Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-02-11
Nv OLD-rIME NnGR0 DANCE.


Negroes ffrought from Africa and
CrenIe Negroes.
The following is from George W.
Cables illustrated paper, III the February
GeHtg1y, accompanied by the music of
the Creole dances 1t was weird one.
The negro of colonial Louisiana was Il
most grotesque figure, He was nearly
naked. Often his neck and arms, thighs,
shank5 and splay feet were shrunken,
tough, sinewy like monkey'd. Some
times it was scant diet and cruel labor
that had made them so. Even the re-
quirement of law was only that be should
have not less than barrel of eoyn-noth-
ing else-a month, nor get more than 80
lashes to the "a hours. The whole world
was crueler those times than now; we
must not judge them by our own.
"Often the slaves attire was only n
| cotton shirt, or n pair of pantalceLs
| hanging in indecent tatters to his naked
waist. The bond-woman was well clad
who had on as much as n coarse chenise
and pjtticoat. TO add tignon Ia
| Madras handkerchief twisted into a
turban-was high gentllity, and the mum
Der of kercbiefs beyond TINT one was the
measure of absolute wealth. Some were
rich in tignons; especially those who
served within Me house, and pleased
the mistress, or even the master-there
We're Hagars in those days. However,
| Congo Plains did not gather the house
servants SO much as the field hands,
These came in troops. See them
| wilder than gypsies wilder than the
Moors and Arabs whose strong blood and
features one sees at Il glance in SO many
Of them; gangs-ns they were called
gangs aud gangs of them, from this and
that aud yonder direction tall, well-knit
Senegalese from Cape Verde, black at
ebony, with intelligent, kindly eyes and
long, straight, shnpely noses; Mandingoes
from the Gambia river, lighter of color. o
cruder form, and cunning that shows il
the countenance whose enslnyemen
seems specially shame, their nation til,
merchants of Africa, dwelling in towns
industrious, thrifty, skilled in commerce,
and husbandry, and expert in the working
OF metals, even to silver and gold; AM
Foulahs, playfully miscalled .Poulards, =
fat chickens of goodly stature, and will
n perceptible rose tiut in the cheeks; IN,
Sosos, famous warriors, dexterous with tn
African targe;and in contrast to these witt
small ears, thick eyebrows, bright eyes
fiat, upturnud roses, shining skin, Wild
mouths and white teeth, the negroes Of
Guinea, true and unmixed, from the golt
coast the slave coast, and the Cape o.
Palms mot from the grain coast; the
English had that trade. See them come
Popocs, Cotocolies, Fidas, Socoes, Agwas
short, copper-colored Mines-what havoc
the slavers did make and from interior
Africa others equally proud and warlike
fierce Nagoes and Ponds; tawny Awassas
Ihoes, so light-colored that one could no
tell them from mulattoes but for thei
national tattooing; and the half
civilized and quick witted but ferocioul
Arada, the original Voudou worshiper
And how many more For here come
also, men and women from all that great
Congo coast Angola, Malimbe, Ambrice
&c, small good natnredsprightly boys,
aud gay garrulous gals thick Tipped
but not tattoed; chattering, chaifering
singing, and guifnwing as they come
these are they for whom the dance ant
the place are named the most numerou
sort of negro in the colonies the Congoe
and Franc-Congoes. and though serpen
worshipers, yet the gentlest and kindlies
natures that came from Africa. Such wa
the company. Among these bossals--
that is, native Africans-there was, o
eourse, an yer-growing number of negroe
who proudly called themselves Creol
negroes, that is, born in America and Il
the present time there is only here am
there an old native African to be me
with, vain of his singularity anj
trembling on his staff