Slides 11-15
The Black Pioneers of 1783 and 1812 had trained in various occupations during Colonial life. Other occupations developed from the natural resources of Nova Scotia and the needs of the people. Black Pioneers continued to use African traditions such as basket making and herbal medicine which they had practiced in Colonial America.
Slide 11
Chimney sweeps were vital to the security of the community against the threat of fire. Fire was a feared enemy of the settlers.
Slide 12
Blacksmiths made the community's nails, shod the oxen and horses, and made any metal objects needed by the community's homes and businesses.
Slide 13
Other trades and services needed by the community included: rope maker, shoe maker, sawyer, miller, tanner, painter, coachman, clothier, farmer, domestic mason, millwright, weaver, skinner, tavern servant, coachman, minister, medical doctor, midwife and teacher.
Slide 14
Black Pioneers built sailing ships for the cod and whale fishing industries. Black pilots and navigators kept the sailing vessels safe from reefs and other dangers. As fishermen and seamen, Black Pioneers contributed to the growth of the fishing industry and the prosperity of Nova Scotia. In Preston, Shelburne, Brindleytown and Weymouth, many pioneers fished for personal and community use to add to the food they produced on their farms.
Slide 15
Although Black Pioneers were skilled workers, they were unable to compete successfully for jobs against white former soldiers who were also looking for employment. In July 1784, disbanded white soldiers chased Black Pioneer workers from the town of Shelburne and burned their homes. This was Canada's first race riot. Desperate for work and an income when the promises of free land were not fulfilled, many free Black Pioneers had to become indentured servants to survive. This was a form of slavery.
Before the Black Loyalists came to the Maritimes many were enslaved people who had been trained from childhood to do heavy farm labour on American Colonial farms. Many were trained as skilled tradesmen through a system of apprenticeship.
Many Black Loyalists brought specialized skills and trades to Nova Scotia. Blacksmiths were very important members of a community. They made the nails and other metal objects used to build the community's homes and businesses. Skilled carpenters such as Col. Stephen Blucke and Boston King were able to build both ships and homes. Skilled Black coopers manufactured barrels to carry fish to the United States. Manufacturing barrels was a main source of wealth in Loyalist times. Many Black Loyalists who landed at Halifax stayed and obtained work as servants, labourers or tradesmen rather than face the risks and additional hardships of clearing land and starting a community from scratch.
Chimney Sweeping
Some Black Loyalists worked as chimney sweeps. Because most houses were built of wood, the threat of fire was always present.
Fishing
In Brindleytown, Black Pioneers had boats and fished in the Bay of Fundy. Birchtown and Preston area Black Loyalists joined large fishing vessels as crew members. Many were in demand throughout the Maritime provinces for their navigational skills. Those who were primarily farmers but who lived near the ocean, caught herring and mackerel for family and community use. The fish were usually pickled or smoked for the winter.
Herbal Medicine
The practice of herbal medicine and remedies came from both African and Native North American traditions. Black Loyalist Boston King had been a body servant for an English Captain and delivered messages through enemy lines during the War of Independence. Boston King's mother practiced herbal remedies which she learned from Native Americans on a Colonial farm. She brought her knowledge and skill in herbal medicine to Nova Scotia. Both women and men were herbalists.
Lumbering
A Black Loyalist named Cromwell was a partner with white entrepreneurs and started a sawmill in Weymouth during the founding of that community.
Military Service
In what is now the United States of America, during the War of Independence, Black Loyalists served in the British military. The British formed several Black cavalry troops of men who had been fugitive slaves. The Black Pioneer Corps were led by Black non-commissioned officers. Some Black Loyalists in the Colonies acted as guides and intelligence agents for the invading British officers. A few Black Loyalist women had served as laundresses for Loyalist military companies. Sir Guy Carleton, a leading British officer, had a valet of African descent. Other Black Loyalists served as seamen and pilots on coastal vessels, and as cooks, orderlies and waiters for the military in Loyalist communities.
Ship Building
Ship building was an important business in Shelburne. Many Black Loyalists worked at building boats for the whale and cod fishing industries around Shelburne and other Loyalist communities. Boston King was very industrious in this area.
Transfer Business
Rose Fortune, at the age of ten, came to Annapolis Royal, NS in 1783 with her mother and father. She was a very resourceful business person and community leader who started her own business moving trunks, boxes and carpet bags (suit cases) for travellers from the wharf to the community's hotels and homes. In time, Rose became Annapolis Royal's police constable. She kept order on the wharf, ensuring that travellers' belongings and cargo moved smoothly to their destinations. Rose made sure that travellers were awakened and on board their ships which were scheduled to leave in the wee hours of the morning with the high tide. Rose's transfer business was one of the longest in existence in Annapolis Royal. The business was handed down through the family for generations.
Other Occupations of Black Loyalists
Other occupations held by Black Loyalists include: rope maker, caulker, shoe maker, weaver, anchor smith, sail maker, sawyer, miller, tanner, skinner, painter, coachman, carman, medical doctor, minister, teacher, chair maker, gardener, farmer, tailor, clothier, baker, construction worker, tavern servant, liveryman, domestic, mason and millwright. The Black Loyalists brought many skills to Nova Scotia.
Occupations of the Black Pioneers of 1812
Many Black Refugees who settled in Nova Scotia in 1813 were semi-skilled agricultural workers and skilled tradesmen. Employment during the peak years of the War of 1812 was easy to find. However, by the autumn of 1814 the demand for semi-skilled Black labourers ended as white soldiers came to Nova Scotia and competed for work at the end of the War of 1812.
The Black Refugees of 1812 became very resourceful at using the environment to make a living. Many African traditions were passed down and practiced on Colonial farms and in Nova Scotia. These included broom making, basket making and herbal medicine. Many Black Pioneers who were not involved in lumbering and logging used the natural resources of the woods to make baskets and other items which were sold in markets.
Other skilled occupations included animal husbandry, bricklaying, carpentry and masonry. Those in Halifax and Dartmouth constructed much of the masonry needed to make Halifax Harbour a thriving port. They also helped to build government buildings which became sites of British political and economic power in North America.
Basket Making
Black Pioneer women used red maple, dogwood and tamarack vines to create baskets which were both beautiful and functional art. In the community of East Preston, one descendent of the Black Pioneers of 1812, Edith Clayton, was renowned as one of Canada's finest basket makers. She was strongly influenced by her mother's technique of basket weaving. Edith Clayton's baskets were sold in the public market in the City of Halifax, like her ancestors' before her. An exhibit of Edith Clayton's work was developed by the Art Gallery of Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS. Traditional baskets continue to be sold at the Halifax Market today.
Broom Making
Many Black Pioneers made brooms from readily available natural materials. Brooms were sold door to door and at public markets. Communities in Halifax County made their livelihoods by crafting withe brooms. These were sold to stables and out-buildings. Withe brooms were constructed by cutting a large handful of one metre lengths of bushy branches of witherod, alder or birch. Among broom makers, witherod was the preferred wood because of its strength and durability. The stalks were bound together with a traditional piece of withe or galvanized wire. The ends were cut even. The handle was usually made of poplar, a light weight wood which was stripped of its bark and shaved smooth. Spruce, fir and maple were also used to make broom handles.
In the village of Birchtown, brooms were made by taking a birch pole and whittling it so that one end was a loose set of thin pieces of wood which resembled a mop head. These were sold in the town of Birchtown for local use.
Cooperage
Both Black Loyalists and Black Pioneers of 1812 were skilled coopers. They had learned the art of barrel making on Colonial farms. The Allison's & Whiley's Cooperage was started by Black Pioneers in 1825 at Hammond's Plains. At this cooperage, fir and spruce were hauled to the mill by oxen to be crafted into barrels. Drums were made from birch; boxes from poplar and spruce; and hoops from maple and alder. Brooms, wheels and bobsleds were also made at the Allison's and Whiley's Cooperage.
Herbal Medicine and Midwifery
Herbal medicine and midwifery were practiced by the Black Pioneers of the 1800's because of their isolation from some medical services, and the effectiveness of midwives and of natural remedies for illnesses. It was difficult for doctors to travel from community to community, especially in emergencies or for the birth of a child. Midwives delivered the children and worked with travelling doctors to bring health care to homes. Herbal medicines, made from the natural resources of the environment were a basic medicine of the people.
Barbara Matthews, an herbalist who was born in 1837, walked from Shelburne to Yarmouth and beyond to peddle her home remedies and to offer her services as a midwife. One salve she prepared relieved the burns from salt water and exposure suffered by the fishermen in the area.
Natural remedy knowledge was brought to North American from the African tradition. The barks of many plants were boiled to make teas which relieved various illnesses. Additional natural healing ingredients in plants were also known to Native Americans who shared this knowledge with people of African descent. Teas were made of hemlock and boxberry, and were sweetened with maple sugar. Teas were mixed with wild ginger, ginseng, sarsaparilla, and plantain which had additional healing properties.
Some herbalists made a brew from sheep manure to cure colds. A chest cold was often treated with a mixture of goose grease and molasses. The mixture was heated, rubbed on a cloth and placed on the chest. A sprained ankle was treated with a plant called mountain leaf. The sprained ankle was bathed in water containing the plant. Mountain leaf was then wrapped around the ankle.
Hotel Business
In the Black community of Preston,William Dare ran the Stage Hotel. Joseph Howe and other dignitaries often stayed here.
Logging and Lumbering
The logging industries near every Black community in Pioneer times were a good source of income. Some Black Pioneer communities relied on forestry work more than others. One such community was Weymouth Falls where, in the 1800's, sawmills flourished.
Rivers and lakes were used to move heavy logs from the inland forests to the sawmills. These exciting log drives often involved fifty to sixty men working together to guide the logs from Grand Lake, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Lakes to Sissiboo River in the Weymouth area. The men stood on the floating, rolling logs all the way to the sawmill. This work was dangerous and the men wore special boots with cork soles to avoid slipping. Falling from a wet rolling log could mean instant death as the heavy logs crashed together.
Other Black communities which engaged in logging and lumbering in the 1800's include Lucasville, Upper Hammonds Plains, Greenville and Guysborough.
Mining
Many Black Pioneers found employment in the Montague gold mines of Halifax County.
Weaving
In Halifax, Mr. McLaughlin, a Black Pioneer, began a weaving enterprise to help employ the residents of Preston. The clothing they made was sold in Halifax at the Charity Bazaar.
Focussing Activities
1. Brainstorm a list of occupations and crafts in which Pioneers would have participated as they set up their communities.
Follow Up Activities
Review the slides and Background: Occupations of Black Pioneers carefully to develop answers to the following:
Blacksmithing
1. What services did a blacksmith provide to the Pioneer community?
2. Why was a
blacksmith important to the community?
3. What items did a blacksmith make?
4. What tools and raw materials are used in blacksmithing?
Carpentry
1. How important would a skilled carpenter be to a Pioneer community?
2. How could a
carpenter advertise to the community to obtain work?
3. What tools would a carpenter
use?
4. How did the Black Pioneers learn to be carpenters?
Chair Making
1. How might a Black Pioneer learn to make a chair?
2. What tools and materials did the Black Pioneers need to make a chair?
3. Where would a
chair maker obtain the raw materials for the work?
4. Do we still make chairs in the same
ways and with the same tools? What has changed and why?
Crafts, Medicines
1. What crafts and knowledge of natural remedies did the Black Pioneers bring to Nova
Scotia?
2. Why were natural remedies and hand made crafts important to the survival of a
community?
3. How did the Black Pioneers use the environment to survive? M
Fire Fighting
1. Why was fire a very real danger to Pioneer settlements?
2. What part did the Black
Pioneers play in helping to keep the threat of fires under control?
3. What rules did the
community set up about cleaning chimneys?
4. How do we protect our homes now from
fire?
Rope Making
1. How was rope used in the community?
Ship Building, Fishing, Trade
1. Black Pioneers learned to be ships' pilots and navigators.What do pilots and navigators
do?
2. Trade among communities helped each community to survive.With what
communities did Black Pioneer communities interact and trade? What goods and services were
exchanged?
3. What types of fish did the Black Pioneers catch?
4. Whales were a
necessary resource for the Nova Scotia Pioneer. What uses did they make of whales?
5.
Nova Scotia pioneers did not have freezers as we do today to preserve the fish they caught. How
did pioneers preserve fish?
6. During pioneer times, many Black Nova Scotians fished.
Today very few are involved in the fishery. What reasons might explain this?
Extension Activities
1. Kits on basket making and straw hat making may be borrowed the Nova Scotia Museum and demonstrated to the children. Gough, a Black Nova Scotian basket maker, could be to demonstrate the art of Black Basket making.
2. Research Edith Clayton's basket making in the African tradition. Develop a biographical, pictorial time line of Mrs. Clayton's life work. (Resource: The Story of Edith Clayton)
3. Which of Nova Scotia's native plants are used by herbalists to heal illnesses? Ask a pharmacist to discuss with the natural remedies for common illnesses.
4. Create a mural, a series of illustrations, or a tableau to depict the work and life of a Black Pioneer community. Invite another class to walk through this Pioneer Community.
5. Conduct an interview with a craftsperson of the Black community Nova Scotia who creates traditional crafts or who is pursuing a traditional occupation. How did the individual learn the craft or work?
6. Compare Nova Scotia's three main basket making traditions -- Mi' Kmaq, Black and European. (See Reproducible Activity Making Baskets.)
7. Many enslaved children of African descent were taught a trade or skilled craft through a system of apprenticeship. Using the listed resources at the end of this section and any additional library resources, the skills and work of a parti cular trade. Prepare a brief oral report about the trade. Illustrate your report with a series of drawings which show the of the trade and the work performed. Create a sign which would hang outside your shop or carry with you to advertise craft, trade and availability for work.
8. Select a particular pioneer craft or activity. Using the Activity Sheet Pioneer Crafts, draw pictures and describe words, how to make the pioneer craft or perform the activity . For example: Making a basket, making a stew over an open fire, caulking a seam on a boat, making a chair or bed, or knitting a sweater.
9. Read the book A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver and discuss Washington's inventive use of plants.
10. Health care is very important to all communities. What health care services did the people need and how was health care made available to people?
11. Rope Making
12. On the Sea
Aliki. A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver, n.p.: Prentice-Hall, 1965.
Blakeley, R. Phyllis and Grant, N. John. Eleven Exiles, Boston King: The Black Loyalist, Toronto: Ourdurn Press Ltd. 1982.
Clayton, Clifford. The Story of Edith Clayton, Halifax: The Halifax City Regional Library and Halifax City Continuing Education Department, 1992.
Deveau, Alphonse. Along the Shores of St. Mary's Bay, Volume 1, n.p.: n.p., n.d.
Garden, Joleen. From Slavery to Freedom: The Life of David George, Pioneer Black Baptist Minister, Hantsport: Lancelot Press, 1992.
Garden, Joleen. Withe Baskets, Traps and Brooms: Traditional Crafts in Nova Scotia, Halifax: Nova Scotia Museum, 1984.
Grant, N. John. The Immigration and Settlement of the Black Refugees of the War of 1812 in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Westphal: The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, 1990.
N.A.. Early Pioneers: A Heritage of Faith and Courage - Upper Hammonds Plains, n.p.: n.p., n.d..
N.A.. Traditional Lifetime Stories, Volume 2: A Collection of Black Memories, Westphal: Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, 1990.
Pachai, Bridglal. Beneath the Clouds of the Promised Land, Volume 1, Halifax: The Black Educators Association of Nova Scotia, 1987.
Pachai, Bridglal. Beneath the Clouds of the Promised Land, Volume 2, Halifax: The Black Educators Association of Nova Scotia, 1991.
Paris, Cherry. A Unclouded Day: A Brief Account of the Black Loyalist, n.p.: n.p.,n.d..
Parsons, Viola. My Grandmother's Days: Pioneer Life in Lucasville, Hantsport: Lancelot Press, 1988.
Piersen, D. William. Black Yankees: The Development of an Afro- American Subculture in Eighteenth Century New England, n.p.: The University of Massachusetts, 1988.
Robertson, Marion. King's Bounty: A History of Early Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Halifax: Nova Scotia Museum, 1978.
Walker, W. St. James. The Black Loyalist: The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone 1783-1870, New York: African Publishing Company, 1976.
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