Drinking Gourd Poetry Contest

sites.weinburg.northwestern.edu

In furthering my quest for information about drinking gourds, and Follow the Drinking Gourd, I came across a contest held at Northwestern University. It is too late for entries, but the emphasis is following the path to poetic freedom. The images on the logotype for the contest are a road and the star constellation, Big Dipper. Two simple, yet powerful images that reflect the song's purpose of being a map for escaping North.

Q: How common were dipper gourds among slaves? Among society at that time? The song and the story are anchored on the idea that drinking out of a gourd was commonplace. In fact, it was so commonplace that the connection to the constellation, Big Dipper, would not be detected by plantation owners?  Next search keyword combinations: gourds and slavery. slave gourd utensils, dipper gourd history and colonial slavery.