Black History Month
The Cotton Boll
Gossypium herbaceum
Gender: Feminine
Element: Earth
Planet: Moon
Gender: Feminine
Element: Earth
Planet: Moon
The impact of this plant is boundless. How much do you know about it?
We’ve all undoubtedly heard about slaves picking cotton so their owners could become wealthy and live extravagant lives, and the devastating impact that continues to this day. If you have any doubt, read The Black Tax : The Cost of Being Black in America, by Shawn D. Rochester, described in the Chicago Press as "one of the most important books of our times. It describes how the tax system functioned in the past and continues today to be a key generator of racial injustice and inequality."
How much do we know about the actual plant? This is a very brief overview. My hope is it will entice you to learn more about this herb and how it impacted, and continues to impact, the lives of generations.
How much do we know about the actual plant? This is a very brief overview. My hope is it will entice you to learn more about this herb and how it impacted, and continues to impact, the lives of generations.
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Woodman, Harold D., King Cotton and his Retainers, Lexington, University of Kentucky Press |
The boll is the casing that protects the seeds of the plant. It has been used since prehistoric times. It is native to Africa, North and South America, Australia and India.Remnants of cotton in copper beads have been found in 5500 BC. Textiles from cotton were used in China, Egypt and India hundreds of years BC.
The growth of slavery in the United States in the antebellum south was central to the growth of agriculture. Plantation owners relied on the knowledge about growing and harvesting crops (cotton, tobacco and rice), that enslaved African Americans brought with them from their experiences in their native countries. “The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primary of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the Unites States from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominately in the south.” Slavery in the United States by Charles Ball.
Even after the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, many freed slaves remained in oppressive relationships because of lack of means to escape the cycle, and continued to work under dire conditions picking cotton.
In the early 1920s, over production, along with the destruction caused by the boll weevil resulted in a crisis in the cotton industry.
The growth of slavery in the United States in the antebellum south was central to the growth of agriculture. Plantation owners relied on the knowledge about growing and harvesting crops (cotton, tobacco and rice), that enslaved African Americans brought with them from their experiences in their native countries. “The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primary of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the Unites States from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominately in the south.” Slavery in the United States by Charles Ball.
Even after the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, many freed slaves remained in oppressive relationships because of lack of means to escape the cycle, and continued to work under dire conditions picking cotton.
In the early 1920s, over production, along with the destruction caused by the boll weevil resulted in a crisis in the cotton industry.
Black History Month - Herbal Contributions and My Story
An ancient and extensive compilation of herbal contributions.
In my most recent newsletter, I mentioned that my current information about Black History was very limited. When I created my Enhancing Your Life with Herbs course, I was introduced to the Eber’s Papyrus. It is just one small perspective on the global contributions of black history.
So often when we think of Black History, it begins with the what we know, and don’t know, about slavery in America. Black contributions began long before those horrors began.
Let’s broaden our perspective and look at Black History through a broader lens!
So often when we think of Black History, it begins with the what we know, and don’t know, about slavery in America. Black contributions began long before those horrors began.
Let’s broaden our perspective and look at Black History through a broader lens!
The Eber’s Papyrus was written in about 1500 BC but is believed to have been copied from earlier text. It is a 110 page scroll which is about 20 meters long - a little over the length of a bowling alley lane.
The scroll was found between the legs of a mummy in the Valley of Tombs near Luxor in 1874. It was purchased at Luxor (Thebes) in the winter of 1873/1874 by Georg Eber and is currently kept at the library of the University of Leipzig in Germany.
The document lists 876 remedies derived from over 500 plants. At the time, there was no awareness of bacterial or viral infections. All human suffering was thought to be caused by the gods. The Egyptians had two approaches to medicine:
1.) practical, much like our current scientific method and
2.) magical, using amulets, incantations and spells.
The document includes references for both the practical and the magical. There is information on anatomy, with a strong focus on the heart and cardiovascular system, including an entire section called the Book of Hearts. Physiology and toxicology are included. There are recommendations for using salves, balms and medicinal cures. There are recommendations for treating depression and dementia. Pregnancy, contraception, and reproductive health are addressed. If the practical applications didn’t work, the next step was to use spells, incantations and religious approaches to healing.
Studying the Eber’s Papyrus can provide us with significant insights into the healing properties of plants. We are indebted to the research and knowledge that have provided a base for many of the preventions and cures plants provide today.
The scroll was found between the legs of a mummy in the Valley of Tombs near Luxor in 1874. It was purchased at Luxor (Thebes) in the winter of 1873/1874 by Georg Eber and is currently kept at the library of the University of Leipzig in Germany.
The document lists 876 remedies derived from over 500 plants. At the time, there was no awareness of bacterial or viral infections. All human suffering was thought to be caused by the gods. The Egyptians had two approaches to medicine:
1.) practical, much like our current scientific method and
2.) magical, using amulets, incantations and spells.
The document includes references for both the practical and the magical. There is information on anatomy, with a strong focus on the heart and cardiovascular system, including an entire section called the Book of Hearts. Physiology and toxicology are included. There are recommendations for using salves, balms and medicinal cures. There are recommendations for treating depression and dementia. Pregnancy, contraception, and reproductive health are addressed. If the practical applications didn’t work, the next step was to use spells, incantations and religious approaches to healing.
Studying the Eber’s Papyrus can provide us with significant insights into the healing properties of plants. We are indebted to the research and knowledge that have provided a base for many of the preventions and cures plants provide today.
"Those about to study medicine, and the younger physicians, should light their torches by fires of the ancients.”
~ Rokitansky
My Story
Growing Up with Nefertiti in an Integrated School in the 1950s
The original bust of Nefertiti is part of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin collection.
When I was about nine years old, Mother brought a bust of Nefertiti home, placed her on our mantel and proudly announced that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. We accepted that as fact - why wouldn’t we? Look at her! We were delighted to have her in our home and it only recently occurred to me that having a statue of Black art in our home was unusual for a white family in the 1950s.
Let me back up a bit and explain why this was so particularly unusual in my experience. I was born in Greencastle, Indiana. Until I moved to West Virginia, where my dad taught calculus in at West Virginia Institute of Technology, an engineering college, I had only seen one person of color. He was a Black man and he shined shoes.
When I was in third grade, we moved to West Virginia. I’ll never forget how excited my dad was as he described what would be our new town. “You’ll meet people from all over the world. There are international students who attend the college.” He and my mother later became advisors to the International Club, and the students occasionally came to our home. “You’ll meet Mama Leoni! She makes spaghetti every Sunday and everyone is welcome!” I had never met an Italian. “One of my best friends is a geologist from Russia.” I had never met a Russian. “The town is about half white and half Black. You’ll all go to the same school.” I had never attended school with anyone who didn’t look like me. I’m not sure when the school opened or became integrated. My experience there began in 1958.
Note: It was November 14, 1960, when six-year-old Ruby Bridges began her journey of desegregating William Frantz, an all white school in New Orleans.
At the time, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to be transported to a community where racial differences weren’t an issue. We accepted each other. People from other towns were bussed in to try to antagonize us and convince us to segregate in the early 1960s. We weren’t interested. We genuinely liked each other.
In a Time magazine article in 1955, West Virginia’s efforts for desegregation were second only to Missouri.
Let me back up a bit and explain why this was so particularly unusual in my experience. I was born in Greencastle, Indiana. Until I moved to West Virginia, where my dad taught calculus in at West Virginia Institute of Technology, an engineering college, I had only seen one person of color. He was a Black man and he shined shoes.
When I was in third grade, we moved to West Virginia. I’ll never forget how excited my dad was as he described what would be our new town. “You’ll meet people from all over the world. There are international students who attend the college.” He and my mother later became advisors to the International Club, and the students occasionally came to our home. “You’ll meet Mama Leoni! She makes spaghetti every Sunday and everyone is welcome!” I had never met an Italian. “One of my best friends is a geologist from Russia.” I had never met a Russian. “The town is about half white and half Black. You’ll all go to the same school.” I had never attended school with anyone who didn’t look like me. I’m not sure when the school opened or became integrated. My experience there began in 1958.
Note: It was November 14, 1960, when six-year-old Ruby Bridges began her journey of desegregating William Frantz, an all white school in New Orleans.
At the time, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to be transported to a community where racial differences weren’t an issue. We accepted each other. People from other towns were bussed in to try to antagonize us and convince us to segregate in the early 1960s. We weren’t interested. We genuinely liked each other.
In a Time magazine article in 1955, West Virginia’s efforts for desegregation were second only to Missouri.
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Despite the federal ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, May 17, 1954, integration was met with immediate opposition from some people, especially in the south. In 1955, Time magazine reviewed the status of desegregation efforts in the 17 Southern and border states, grading them from "A" to "F" as follows - see chart.
West Virginia had an A-. |
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My father died in 1963 and we moved to central Pennsylvania where I learned about the river’s geographic divide. We had the white shore and the Black shore. Fortunately, by that time my appreciation for diversity was engrained.
Our journeys have shaped who we are and what we believe. I’d love to know how your journey has shaped your perceptions. Please comment below if you have a story to share!
As we begin Black History Month in 2024, I’m acutely aware of how fortunate I have been. But almost daily I’m reminded of how limited my understanding is of the contributions of Black people. I’ll be making a focused and concentrated effort to learn more. I hope you’ll join me.
As we begin Black History Month in 2024, I’m acutely aware of how fortunate I have been. But almost daily I’m reminded of how limited my understanding is of the contributions of Black people. I’ll be making a focused and concentrated effort to learn more. I hope you’ll join me.