Yesterday, Nicole introduced herself to us. Today we're talking about Black Spiritualism and its role in her debut novel, The Spirit of Sweetgrass.An excerpt from the Spirit of Sweetgrass...
Gullahs are real respectful of the dead, and they want to make sure they go onto the afterworld, and don't come back for haunting. Back in 1939 when my grandma died, I can remember ma turning the mirrors in the house backward, facing the wall, so Gran's spirit wouldn't reflect.
Black spiritualism is the blending of old and new beliefs, traditions, practices into one harmonious spiritual belief system. Certain aspects can be borrowed from Protestantism, Catholicism, etc, yet traditional African spirituality remains. In Louisiana, there is a blend of Catholicism with African spirituality including aspects of the Voudon religion. Here in the Lowcountry, it’s a mix with Protestantism instead.
When I first started writing this book, I was soon after put on bed rest for some problems in my pregnancy. God put me in the capable hands of an African-American woman who had been a nanny and sweetgrass basket maker. She watched over me and my then one-year old daughter. I could not write, but found myself listening to her praises to Jesus.
The black community is fascinating to me in that spirituality spreads throughout ever facet of life—in speech, in family life, everything. I come from a background where spiritual things are not talked about very much except in church. If you do talk of such things you feel funny, people are uncomfortable. As a Christian, I want my connection to God to permeate every facet of my life, no matter how people look at me. This is my heart’s connection to the black community.
The black community is fascinating to me in that spirituality spreads throughout ever facet of life—in speech, in family life, everything. I come from a background where spiritual things are not talked about very much except in church. If you do talk of such things you feel funny, people are uncomfortable. As a Christian, I want my connection to God to permeate every facet of my life, no matter how people look at me. This is my heart’s connection to the black community.
How important is this religious thought to Essie Mae?
Essie Mae is a simple woman. She loves Jesus. She loves her family. She has a respect for her roots, both Gullah and Creole. She has a reverence for spiritual mysticism, understands the power of it, fears it at times. Ultimately, she puts her faith in God as her true power.
You cannot have Essie Mae in existence without her spirituality. Loving Jesus is who she is. Bringing that love to her family and friends is a natural extension.
How does Black spiritualism fit in our Christian worldview?
It’s hard for those of us who are not Black to understand how ancient beliefs and practices brought to America by African forefathers can coincide gracefully with Christian beliefs, but these are things embedded in the fabric of the black community. The one does not negate the other—loving Jesus Christ.
How much did orthodoxy played a role in your theme?
To be honest, I simply told Essie Mae’s story. I was not too concerned with rigidity to rules or orthodoxy in religion. Essie Mae is a “real” character. Things in her world as in ours are not “black and white”. There is much gray in this world. I explored some of these gray areas and allowed my imagination to soar.
Monday we will explore the Gullah people and the art of sweetgrass. If you have questions for Nicole, leave them in our comments section.
Monday we will explore the Gullah people and the art of sweetgrass. If you have questions for Nicole, leave them in our comments section.
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