Black Canada & the journey to freedom

Several things about Geoff Davies' article Exhibit illustrates slave trade's place in Maritime history are noteworthy, especially the quote from John Hennigar-Shuh, manager of development and partnerships at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic:

"There was for years a sense that the Maritime heritage of this province was owned by old white guys with beards," Hennigar-Shuh said.

“This exhibit helps us to underline for everyone who comes here that our history is diverse and marvellously complex, and is something that belongs to all of us.”

The exhibit features a beautiful freedom quilt, which is pictured in the article, made by the North Preston Senior Citizens Club.

Exhibit panels are available in the online version of the exhibit in .pdf; the exhibit is also available in French, En Route vers le Nord: Le voyage vers la liberté des Noirs du Canada.

From National Geographic

I enjoyed reading Simon Worrall's article, Made in China, in the latest issue of National Geographic magazine. The concept of 'the maritime silk road' was new to me--and fascinating! The story of the shipwreck and its recovery is also engaging, as are Tony Law's photographs, which include that of the oldest intact cobalt-blue-and-white ceramic from China ever discovered.

If you're reading the article on their website, be sure to click over to the Photo Gallery: U.S. Marine Protected Areas. Like everything on their site, navigation is easy, even it takes a while for the page to load--it's worth the wait.

Replica trading raft

I read the Science Daily article about Professor Dorothy Hosler and her students' building of a raft to replicate those used in pre-Columbian Pacific trade with interest. (My interest was sparked by reading Charles Mann's excellent book, 1491: new revelations of the Americas before Columbus) I wanted to learn more--frankly, I wanted to see photos.

In the May 13, 2009 issue of MIT's Tech Talk are photos of the raft's test on the Charles River. (It's on the last page.)

The raft still has some more tests to undergo, but the article reports that so far it performed very well!

Top 10 expatriate tales

The Guardian has a new top ten list, Malcolm Pryce's top 10 expatriate tales. The article opens with a mention of Pryce finishing his first novel on a cargo ship, coloring the whole list with the air of a sea voyage.

The list is wide-ranging, but of particular interest is no. 4, The Discovery of Tahiti; a journal of the second voyage of HMS Dolphin round the world under the command of Captain Wallis, RN, in the years 1766, 1767, and 1768, written by her master George Robertson.

Philosophical Transacations, vol. 1

Volume 1 of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is now available on Project Gutenberg and makes for fascinating reading. "For Anno 1665, and 1666," it contains such maritime treasures as "An Appendix to the Directions for Seamen, bound for far Voyages," (from which the image at left was taken), "Of the New American Whale-fishing about the Bermudas," and "Certain Problems touching some Points of Navigation."

There are also discussions related to the making of telescopes and barometers, as well as articles related to the discovery of a "permanent Spott" on Jupiter, such as this one from the issue for "Munday, March 6. 1664/5:"

A Spot in one of the Belts of Jupiter.

The Ingenious Mr. Hook did, some moneths since, intimate to a friend of his, that he had, with an excellent twelve foot Telescope, observed, some days before, he than spoke of it, (videl. on the ninth of May, 1664, about 9 of the clock at night) a small Spot in the biggest of the 3 obscurer Belts of Jupiter, and that, observing it from time to time, he found, that within 2 hours after, the said Spot had moved from East to West, about half the length of the Diameter of Jupiter.

The Ingenious Mr. Hook indeed.

Conference and journal announcement

Massachusetts Maritime Academy will host a Maritime Conference in the Humanities Oct. 23-25, 2009.

The conference details are already up on their website as is the call for papers (deadline is July 1, 2009). Their CFP also mentions a new journal:

The Maritime Conference Program Committee invites individual paper proposals and full panels (three proposals and a chair) on any aspect of the individual's or civilization's relationship with the sea through literature, history, or culture. Papers or panels may address such areas as literary writers and the sea from any period in American or global history; exploration; whaling; merchant or naval history; personal narratives of life at sea; survival literature; war at sea; the visual artist and the sea; poetry and the sea; or any other subject addressing our engagement with the sea through the humanities.

Selected conference papers will be published in the premier issue of the Academy's new annual peer-reviewed journal, The Nautilus: A Maritime Journal of Literature, History, and Culture, forthcoming in 2010.

I look forward to seeing the journal!

Sea chanties on June 5

The second episode of Voicebox will air on KALW on Friday night, June 5, 2009, from 10:00-11:00pm PST, and according to host Cloe Veltman's blog for the show:

This week, Chloe dives into the salty depths of maritime music to explore the voices of some of the world’s greatest sea chantey artists. Special guest Walter Askew, front man of the sea music band Salty Walt and the Rattlin’ Ratlines, sings live in the studio and explains that there’s more to sea music than “what shall we do with the drunken sailor.”

As far as I know, the show isn't podcast, so if you're interested, tune in--KALW's live stream is available in multiple formats.

TIA: I'm not just a fan of KALW, I'm a member. If you like what you hear, consider a donation (no matter how small--they really stretch their pennies) or look under the "Local" column on their homepage for other ways to support & connect to the station.

Hodges painting acquired by Whitby

A watercolor by William Hodges, who sailed with Captain Cook, entitled "Matavai Bay," has been acquired by the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Whitby (UK). The Artdaily.org article about the painting has a lovely, large graphic of the painting, and the Culture24 article has some further details.