ABSTRACT
Memories are not all of pastoral picnics (Schama, 1995, p. 18). Maurice Halbwachs argues that memory is socially constructed, that is, it is only retained in groups or communities of people (1980). For events to withstand the test of time there must be a mutual sharing of information about such events, otherwise memories die. Memories do not exist apart from the social milieu of their mnemonic community. Being social creatures, humans experience the past collectively (Zerubavel, 1996). Few studies have explored the historical relationship of African Americans to wildlands, and how the collective experience and memories influence a contemporary African-American wildland ethic (Taylor, 2000). We focus on African-American impressions of wildlands because these landscapes form a significant part of Americans' core identity. Empirical studies indicate a significant difference in the way African Americans and whites interact with America's wildlands (Gramann, 1966). An understanding of African-American collective memory may well provide insight into why these differences exist.
