Times of the Islands Summer 2022

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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum Kwaw. When they made payment, he provided them with water and hospitality. Empirical data not only shows that no slave ships left the fort while under his occupation, but also shows that the Ahanta people in general dedicated much of the resources and resolve to maintaining African autonomy in the region. From the late 1680s to 1725, there are consistent complaints and reports about Ahanta warriors invading European-held slave trading posts as far east as Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle. Many sources have relegated the Ahanta General to a Prussian ally and the lynchpin of Prussian business in what was then the western Gold Coast. He is often erroneously referred to as a so-called “Prussian Prince.” Many sources also claim him to be a slave trader, typically without tangible evidence like trading records or the names of the vessels he supplied with captive Africans. What is interesting however, is the failure of Brandenburg Prussia to establish themselves in the Gold Coast as seen by some of their European counterparts. With so much military might and influence in the region, why did the Prussian’s slave trading operations fail? What the oral history of the Ahanta as well as their historical records shows is that they had a consistent run of anti-slavery leaders, with Jan Kwaw representing a quintessential example of an African hero, still ambiguously commemorated throughout the African Diaspora in the Western Hemisphere. If Jan Kwaw was indeed a Prussian ally, his efforts and unprecedented influence in the area would have established Prussia as a major slave trading force in the area. It is no coincidence that approximately 60 Prussian slave trading voyages took place on the opposite side on the eastern Gold Coast at the behest of their allies the Danish. The Ahanta Traditional Council identifies Jan Kwaw not only as a great and wealthy warrior, but the Minister of Defence for all Ahanta people and even later the early Ashanti Empire, settling at Kwadaso in the late 1720s after the Dutch were able to reclaim Fort Gross Fredericksburg. Part 2 will continue with how commemorations of Jan Kwaw came to the New World. To learn more about the research on Junkanoo and Jan Kwaw, follow Sankofa Flamingo on Facebook. a Christopher Davis is a historian and researcher at the Antiquities, Monuments and Museum Corporation (Bahamas) and founder of the Sankofa Flamingo This “modern day” celebration of Junkanoo in Grand Turk bears elements of the new and old. Foundation; Alex Kwofie is an Oral Historian and Tour Guide from Pokesu (Princess Town), Ghana; Angelique McKay, also known as the Junkanoo Goddess, is the founder of the Junkanoo Commandos, a group who is dedicated to bringing the celebration of Junkanoo to the world by way of presentations, workshops, and performances; and Dr. Michael Pateman is former Director of the Turks & Caicos National Museum and currently Curator/Lab Director of the AEX Maritime Museum on Grand Bahama. TURKS & CAICOS NATIONAL MUSEUM COLLECTION 66 www.timespub.tc
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum This 1964 photo shows the “salt raker” on the left using a toothed rake to break up salt crystals, while the man on the right is raking salt into piles using a solid rake. Shaking It Out The history of salt production in the Turks & Caicos Islands (Part II). Story & Postcard Images Courtesy Jeff Dodge Salt was the most important industry on the Turks & Caicos Islands for almost 300 years. Salt was of critical importance, not only for culinary purposes, but to preserve meat and fish. Since salt production involved so many people and occupied so much land, it would be a photographer’s obvious subject. Consequently, picture postcards made from early photographs of these islands included pictures of the salt production process. All the postcards included in this article were printed from photographs taken between 1905 and 1933. Times of the Islands Summer 2022 67
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