ABSTRACT
African settlers in Florida taught the Creek Nation run-aways, the “Seminoles,’ methods for rice cultivation. Native peoples taught recently arrived black folks all about the many uses of corn. The sense of union and harmony with nature expressed is echoed in testimony by black people who found that even though life in the new world was “harsh, harsh,’ in relationship to the earth one could be at peace. Growing food to sustain life and flowers to please the soul, they were able to make a connection with the earth that was ongoing and life-affirming. Recalling the legacy of ancestors who knew that the way they regard land and nature will determine the level of self-regard, black people must reclaim a spiritual legacy where the people connect their well-being to the well-being of the earth. Collective black self-recovery takes place when the people begin to renew their relationship to the earth, when they remember the way of their ancestors.
