Trading Cloth for Humans?

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with author, Catherine McKinley, where we found ourselves talking about cloth and trade.

After explaining my research on the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) trade agreement to her and my focus of its impact on African economies, in particular vis-à-vis the textiles and apparel sector, she then began sharing with me the importance of cloth in African culture as well as in the history of trade.

Part of this discussion included her sharing with me that during the time of the slave trade, her research revealed that cloth had been traded for humans in quantities as small as two (2) bolts of fabric. 

I cringe at the thought of what the duty rate in the tariff would have been on the life of a human, however, with the US abolishing the trans-atlantic slave trade just a handful of years after the first tariffs came into being, I have been unable to locate any data to share here.

In her most recent book, “Indigo,” which came out last year, Catherine discusses this valuable dye and describes its historic significance.  The book has been described by Amazon.com as:

"For almost five millennia, indigo - a blue pigment obtained from the small green leaf of a parasitic shrub - has been at the centre of turbulent human encounters, prized by slave traders, religious figures and the fashion world. Indigo is the story of this precious dye and its ancient heritage: its relationship to slavery as the 'hidden half' of the transatlantic slave trade, its profound influence on fashion, and its spiritual significance, which is little recognized but no less alive today. It is a richly told story, brimming with electrifying tales of those who shaped the course of colonial history and world economy. But this is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley's ancestors include a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan, several generations of Jewish 'rag traders' and Massachusetts textile factory owners, and African slaves who were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase human life. Her journey takes her to nine West African countries and is resplendent with powerful lessons of heritage and history."

For more information on how to obtain your own copy of this book, click here.  I'm looking forward to reading my copy!

Questions/comments?  Post below or email me at clark.deanna@gmail.com