Of course!! Why wouldn’t we? For years here in America, good ole’ U.S. of A, my ancestors worked the land. I’m not going to go deep into the torrid history of our ancestors’ enslavement in all of the Americas, but I will point out that the act of homesteading is not a new thing to us.
Unfortunately, when one thinks of homesteading what may come to mind is covered wagons, “Little House On The Prairie”, “Ma and Pa Kettle” – pretty much that homesteading is a “white” thing. But it’s not. People of all cultures and “colors” homestead in their own ways. I have discovered for one, black people played a huge role in settling the west as homesteaders. At the end of the Reconstruction era, many of our ancestors headed west to get out of the south. In doing so, many small “black” towns popped up in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. Homesteading was tough, and many left that way of life. But some hung in there. Go ahead and take a moment to read about “The Exodusters” and look up such people as George Washington Carver, Agnes “Annie” Morgan, and Bertie Brown. Below, you’ll find a couple of videos on Nicodemus, KS – a town full of rich history.
Now, let’s fast forward a little bit. Remember when I said our journey start just a couple of years ago? Well, in retrospect, I lied. Our journey was born into us. It was somehow coded in our DNA. See, my grandma on my mom’s side, Corinne, was an awesome seamstress. She taught me to sew my first skirt. I remember watching her sitting at her table sewing beautiful garments either for fashion shows, family, or even my dolls! If she wasn’t sewing she was cooking or baking. My gosh…those CAKES! I only managed to take away her banana pudding recipe and I’m so grateful I did. She also had a small garden in her back yard. She didn’t let me go back there much, but I remember seeing vegetables back there when I’d sneak a peak coming into the house. And my grandparents on my dad’s side, Granddaddy Frank and Grandma Margaret, had a farm. Acres of land held hogs, goats, chickens, fruit trees, a pond and timber as far as you could see. I still remember the smell of my Grandma Margaret’s biscuits and fresh smoke sausage from their farm raised hogs. They all are gone now, but here I am, with urges to let that same creativity and fortitude flow through me.
My husband, Antoine? Well, his family still lives on family land. They’ve gotten older now, so they no longer “pull da’baccah” (pull tobacco). But, it’s nothing to “go over to the field” and find “the sisters” – his great aunts – on warm days sitting outside under the shade tree shelling beans, or cutting okra, or cooking outside in a kettle. On cold days, you will certainly find the old wood stove heating up the house making the people in hell sweat. They have a pet chicken, Henrietta, that thinks it’s human while her counter parts stay in the back pen. The younger (our age) ones still go out and cut and stack wood, and can bring in coolers full of fish, and clean squirrel and deer like no one’s business. I promise you, if the proverbial SHTF happens, they won’t starve LOL! And that same know-how is in him too.
What’s unfortunate is how much we’ve, along with many like us, missed in spending time and learning from those like them. For years, we were told the way to a better life was through education. Our parents, grandparents, and beyond worked hard so that my generation could go to school to “get a good job”. And that we did! Many of us became teachers, lawyers, business people, doctors, engineers, administrators, politicians, and the like. We learned to navigate a world that was in many ways booby-trapped for us, yet wide open with more possibilities than our forefathers could have ever imagined for us. But doing so came with a cost.
As we moved away from our families, communities, out of the countryside, and other places to attend universities, many of us didn’t return. We left that life to start a new one in cities where the “good jobs” and housing were. In doing so, we lost touch with so much that helped sustain us – how to work the land, use God-given plants to heal ourselves, how to raise animals to nourish us, and how to use what we had to make a dollar out of fifteen cents -“a dime and a nickel” (some of you will get that reference 😉 ).
But now, there has been a reawakening. Many of us are desiring to get back to what “Grandma and Granddaddy” knew. What “Big Momma” and “Pawpaw” once understood. We’re coming back to learn the way that God designed for us to live – and it’s wonderful! Unfortunately, in social media, from what I’ve experienced, we don’t have a huge presence. When I look on YouTube and search for blogs there are very few of us out there showing what we know. We, here at Jireh Provisions, hope to fill that void and find others that we can shine the light on as well. We know you’re out there!
Thankfully though, we don’t have to go at this journey alone. A lot of searching lead us to find an awesome group on Facebook full of Black homesteaders in various stages. Some just starting in small spaces, and some having full fledged farms. It’s a beautiful (web)site to see. Finding them was like finding long lost friends when you needed them most. We’ve met a few older black farmers at the local farmer’s market and when we get a chance, we stop by and just shoot the breeze. We’re out here….we just have to look.
Is there much difference in how people of other cultures homestead? Probably not. But, there is something about seeking out the information that your lineage used to survive all these years – a sense of connectedness that we share. And I’m excited about that!
So, do you know of any Black homesteaders? Are their techniques any different than what you’re used to? That’s something I’m anxious to explore and share with you guys on this blog. Stay tuned!!