Skeletal lesions from a historic Afro-American cemetery • 123 



L 



ijIL 



CEDAR GROVE FIBULA INFECTIONS 



^^ Active 

 I I Healed 



JIL 



m 



Birth 



•2/8 



°V05 



06/10 



729 



3%9 



"OAg 



50 ^ 



Age of Death 



Figure 3. 



CEDAR GROVE RIB INFECTIONS 



g^ Active 

 I I Healed 



^ r^n m 



Birth 2/8 oVo5 °^Ao 'Vag 3%9 "0/49 50- 



Age of Death 



Figure 4. 



Discussion 



Two interrelated goals are pertinent to 

 this analysis of the Cedar Grove demo- 

 graphic and paleopathological data. 

 The first is establishing the contribution 

 which these data can make to improv- 

 ing our understanding of Afro-Ameri- 

 can life after Reconstruction, at least 

 for a part of southwest Arkansas. The 

 second goal is demonstrating with a 

 specific example the utility of palcodc- 

 mographic and paleopathological anal- 

 yses by comparing their results with 



Zagreb Paleopathology Symp. 1988 



those obtained from historical analysis 

 of documentary data. 



Since there is a dearth of specific 

 data concerning postemancipation diet, 

 dietary information from the better doc- 

 umented slavery period will first be 

 summarized. Based on available docu- 

 mentary data the following dietary defi- 

 ciencies have been postulated for south- 

 em slaves; the 70-77% lactose intoler- 

 ance rates of Afro-Americans con- 

 tributed to low milk consumption and 

 calcium deficiency (Kiplc and Kiplc 

 1977:290; Kiple and King 1981:72); 



the low niacin content of the corn and 

 pork diet resulted in pellagra (Gibbs et al. 

 1980:205; Kiple and King 1981:127); 

 the low bioavailability of iron in a corn- 

 based diet combined with frequently in- 

 herited Afro-American blood abnor- 

 malities (e.g., sickle cell) to produce 

 frequent anemia (Kiplc and Kiplc 1977: 

 285; Kiple and King 1981:97); low 

 milk consumption combined with dark 

 skin produced vitamin D deficient 

 rickets (Kiple and King 1981:195; Ki- 

 ple and King 1981:93); and the low 

 amino acid proportions of tryptophan, 

 lysine, and methionine in both com and 

 pork proteins contributed to protein 

 malnutrition (Kiple and Kiple 1977: 

 287). Other dietary inadequacies such 

 as thiamin deficiency causing beriberi 

 (Kiple and King 1 98 1 : 1 1 9) and magne- 

 sium deficiency which lowers resis- 

 tance to infection (Kiple and King 

 1981:98) have been mentioned. 



For the postemancipation period 

 there are only generalizations from 

 various locations throughout the Amer- 

 ican South to work from. Donald (1952: 

 47) indicates that, on the whole, the 

 diet of South Carolina Afro- Americans 

 was coarse and consisted of hominy, 

 combread, fat bacon, some pork, 

 coffee , rice, molasses, and occasional 

 vegetables. Similarly, Kiple and King 

 ( 198 1 : 1 89) state that the diet went from 

 bad under slavery to worse under free- 

 dom. Within the Cedar Grove locale it 

 is not certain exactly what dietary 

 changes occurred after emancipation. 

 The 1865 contract negotiated by the 

 Freedmen's Bureau between the former 

 slaves and Sentell family called for the 

 provision of a wage, rations, housing, 

 and one acre of land per household in 

 exchange for labor on the plantation 

 (Watkins 1985:12). At that point in 

 time, it seems that the Afro-American 

 diet was still being dictated by the land- 

 owner. For example, under the terms of 

 the above-mentioned contract, no live- 

 stock except poultry could be owned 

 (Watkins 1985:12). This surely would 

 have limited the supply of meat in the 

 diet and prevented the former slaves 

 from using animal power to raise food 

 on their one acre of allotted land. 



