Quilt in slave quarters
Evening in the Highlands by Charles Leslie, ca. 1860
Drunkard's Path design
Cossroads design
North Star design
Flying Geese design
A
From the National Cryptologic Museum,
Freedom
Quilts and
Freedom
Songs
Copyright 2010 Dennis Oliver
Glasgow
The efforts to liberate slaves required coded
communications. Letters among abolitionist safe
houses, 'conductors' and slaves spoke of 'merchandise'
to be picked up or delivered. On the plantations, the
apparently innocent activities of quilting and religious
singing hid the preparations for self-emancipation.
Contact Dennis Oliver regarding his innovative ways of introducing the coded communications that
enabled travel on the "underground railroad" - resulting in thousands freed from slavery. These
presentations can be targeted at specific audiences. info@hisland.co.uk
The "drunkard's path" design was displayed from a safe house, telling
escapees that they had better vary their path, to avoid capture.
The "crossroads" design was used to indicate an important destination on
the road to freedom - such as a town or port allowing access to Canada.
The "north star" gave the direction from slave states to the relative
safety in a northern state - and the ultimate safety to be found in
Canada. Fleeing slaves most often travelled at night, to avoid detection.
Or they could follow the "flying geese" during the day.
Our multi-media presentations draw upon the original illustrations, poems and
songs used to support both the pro and anti slavery causes. We reveal how the
so-called "Negro Spirituals" were really coded calls to be ready for an escape to
freedom. The chariot in "Swing low sweet chariot" meant a wagon was going to
be provided along their escape route.
Hisland loves the Highlands
Carts and wagons were called "chariots" in the
singing code of the so-called 'black spirituals.' We
explain the very specific meaning behind "Swing
Lo, Sweet Chariot" and other songs.
FLASH! Dennis Oliver has received a
generous grant from the Coates
Foundation Trust, enabling the production
of a quilt with Underground Railroad
designs, by quilter Jay Stewart. Illustration
(left) slave codes quilt displayed in the
National Cryptologic Museum, Ft. George G.
Meade, Maryland, USA.
Robbie Burns: "The Slave's Lament"
Example Quilt from the Norwich
Quakers 2007 "Secret Quilts"
exhibition "
Sojourner Truth:
self-emanicpated slave
and abolitionist with a
powerful use of the
spoken word and song.