Africanisms

Colonoware dishes are thought to have African origins. This colonoware dish was found at Robinson House Farm mixed in with other store-bought dishes and pieces of cutlery. This shows the interplay of American and African cultures within the Robinson family.

One of the most interesting pieces of Africanism found at Robinson House was an African game known as Mankala. Believed to have Nigerian roots, the game board as well as these small stone game pieces were found. The “skills required to be a good Mankala player are cunning, vigilance, foresight, resilience, perseverance, discretion, memory, and self control.” Each of these would have also been needed to navigate in nineteenth century Virginia as an African American.

At the Nash site, the postbellum home of an African American family also within Manassas National Battlefield Park, archeological research uncovered what appears to be an African American church. Existing beyond the view of white society, this church established a blend of western, Christian traditions and African traditions. African quartz crystals and minsiki spiritual bundles, of which this bead is a part, were found at the site. It is possible that the Robinsons worshipped with their fellow African American neighbors at this site, keeping their African heritage alive through religion.