inhabited by black and white strangers. Up to
then they had been Yoruba, Dendi, Nupe, or
Fon, with different languages and cultures.
At that moment they became Africans. Identi-
fying with a continent was as alien to them as
it was to Europeans. But they embraced their
new identity with pride, regardless of others’
contempt. Noah Hart, enslaved on Timothy
Meaher’s plantation, recalled that they looked
fierce, yet they never threatened the African
Americans on the plantation or quarreled
among themselves. Acting as a group, they
“wouldn’t stand a lick” from whites or blacks.
Several times they engaged in collective acts of
resistance, unafraid of the consequences.
When Meaher’s cook, Polly, slapped one ofthe duties on his “imports.” Timothy Meaher
awarded himself 16 males and 16 females; Burns
took 20 of the captives, including Kêhounco;
and James Meaher took Kossola and seven of
his companions. Foster received 16 individu-
als, among them Abile (Celia Lewis). Each per-
son bought for $100 in Ouidah was now worth
$1,000, and once acclimated could be sold for
$2,000, or $60,000 in today’s dollars.
BONDS OF KINSHIP
THE NEXT PHASE of the shipmates’ tribulation
was their entry into the savage plantation world
58 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC