Flo-oral history #1 - Hagar - Canada

Flo-oral histories are the fictionalized and lovingly recreated voices of women who lived before our time. I call them "flo-oral" (flor'al) histories because they are,like flowers or a floral bouque, the skeletal voices of beautiful women. They are the voices of strength and power; they are our ancestors; they are our role models; they are our inspiration; and they are our guiding lights.

The writer of flo-oral histories prepares for the writing of these stories by reading research that covers the anthropological and sociocultural aspects of these women's lives. History books tended to capture the names of some women, but on the whole the details of their lives were ignored. Due to the circumstances that privileged one gender over the other, the writers of history were often men. Consequently, the voices of women were silenced and their amazing contributions to society overlooked.

Flo-oral histories are an attempt to give these women back their voices; they are a verbal archealogical dig into the annals of history; they are a forward motion in an attempt to uncover the invaluable threads and bridges that link us to the past. They give women a boost to their identities; and they give men a looking glass for equality.

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Research: book for reference
Bristow, P., Brand, D., Carty, L., Cooper, A.P., Hamilton, S., Shadd, A.
"We're Rooted Here and They Can't Pull Us Up," Essays in African Canadian Women's History

Link to We're rooted here and they can't pull us up

Writers's purpose

"We are six Black women who share a collective concern that the history of Black people in Canada and of Black women i particular is missing from the pages of mainstream Canadian history. Black people in Canada have a past that has been hidden or eradicated, just as racism has been deliberately denied as an organized element in how Canada is constituted."

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Introduction:
In my search for women in North American history, I entered Canada in the 18th century. As I looked around; as I read about the period I met Hagar. She was owned by a Malachy Salter and was well known in their household for her hearty and deliciously spiced home cooking. Hagar worked long hours in the Salter household and prayed daily for the life of her son, Jack. Jack was a young man who spent his time angrily claiming his humanity in one way or another. His antics often put him in harms way. His master, the sadistic Salter, gave him a beating almost every day. I roamed around the era and eventually Hagar agreed to speak to me.

Yaari: Hagar, I am working with my students on collection stories of women. I found your name and decided to interview you about your life here in Canada. Tell me a little about yourself.

Hagar: Well Yaari life is hard. I've been working for the magistrate and his family since I was a young girl. When I'm cooking I hear him and his wife talking about justice and fairness and I stand there thinking about the many beatings this man has given me. His wife doesn't even try to stop him when she hears the screams from the others.

Yaari: It sounds like hell Hagar. What are the challenges you face as a woman in this position?

Hagar: I used to live in fear of the master and the other men because I knew that he could decide any day to come to my bed. And now that I have children I pray twice as hard for them. After they sold my man away from me, I grew hard and strong. I told myself I could do anything as long as they don't sell my children or me. Keeping us together is my one goal.

Yaari: I hear you're having some trouble with your son. What is the trouble all about?

Hagar: OOOhhh, keeping him alive and on this plantation is my biggest challenge. He's willful and stubborn. He hates the life he sees me living and as he gets older he's becoming more rebellious. The master beats him almost every day because he's always breaking the rules and he is always leaving the fields. My heart vibrates with anger and it cracks when I see them tie him to the post and beat him until the old scars bleed. The rage wells up; I want to kill the master for his cruelty and I want to beat Jack because I am scared for him, but I want to love him and hold him close because he's trying to protect his mother.

Yaari: Hagar, how do you protect yourself and your son under these circumstances?

Hagar: Oh girl, I try not to think about these things. If I did all the time, I'd go mad. But, now that I think on it, I live with a deep belief in God. I pray for better days. I do all that I'm told to do because I can't afford no trouble while I have these children with me. As it is I know that they're thinking of selling Jack so I must find a way to get him out of here. I'm going to miss my boy something terrible, but I can't watch them cut him to pieces and I can let them sell him to another plantation. I prefer to let him run North and never see him again than watch them sell him.

Yaari: Hagar, thanks for talking to me.

Conclusion:
My interview with Hagar was the beginning of the stories. As she related her experiences to me, my admiration grew. I wondered how she could be so calm, so in control of her emotions, so patient with the situation. I realized that in order to keep her sanity and for the sake of her children, Hagar reached into her inner self and gathered all of her strength. She fed on that strength for the lives of her children.