Rice mortar and pestle, mid-19th century

Rice mortar and pestle, mid-19th century
(Courtesy South Carolina State Museum)

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African-Americans who worked in the South's rice industry used traditional methods and tools developed in West Africa.

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They used large, shallow baskets, known as fanners, to winnow or separate the grain from the chaff, and a montar and pestle to husk the grain.
Rice fanner, mid 19th century.
Rice fanner, mid 19th century.
(The Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina)
Copyright 2003
A New Birth of Freedom: Reconstruction During the Civil War he Meaning of Freedom: Black and White Responses to Slavery From Free Labor to Slave Labor Rights and Power: The Politics of Reconstruction Introduction The Ending of Reconstruction Epilogue: The Unfinished Revolution Additional Resources Credits for this Exhibit