston documented Kossola’s life story in this short manuscript, whose brevity disguises its richness and depth. Consisting primarily of transcriptions from their conversations, Kossola recalls his capture in Africa, the Middle Passage, his five and a half years as a slave, the Civil War, the struggles following Emancipation, and the terrors after Reconstruction (his son was killed by a deputy sheriff in 1902). Kossola was 19 years old when he was sold into slavery; thus, his accounts of folkways and traditions (e.g., the decapitated heads hanging from the belts of the Dahomian warriors who captured him) offer more graphic and personal immediacy than other surviving narratives of the slave trade, like those of Equiano or Gronniosaw, who were small children at the time of their capture. While Hurston acknowledges that her account “makes no attempt to be a scientific document, but on the whole is rather accurate,” Kossola’s story—in the vernacular of his own words—is an invaluable addition to American social, cultural, and political history. (May)

Publishers Weekly

One of the greatest writers of our time.” — Toni Morrison

“Zora Neale Hurston’s genius has once again produced a Maestrapiece.” — Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple 

“Short enough to be read in a single sitting, this book is one of those gorgeous, much too fleeting things...Brimming with observational detail from a man whose life spanned continents and eras, the story is at times devastating, but Hurston’s success in bringing it to light is a marvel.” — NPR

“A profound impact on Hurston’s literary legacy.” — New York Times

“With its historically valuable first-hand account of slavery and freedom, Barracoon speaks straight to the 21st-century world into which it has emerged—almost a century after it was written.” — Lily Rothman, Time

“Though both Hurston and Lewis are long gone, Hurston’s account of the former slave’s life serves as a timely reminder of our shared humanity—and the consequences that can occur if we forget it.” — People

“Barracoon and its long path to print is a testament to Zora’s singular vision amid so many competing pressures that continue to put us at war with ourselves.” — Huffington Post

“[Barracoon’s] belated publication of her phonetic transcription offers spine-chilling access to one of modernity’s great crimes, an atrocity that, when described by a victim, suddenly becomes far less distant.” — The Guardian

“Zora Neale Hurston’s recovered masterpiece, Barracoon, is a stunning addition to several overlapping canons of American literature.” — Tayari Jones, Washington Post

“Zora Neale Hurston has left an indelible legacy on the literary community and commanded an influential place in Black history.” — Essence

“A posthumously-released work of acclaimed Harlem Renaissance-era writer Zora Neale Hurston offers a chilling firsthand look at the horrors of the slave trade.” — Vibe

“An invaluable addition to American social, cultural, and political history.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Sure to be widely read.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Barracoon is a testament to [Zora’s] patient fieldwork” — Vulture

“Barracoon is an impactful story that will stick with you long after the final page.” — Parade

“A profound work that shows a writer in the process of gathering a landmark story.” —  Garden & Gun

“Barracoon is a powerful, breathtakingly beautiful, and at times, heart wrenching, account of one man’s story, eloquently told in his own language. Zora Neale Hurston gives Kossola control of his narrative— a gift of freedom and humanity. It completely reinforces for me the fact that Zora Neale Hurston was both a cultural anthropologist and a truly gifted, and compassionate storyteller, who sat in the sometimes painful silence with Kossola and the depth and breadth of memory as a slave. Such is a narrative filled with emotions and histories bursting at the intricately woven seams.” — Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Here Comes the Sun

“That Zora Neale Hurston should find and befriend Cudjo Lewis, the last living man with firsthand memory of capture in Africa and captivity in Alabama, is nothing shy of a miracle. Barracoon is a testament to the enormous losses millions of men, women and children endured in both slavery and freedom—a story of urgent relevance to every American, everywhere.” — Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Life on Mars and Wade in the Water

“Barracoon is a piece of the puzzle we didn’t know we were missing. Ms. Zora has captured through the lens of Cudjo Lewis a glimpse into what the slave trade, Middle Passage, and first steps onto American soil meant for millions. The narrative of Cudjo reminds us of the faith and hope that got us here despite it all.” — Michael Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene

“[Zora’s] newly published book, released for the first time 87 years after it was written, will shed new light on the author as a historical chronicler.” — Quartzy

From the Publisher

[Barracoon’s] belated publication of her phonetic transcription offers spine-chilling access to one of modernity’s great crimes, an atrocity that, when described by a victim, suddenly becomes far less distant.

The Guardian

Zora Neale Hurston’s recovered masterpiece, Barracoon, is a stunning addition to several overlapping canons of American literature.

Tayari Jones

One of the greatest writers of our time.

Toni Morrison

With its historically valuable first-hand account of slavery and freedom, Barracoon speaks straight to the 21st-century world into which it has emerged—almost a century after it was written.

Lily Rothman

Barracoon and its long path to print is a testament to Zora’s singular vision amid so many competing pressures that continue to put us at war with ourselves.

Huffington Post

A profound impact on Hurston’s literary legacy.

New York Times

Short enough to be read in a single sitting, this book is one of those gorgeous, much too fleeting things...Brimming with observational detail from a man whose life spanned continents and eras, the story is at times devastating, but Hurston’s success in bringing it to light is a marvel.

NPR

Though both Hurston and Lewis are long gone, Hurston’s account of the former slave’s life serves as a timely reminder of our shared humanity—and the consequences that can occur if we forget it.

People

Zora Neale Hurston has left an indelible legacy on the literary community and commanded an influential place in Black history.

Essence

Zora Neale Hurston’s genius has once again produced a Maestrapiece.

Alice Walker

Zora Neale Hurston has left an indelible legacy on the literary community and commanded an influential place in Black history.

Essence

Barracoon is a piece of the puzzle we didn’t know we were missing. Ms. Zora has captured through the lens of Cudjo Lewis a glimpse into what the slave trade, Middle Passage, and first steps onto American soil meant for millions. The narrative of Cudjo reminds us of the faith and hope that got us here despite it all.

Michael Twitty

A profound work that shows a writer in the process of gathering a landmark story.

Garden & Gun

That Zora Neale Hurston should find and befriend Cudjo Lewis, the last living man with firsthand memory of capture in Africa and captivity in Alabama, is nothing shy of a miracle. Barracoon is a testament to the enormous losses millions of men, women and children endured in both slavery and freedom—a story of urgent relevance to every American, everywhere.

Tracy K. Smith

Barracoon is a powerful, breathtakingly beautiful, and at times, heart wrenching, account of one man’s story, eloquently told in his own language. Zora Neale Hurston gives Kossola control of his narrative— a gift of freedom and humanity. It completely reinforces for me the fact that Zora Neale Hurston was both a cultural anthropologist and a truly gifted, and compassionate storyteller, who sat in the sometimes painful silence with Kossola and the depth and breadth of memory as a slave. Such is a narrative filled with emotions and histories bursting at the intricately woven seams.

Nicole Dennis-Benn

Barracoon is an impactful story that will stick with you long after the final page.

Parade

Barracoon is a testament to [Zora’s] patient fieldwork

Vulture

A posthumously-released work of acclaimed Harlem Renaissance-era writer Zora Neale Hurston offers a chilling firsthand look at the horrors of the slave trade.

Vibe

[Zora’s] newly published book, released for the first time 87 years after it was written, will shed new light on the author as a historical chronicler.

Quartzy

A profound work that shows a writer in the process of gathering a landmark story.

 Garden & Gun

Barracoon is a piece of the puzzle we didn’t know we were missing. Ms. Zora has captured through the lens of Cudjo Lewis a glimpse into what the slave trade, Middle Passage, and first steps onto American soil meant for millions. The narrative of Cudjo reminds us of the faith and hope that got us here despite it all.

Angela Flournoy

Hurston returned several times, aiming to write a book about the man–called Kossola, with a variety of spellings, or Cudjo Lewis–but never found an interested publisher. Even as she became an esteemed writer, his story stuck with her. His yearning for home, undimmed by time, was wedged in her mind. Now, about 90 years later, the book she had wanted, a nonfiction account of her interaction with a man who lived a vanishing history, has finally been released with great fanfare as Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo.”

TIME magazine

A man who lived across one century and two continents, Kossola’s life was marked, repeatedly and relentlessly, by loss: of his homeland, of his humanity, of his given names, of his family. For decades, his full story, from his perspective and in his voice, was also lost, but with the publication of Barracoon, it is rightfully restored.

Smithsonian

★ 10/15/2018
Versatile, seasoned narrator Robin Miles is as comfortable narrating literary historic context as she is effortlessly adopting the vernacular patois of an octogenarian former slave. Published almost 90 years after its completion, Hurston's (Their Eyes Were Watching God) presentation of Oluale Kossula, the last survivor of the final U.S. slave ship Clotilda, appears now with an illuminating introduction by scholar Deborah G. Plant. Kossula was enslaved in 1860 at 19 for five years and renamed Cudjo Lewis; her experiences after emancipation continued to be difficult and tragic. Hurston's interviews became a delicate process requiring multiple visits from New York to Alabama over four years, punctuated by shared peaches, watermelons, ham, and blue crab. With patient tenacity, Hurston immortalizes Kossula's words into cultural, anthropological, historical, and political testimony; Miles ensures readers will faithfully and accurately hear every word. That said, missing on audio is Alice Walker's foreword, which is included in print; Walker is credited with posthumously elevating Hurston from obscurity. VERDICT Libraries will want to enhance availability of this best seller by providing easy access to Miles's superb performance. ["A brief book that tells a significant story; for fans of Hurston and African American and world history": LJ 5/1/18 review of the Amistad: HarperCollins hc.]—Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

Library Journal - Audio

Zora Neale Hurston’s previously unreleased work offers a rare glimpse of the experiences of the last surviving person to have been taken from Africa, brought to the United States as a slave, and then freed. Capturing the dialect, accent, and intonation of Cudjo Lewis, then living in Alabama, presents a challenging task for narrator Robin Miles, who must deliver one of the integral aspects of Hurston’s work: a reconstruction of Lewis’s African and Southern accents. Miles’s rendition is well done, with clear, deliberate diction that places appropriate emphasis on Lewis’s emotional reactions. Also included is an introduction to Hurston’s work. Traditional music at transition points sets the mood of the rural South. S.E.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2018 Best Audiobook, 2019 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

MAY 2018 - AudioFile

Zora Neale Hurston’s previously unreleased work offers a rare glimpse of the experiences of the last surviving person to have been taken from Africa, brought to the United States as a slave, and then freed. Capturing the dialect, accent, and intonation of Cudjo Lewis, then living in Alabama, presents a challenging task for narrator Robin Miles, who must deliver one of the integral aspects of Hurston’s work: a reconstruction of Lewis’s African and Southern accents. Miles’s rendition is well done, with clear, deliberate diction that places appropriate emphasis on Lewis’s emotional reactions. Also included is an introduction to Hurston’s work. Traditional music at transition points sets the mood of the rural South. S.E.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2018 Best Audiobook, 2019 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

MAY 2018 - AudioFile

2018-03-06
A newly discovered work of anthropological and historical reportage by the canonical African-American writer.Cudjo Lewis (c. 1841-1935), originally named Kossola, was enslaved in America for five years. An Isha Yoruba from the town of Bantè, he arrived in Alabama as the Civil War was stirring. A student of the pioneering ethnologist Franz Boas, Hurston (Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-Tales from the Gulf States, 2001, etc.) conducted a series of interviews with Lewis toward the end of his life, in 1927, who, on learning of her interest, said, "Thankee Jesus! Somebody come ast about Cudjo! I want tellee somebody who I is, so maybe day go in de Afficky soil some day and callee my name and somebody say, ‘Yeah, I know Kossola.' " The initial manuscript, a scholarly article, fell into disrepute when, in the 1970s, scholars discerned that it borrowed heavily from existing literature. This fuller manuscript derives from Hurston's original fieldwork, so that there is no question of plagiarism. Editor Plant observes that in the work, Hurston "was engaged in the process of actualizing her vision of herself as a social scientist and an artist who was determined to present Kossola's story in as authentic a manner as possible." That authenticity includes rendering his words in patois. While Hurston writes that even though Kossola's account is not strictly historical, it serves "to emphasize his remarkable memory." That mark of the griot, or West African traditional storyteller, is evident as Kossola recounts moments of resistance, as when enslaved women rose up against a vicious overseer: "dey all jump on him and lashee him wid it. He doan never try whip Affican women no mo'." Such episodes, including one in which Kossola tried to convince his former owner to give the manumitted slaves some of the land on which he worked, are historically valuable indeed, while his renderings of biblical stories and West African folktales are of ethnographic interest.We are fortunate to have this late work of Hurston's, which is sure to be widely read.

Kirkus Reviews