A Family’s Legacy: The Archaeology of W.E.B. Du Bois’s Home

Image of the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite (Source: W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite website)

 

Yesterday was the birthday of world renowned and influential sociologist, W.E.B. Du Bois.  If you have taken any sociology (or Black studies) courses you may have heard of W.E.B. Du Bois.  He is most notably remembered for his work confronting a variety of vitally important issues, such as racism, poverty, women’s rights, warfare, environmental degradation, and nuclear weapons.  He also advocated for education for all and civil rights for African Americans.  He is also known as a founder of various organizations and movements, including the Niagara Movement, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Pan-African Congresses. 

 

His professional accomplishments often overshadow his personal life, as well as the life of his family.  He was the descendant of several generations of African Americans who lived in rural New England.  In fact, his childhood home, the Black Burghardt family homestead, was gifted to him by members of the NAACP as a 60^th birthday present.  He intended on renovating the home, where he lived between the ages of 2 and 6, but ultimately, he never completed this project.  He ultimately sold the property before moving to Africa, and the home was subsequently torn down.  Several decades later two individuals purchased the property for the express purpose of memorializing W.E.B. Du Bois’s life and accomplishments.  Today, the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite is a National Historic Landmark, and various interpretative options are available to visitors to learn more about this accomplished man.  There have also been a series of archaeological investigations completed at the site, which have and continue to provide information about the livelihoods of the Black Burghardt family, maternal relatives of Du Bois, and glimpses into what life may have been like for rural African Americans of New England.  This blog post will discuss what is currently available about those livelihoods.

 

The archaeological investigations at the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite were conducted during the 1980s and early 2000s.  They were led by faculty and staff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst through field schools that enabled students to learn and practice archaeological excavation techniques.  Early excavations (conducted in the 1980s) relied heavily on non-invasive survey techniques, whereas later excavations (completed in the early 2000s) utilized cultural informants by way of community members who were involved in or witnessed the original preservation efforts of the home either by Du Bois or the two individuals responsible for promoting the conservancy of the site.  These individuals were also useful in pinpointing historical records and documents that the (faculty, staff, and student) researchers either were unaware of or had not previously considered.  Taken together, these methods have provided a rich background on the home and property, thereby providing directions for each archaeological investigation.

 

The initial investigations of the 1980s provided information concerning locations of specific structures that had previously existed on the site.  Currently, as was the case 40 years ago, there only structure remaining on the property is a collapsed cellar, so being able to recognize and locate other structures was important since there was no physical evidence of their existence.  More recent investigations have either supported or rejected those initial conclusions, as well as located additional aspects of the home and family’s life.  One new discovery was the presence of small agricultural plots adjacent to the family home.  It is unclear if these were gardens, which is the prevailing assumption, and what their specific purposes were (e.g., grow medicinal herbs or food).  Investigations into the use and purpose of these plots are ongoing.

 

The excavations also turned up a variety of artifacts, largely what would be expected at a site that was occupied for over 130 years.  There were a variety of utilitarian, architectural, personal, and nutritionally supportive items, which included glassware, ceramics, agricultural tools, and more.  There various types of ceramics, ranging from ornate to plainware.  The glassware artifacts showed an emphasis on medicinal products, such as various historically available medicinal products.  Personal hygiene products were also evident among the glass artifacts (e.g., Vaseline, Listerine, and hair products).  Glass was also used for food storage as a number of fruit storage jars and some alcoholic beverage containers were also discovered, although many of the latter items may have been dumped on the site by neighbors after the family left the area.  There were also several pieces of jewelry and other personal adornment items found throughout the investigations.

 

One of the more interesting artifacts was an assemblage known as a minkisi bundle, which is a container filled with spiritually important objects.  The assemblage was found in the house foundation and included a metal button with a six pointed star on it, a juvenile bear’s tooth, polished stone.  It is unknown who put the minkisi bundle in the cellar or why, but its presence provides greater insights into the family’s beliefs, as well as the greater beliefs and traditions of New Englanders.

 

Additionally, the historical investigations and artifacts provided a greater understanding of the daily life of the Black Burghardt family.  It was clear that the family had individual autonomy and choice regarding professions.  The family also hosted boarders who would rent rooms in the home.  Because Du Bois recorded his recollections of his childhood, coupled with the artifacts (based on type and location), the archaeological team was able to determine that not only did the Black Burghardt family reside on the property but also did two other families: the Freemans and Woosters.  In fact, a doll and several of those alcoholic beverage bottled were linked back to these families.

 

While the excavations may be completed the analysis of the artifacts and what they can tell us about the Black Burghardt family are not.  The information provided in this post is just a sample of what is currently known about the family, as well as the Freeman and Wooster families.  This information may also allow for greater interpretation of what life was like for African Americans in New England.  All of this and more is yet to be seen, however, but thus far the information that is known provides more information into the early years of W.E.B. Du Bois and his family’s rich history.

 

References

Paynter, R., Lynch, K., Norris, E., & Lewis, Q. (2008). Archaeology at the W.E.B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite. Amherst: University of Massachusetts .

The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area. (2024). W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite. Retrieved from W.E.B. Du Bois National Historic Site: https://www.duboisnhs.org/w-e-b-du-bois-homesite/

 

Endangered Language Profile: Gullah

   Video: A Story Told in the Traditional Gullah Language at the African American Heritage Day

 

For almost 350 years Africans from across central and western Africa were kidnapped and forcibly relocated to the Americas as part of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.  The number of Africans stolen from the continent is estimated to be in the millions, although only a fraction of those individuals actually made it across the ocean.  This is not an unknown or unfamiliar story to many readers, but it is central to the topic of today’s blog post: the endangered language of Gullah (also known as Geechee).

 

Gullah (aka, Geechee, but herein referred to as Gullah) is the name of both the ethnic group and language spoken by the descendants of enslaved Africans who settled along the coastal islands of the American south.  The Gullah resided on and continue to call the islands along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia home, although there are some who say that they also occupied areas along northern Florida.  These populations established their communities in these areas beginning in the 1700s, intermixing their unique cultural traditions, beliefs, and values from the various African nations they came from with English and other European languages and ways of life. 

 

The Gullah remained largely in isolation until the 1950s.  This was partially due to involuntary and voluntary factors.  The islands they resided on were difficult to get to, creating barriers to both entering and leaving the islands.  There were also strong prejudices against the Gullah and their language, both of which were labeled as “low class” or uneducated, leading to many not to reach out to the Gullah.  The Gullah also preferred the isolation as it enabled them to practice their culture and religion and speak their language free from prejudice and/or judgements.  This isolation fostered a unique culture and language that was shared and passed down through the generations among the Gullah, which remained largely unchanged until almost 75 years ago.  With the creation and construction of bridges, however, these islands were better connected to the mainland, leading to increased contact, and the changing economic landscape forced many Gullah to leave their ancestral homes.  This led to various cultural and linguistic changes.

 

While various linguists studied the Gullah language it is the pioneering work of Lorenzo Dow Turner that is considered the most influential.  This is because he was the first scholar to identify the African elements that were present in the Gullah language.  Linguists who had studied Gullah previous to Turner concluded that no such elements remained, and that the language was a broken and poorer version of English.   Turner’s work demonstrated that Gullah is derived from English by borrowing English words, but there exist strong connections in vocabulary and grammatical elements to various west and central African languages, including Mandinka, Fula, Mende, Vai, Akan, Ewe, Kongo, and Kimbundu.  This makes Gullah the only known and recorded American English creole language.  Furthermore, Turner’s work, which was completed throughout the beginning and mid-20^th century, documents the language prior to more consistent contact from mainlanders as Turner recorded various native speakers for his research.

 

Unfortunately, Gullah is considered an endangered language.  It is estimated that there are only several hundred native speakers left, although there are several thousand semi-speakers of Gullah.  For a long time younger generations showed little interest in learning Gullah, citing it as the language of the elderly.  There were also efforts by American educational institutions to discourage the speaking and learning of Gullah.  Additionally, because Gullah is largely an oral language it is difficult to learn if one does not have a native speaker available to teach it. 

 

These are challenges that are not without solutions, however, as the Gullah are taking various steps to preserve their language.  Younger generations are encouraged to learn the language to preserve it and the culture associated with it.  Gullah language and culture is richly steeped in oral history and storytelling, which has initiated a cultural festival wherein Gullah stories and language are shared through various art forms.  There remains hope that this language will not be lost through Turner’s and various other’s recordings, but the risk of extinction remains.  Hopefully the efforts of the Gullah themselves, as well as Gullah and non-Gullah scholars, does not allow that outcome to occur.

 

Works Cited

Campbell, Emory S. "Gullah Geechee Culture: Respected, Understood and Striving: Sixty Years after Lorenzo Dow Turner’s Masterpiece, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect." The Black Scholar (2011): 77–84. Print.

Endangered Languages Project. Gullah-Geechee, Endangered Languages Project. 2021. Electronic. 2 January 2024.

"Gullah." Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications (1975): 468–480. Print.

Kelley, Jason. "Lorenzo Dow Turner, PhD’26." University of Chicago Magazine November-December 2010. Electronic.

National Park Service. Low Country Gullah Culture Special Resource Study and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Atlanta: NPS Southeast Regional Office, 2005. Print.

Smithsonian Journeys. "Photo: Language and Storytelling Southern Style." Smithsonian Journeys 26 January 2010. Electronic.

 

Applied Anthropologist Profile: Dr. Leandris Liburd, Acting Director for the CDC’s Office of Health Equity

Dr. Leandris Liburd (Image Source: CDC)

 

Healthcare is a serious and essential aspect of people’s lives, but the reality is that not everyone has equal access to healthcare, let along quality healthcare.  There are various reasons for this, which include individual but also systematic barriers.  Medical anthropologists have been at the forefront of studying these factors, and one such medical anthropologist who has contributed a significant amount of time and research to this topic is Dr. Leandris Liburd, who is currently the Acting Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Office of Health Equity.  This blog post is dedicated to addressing her outstanding contributions and continued efforts in addressing and resolving healthcare disparities that exist in the United States.

 

Dr. Leandris Liburd has dedicated her education and career efforts to understanding and resolving health care inequities for underserved communities.  In 1980 she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Community Studies and Health from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.  She immediately entered graduate school at the University of North Carolina, where she enrolled in their Master of Public Health program.  She focused her work on health education/health behavior.  This enabled her to work at both the local and state levels as both a health educator and public health researcher.  In 1987 she joined the CDC.  Since then she has worked in various positions with the CDC her work has already followed a consistent theme: addressing health care inequities among underserved populations.  She has tackled these complex issues in various ways, from working in community health promotion, chronic disease prevent, research, and more.

 

She ultimately returned to graduate school in 2000.  She first earned her Master’s in cultural anthropology and immediately followed that up with a PhD in medical anthropology, both from Emory University in Atlanta.  From here she began to take on more leadership positions within the CDC, first serving as a Branch Chief (before completing her doctorate) and eventually moving into the position she currently serves: the Acting Director of the CDC’s Office of Health Equity.  She earned this distinguished position through her hard work and previous experiences leading other areas of the CDC, again with the community health and health inequities perspectives at the forefront. 

 

Her dedication to her research and work has been honored numerous times over the decades.  She has received multiple awards from the CDC and top medical programs and institutions from across the nation.  She was honored for her work in diabetes awareness and prevention, addressing healthcare inequities and disparities, distinguished service, and more. 

 

She has no plans in stopping as she continues to do the work that must be done in providing greater and equitable access to healthcare across the United States.  She is credited in leading the agency’s work concerning minority health, health equity, and women’s health, using data driven approaches and identifying the agency’s vision in addressing these issues to better the health outcomes for minorities across the nation.  Additionally, it was her efforts that led to the expansion of programs to train the next generation of healthcare professionals as she was integral in the implementation and growth of two important CDC programs: Lewis Scholars Program (formerly the CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program) and the James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Graduate Fellowship.  Taken together, her work has been instrumental in drawing much needed attention to healthcare disparities, as well as finding solutions to closing those gaps.  While they are not yet closed there are no doubts that her efforts will help lead to a successful conclusion in short order and over subsequent generations.

 

Bibliography

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, February 21). Office of Health Equity (OHE): Leandris Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/leaders/ohe.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About Dr. Liburd. Retrieved from Conversations in Equity, CDC: https://blogs.cdc.gov/healthequity/about-dr-liburd/

Emory University. (2022). Leandris Liburd, Adjunct Associate Professor. Retrieved from Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University: https://sph.emory.edu/faculty/profile/index.php?FID=leandris-liburd-8947

Liburd, L. (n.d.). Biographical Sketch. CDC Conference.