SLAVE NARRATIVES - Library of Congress

3007
Ovr+rs, Ark.
OH) SLAVE STORIES
I Ah f m one UT dem ole timers # Ah been here since way back
I yonder* Fust thing ah kin member is a bad storm an mah ma put
1 ua us undah de baid* She wuz skeered hit would blow us away* Ah
l use tuh play till ah got bigger nuff tuh work* Ah member we use
tuh play runnin* We f d play walkin tuh.see which one UT US could
walk de fastest tuh de field tuh carry dinner* We use tuh jump
an we use tuh ride stick hosses an limbs offn trees*
Ole boss learnt mah pa how tuh make shoes an de way he
done: Dey kilt a cow an a deer an take dey hides an tanned dem*
De way he tanned hit wuz tuh take red oak bark an white oak bark
an put in vats* Dese vats wuz somethin like troughs dat helt
water an he put a layer uv oak ashes an or layer uv ashes an a
layer uv leather till he got hit all in an covered wid water*
Aftuh dat dey let hit soak till de hair come offn de hide den
dey would take de hide oft an hit wuz ready fuh tannin* Den de
hide wuz put tuh soak in wid de redoak baric* Hit stayed in de
water till de hide turnt tan den pa took de hide out uv de redoak
dye an hit would be a purty tan* Hit didn* have tuh soak so long*
Den he would git his pattern an cut an make tan shoes outn dat
tanned hide* We called dem brogans* We all wore shoes cause mah
pa made em.
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