Our Peace: Follow the Drinking Gourd

Our Peace: Follow the Drinking Gourd. Memorial to the Enslaved. , In 2006, archaeologists discovered a slave cemetery at the site of a new subdivision on the former Ingleside plantation that once adjoined The Hermitage., This cemetery likely held the remains of the enslaved from not only Ingleside, but also Cleveland Hall, an adjacent plantation , both owned by nephews of Rachel Jackson., Anthropologists at Middle Tennessee State University studied the human remains from sixty burials excavated at the cemetery. The men, women, and children buried in this cemetery ranged in age from just over a year old to more than 45 years old. Buried in family groups, their bones spoke to the hardship of their lives and the cruelty of slavery. These individuals suffered from disease, malnutrition, arthritis, and injuries inflicted on them. Although we do not know their names, they have dramatically told us their forgotten histories., The Hermitage agreed to be the final resting place for these individuals because of their history with Rachel Jackson's family. To memorialize these enslaved people, The Hermitage commissioned this artwork. Funded by the Cracker Barrel Foundation, Our Peace stands as a memorial for these individuals while at the same time providing a place for everyone to reflect upon the continuing legacy of slavery., [Sidebar] , Aaron Lee Benson, Professor of Art, Sculpture and Ceramics at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, designed this memorial. He used Polaris, the North Star, and Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper constellation, as a central components to symbolize not only the navigation of the enslaved to freedom but also for ourselves to navigate towards peace in our own lives and our world. Below are Benson's thoughts about Our Peace. ,

Our Peace: Follow the Drinking Gourd, speaks to the truth that all peace begins at home in how we treat our neighbors. It makes reference to the reality that peace is a daily commitment to not only a way of thinking but of acting. True peace is a continual act of refining our positions, rethinking our beliefs, and committing to always do right as well as being willing to admit and correct wrongs. “Our Peace,” is meant to speak not only for The Hermitage but also for the broader audience of the great state of Tennessee. The circle of stones is symbolic of our unity of commitment to these beliefs. Stone is the one eternal medium that a thousand years from now will still speak clearly what we have decided is worthy of saying., Trees are the one thing at this historical site that transcend slavery, presidents, and human beings. Several of the trees at The Hermitage witnessed slavery, the abolition of slavery, and now these new trees have witnessed the election of our country's first African American president. The trees are laid out in the form of the constellation The Little Dipper, which contains the North Star. This star was the guiding hope for thousands of slaves seeking freedom., The final resting place of the 60 individuals is marked by a wall of stones. It dissects the piece as representational of how slavery and the civil war dissect the history of America., This sculpture was not conceived nor built to make a civil, political, cultural, or religious statement on slavery. It is proposed as a singular declaration of our greater hopes of a renewing of our faith in one another, and a simple but eternal reminder that we are one people, one race … the human race.

, Captions , (Top) This diagram shows a bird's eye view of Our Peace. The oak trees that run through the stone circle are in the shape of the Little Dipper. The rectangular band of stones marks the location of the burial. The oak tree within the smaller circle of stones represents Polaris, the North Star. , (Bottom) Perhaps no song is more closely associated with the Underground Railroad than Follow the Drinking Gourd. To follow the North Star was the message embedded in this spiritual; instructions are included in the song to follow the points of the drinking gourd (the Big Dipper) to the brightest star, which is the North Star, located at the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper., Follow the Drinking Gourd , When the Sun comes back , And the first quail calls, , Follow the Drinking Gourd. , For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom , If you follow the Drinking Gourd., The riverbank makes a very good road. , The dead trees will show you the way. , Left foot, peg foot, travelling on, , Follow the Drinking Gourd., The river ends between two hills, , Follow the Drinking Gourd. , There's another river on the other side, , Follow the Drinking Gourd., When the big river meets the little river, , Follow the Drinking Gourd. , For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom , If you follow the Drinking Gourd.