landing alternatively written historic site georgia setting mass suicide captive people taken control slave ship refused submit slavery united_states event moral value story resistance slavery symbolic importance african american folklore literary history history captive west surviving middle passage landed captors savannah slave ship auctioned local slave markets ship enslaved passengers included number people nigeria known fiercely independent resistant slavery group slaves bought agents forced labor plantations slaves packed deck small vessel named shipped island sources voyage took place aboard voyage slaves rose rebellion taking control ship drowning captors process causing grounding site locally known landing following sequence events unclear versions concerning revolt development considered mythological apparently went ashore subsequently direction high chief walked creek singing language water spirit brought water spirit home accepted protection god death alternative slavery white nearby pierce butler plantation wrote contemporary accounts incident states soon landed took swamp committing suicide walking 19th century account event written identifies captain surname names person recovered bodies drowned letter describing event written savannah slave dealer states walked marsh drowned salvaged bounty hunters received head according sources survivors rebellion taken cannon historical context landing final scene events amounted major act resistance events enduring symbolic importance african american folklore literary history mutiny people referred freedom march history america centuries authorities considered accounts american research verified factual basis legend historical content site included historic resource county survey site bears official historical marker sewage disposal plant built historical site 1940s despite local opposition african americans site routinely visited historians tourists event recently incorporated history curriculum coastal georgia schools mythology folklore story slaves chose death life slavery recurring story taken deep roots african american folklore typical oral histories facts evolved time cases taking mythological aspects myth water walking elderly african american interviewed 1930s recorded saying heard landing place bring slave ship ain like start singing march right river march africa ain able gets typical telling events incorporating themes common myths related recorded west assessing situation resolved risk lives walking home water submit living death awaited american slavery tale tribes people ship group turned walked water traveling opposite direction arrival port took march west joined song reported sung hymn lyrics assert water spirits home versions story vary courage rebellion displayed enslaved myth flying popular legend associated known myth flying recorded oral sources 1930s members cases reputed grown wings turned flying home freedom africa african american born interviewed asked heard landing states ain heard time blue blue morning long whip whip good good got stuck field rose sky turned flew right africa everybody knows professor notes flying african probably historical roots collective suicide newly imported slaves group variously captives survived middle passage sold near savannah georgia small ship bound coast island enslaved cargo suffered rose confinement small vessel revolted crew forcing water drowned ship ran aground took marsh drowned act scholars understood deliberate collective suicide site fatal named fate gave rise distinctive regional folklore place reported haunting local people claim surrounding marshes haunted souls dead slaves legacy september simon african american heritage coalition organized day commemoration events related history procession site attendees came states nigeria belize haiti similar resistance taken place gathered designate site holy ground souls rest account curriculum coastal georgia schools representation media historical events pertaining slave escape associated myth inspired influenced number african american artists examples include nobel myth flying novel song solomon story book roots marshall novel widow inspired events context descendants feature film daughters dust directed contemporary artists integrated complete tale work include imagery love drought portion visual album beyoncé album said inspired daughters dust story
Igbo Landing