During the transatlantic slave trade, millions of people were forcibly taken from their homelands all over West and West-Central Africa. Each of these people brought with them their own stories as well as centuries of rich and complex traditions from their ancestral homelands. The founder’s Project details the foundation myths of nine of the dozens of ethnic groups ancestral to millions of Black people across the Americas.
Most of these legends took place between the 11th and 16th centuries when increases in trans-Saharan trade encouraged the expansion of states that had emerged during late antiquity. However, it is essential for us not to rely on a linear and monochronic view of time when interpreting these stories. Many of these legends blend together events from the spread of Islam in the 10th century to the emergence of West Africa’s earliest Iron age civilizations in the first millennium B.C.E and even further to ancient migrations deep in pre-history. Their descendants often deified the founders of these ancient dynasties in both Africa and the Americas. The stories I share with you now have been passed down through countless generations. To download the free PDF click the HERE .