by Sarah Lark
Nonetheless, in the history of the Caribbean, just as in the southern United States, there were very few slave revolts and only a small minority of blacks attempted to flee — even if the destination was as relatively easy to reach as the Blue Mountains. One can only speculate about the reasons for this, and they were certainly complex. The slave population on a plantation, for example, was subject to a fast turnover of labor. The life expectancy of a field slave was extremely low and the almost non-stop, taxing labor certainly would have drained them of the energy to take risks, let alone explore escape possibilities. Furthermore, there were language barriers, as already mentioned in the book: in Africa there were and are a variety of tribal languages, and the slaves came from the most diverse areas of the continent. So, the Pidgin English that newly arrived Africans had to learn at great effort — often not only as a means of communicating with the backras, but also as the only way for the blacks to understand each other — might simply not have been enough for the planning and coordination of an uprising.
It is certainly no coincidence that nearly all of the slave revolts on record were led by men who were at least second-generation slaves. The African-born Granny Nanny and her brothers are the exception in this instance. And lastly — as was also addressed in the novel — it must be taken into account that when it comes to the slave trade, good and evil can’t be compared with black and white. Only few slave traders captured the human cargo themselves. The vast majority of the new blacks were purchased from tribes like the Ashanti, who deliberately went about their manhunts near warring tribes. At the same time, the captains of the slave ships had no scruples taking the traders and their goods alike — here Nanny and her bothers are the victims of such messy business practices. And if a Dogon or Mandingo then found himself in chains next to an Ashanti slave trader, he would have been more likely to feel a sense of Schadenfreude, than the urge to unite with his former hunter, even if they did have a common enemy.
As in all of my books, I have attempted, in Island of a Thousand Springs, to connect the fate of my fictional protagonists as consistently as possible with the actual history of the setting. I tried to authentically portray life on the plantation — although the plantations mentioned: Fortnum’s, Hollister’s, Keensley’s, and others — are all fictional. I researched the history of the Maroons in as much detail as possible. Granny Nanny and her brothers are historical figures; however, the information about her age, early history, and even her death, varies greatly, and different sources make her a decade younger or older. I helped myself with it by leaving a lot open in this book, and to some extent played with the rumors around Nanny’s biography. No one knows today exactly whether she was a priestess and herbal healer, if she was a staunch opponent to slavery, or if she even dealt with slaves as a young woman.
The only certainty is that Granny Nanny opposed signing the peace treaty with the whites longer than her brothers — possibly because it stipulated that escaped slaves had to be returned to their masters. To this day, she is celebrated as a national heroine in Jamaica.
There is no question that the huts in Nanny Town were built based on the ones in Africa, and that Nanny led the community like an Ashanti village. However, we don’t know whether or not her apparent search for her roots actually led to conflicts with the other groups among the Maroons — that idea is my own. After all, the blacks who were born free had been living without a connection to Africa for generations — in terms of standard of living and thinking, they would have inevitably oriented themselves by Western conditions.
Apart from the geographical conditions, the entire written history of Nanny Town is confusing. Depending on the source, there is highly diverse information about when it was built, how often it was attacked, and when, and if, the British eventually destroyed it. At some point, I gave up trying to find out the truth. In my version, Nanny remains undefeated until the conclusion of the treaty in 1739 — and finally signs the contract herself. Among historians, this is also disputed, and the signing ceremony certainly did not take place in Spanish Town. In this instance, I let my imagination and my story run free — my apologies to the historians.
The existence of Muslims among the slaves in Jamaica in the eighteenth century is based on conjecture rather than certain knowledge — the last thing that the planters kept on record was the original religion of their fieldworkers. In the areas where the Africans were captured, however, there were many communities that followed a moderate, very African-influenced Islam. It is unlikely that none of its followers were stranded in Jamaica. It is certain that Muslim slaves arrived at the time in question and later in America. Alex Haley’s well-researched family history, Roots, is recommended to those who are interested. His ancestor Kunta Kinte was also Muslim.
The Obeah cult, which is practiced to this day in Jamaica and was extremely popular among the slaves at the time of my story, is closely related to the voodoo of other Caribbean territories. Both religions more or less connect African cults and the belief in spirits with major elements of Christianity. The practices are always similar, but the details often differ from one priest to another. Thus, the Obeah ceremony that I have described is not necessarily identical with every other Obeah or voodoo ceremony, although I have also tried to be authentic as possible.
Lastly, a word about the politically incorrect language used in this book. There may be readers who are disturbed by the usage of the words “Negro” and “nigger” in the dialog. I have used it deliberately — the intention was to convey the attitudes revolving around the topic of slavery in Europe in the eighteenth century as precisely for readers as possible. The trade of black people, the exploitation of their labor, and the assumption that they were inferior by God’s decree were not controversial at the time. In fact I have stretched the authenticity of the plot with Nora and Simon’s consistently negative attitudes toward slavery, and even Doug’s moderate stance once he becomes head of the plantation. Religious movements that damned slavery, such as the Quakers, only later gained any influence.
It is also in no way fictional, that there were already agreements between the Maroons and the whites to return runaway slaves to their owners before Granny Nanny and her brothers. They did not see it as a betrayal of their own race, as the principle of enslaving prisoners, mainly prisoners of war, was known and disseminated throughout the world. However, the system was nowhere nearly as characteristically impenetrable and cruel as it was in the European colonies — probably due to its relatively new racist component. In Africa (Polynesia, Arabia, even previously in Rome and Greece) everyone at least had to theoretically expect to be enslaved as part of combat, thieving, and raids. The slaves were not considered inferior in principle, but simply had bad luck.
As such, in almost every society there was a possibility for slaves to buy themselves free, be released or, for example, to be accepted into their masters’ tribal community through marriage. For the black slave in the hands of the white backra, all of that disappeared; he was completely and utterly at his master’s mercy for life — and it was easy for the master to do away with any empathy: the color of his skin protected him from eventually sharing the same fate as the slaves. This then resulted in the abuses and draconian punishments described in the book — there was little chance of putting a stop to the white slave owners. In the few historically documented cases in which an extreme sadist was actually held accountable, most of the other planters resorted to vigilante justice. Nonetheless, in the mid-eighteenth century, no one was concerned with the more or less derogatory manner in which one referred to the blacks. Even the Pidgin of the slaves was peppered with expressions like “field nigger,” or “your nigger” for “your husband.”
As I have shown, weddings among the slaves were not really possible, and the ceremonies performed instead, such as jumping over a broom, had no legal meaning. Baptising of slaves was controversial, as indicated already in the book. There had been serious discussion about whether or not Africans had souls in need
of saving or not.
In working on this book, my fabulous copyeditor, Margit von Cossart, saved me from comma and time-period errors. Many thanks for all of the recalculating and beating out the logical blunders! Additional thanks to my editor, Melanie Blank-Schröder, who first made the Jamaican theme possible and — along with Margit von Cossart — kept me from being politically incorrect. And, of course, many thanks also go out to my miracle-working agent Bastian Schlück.
Among my workshoppers, I’d like to mention Linda Belago, in particular, for a brilliant idea that saved a critical scene. Her first novel is coming out soon, which I am looking forward to reading.
Further thanks must go to all of the staff at Bastei Lübbe who took part in the creation and distribution of this book. From the cover design to the press office — just having an idea and a manuscript doesn’t make a proper book! Special thanks to the distributors and booksellers, who bring my novel directly to the reader. And also to the readers themselves — I hope you have just as much reading my stories as I do writing them!
Sarah Lark
What did you think?
We’d love your opinion! How did you hear about Sarah Lark? What was your favorite part about the story?
Please let us know by leaving a comment or a rating where you purchased this ebook. Your feedback helps us to deliver the best products for you. Happy reading!
