Blackleg Gal

Blackleg Gal Cast Bronze, 2007
18" X 14" X 36"

Used to be a time when Mule Head Island was just a swamp wid cypress trees, vines, and gator holes. Now a maroon is what we call some of de slave peoples dat ran off and learned how to live dar. My granny done tole me about 'em. Shee was a geechee woman. She say you kin walk through de thickets and somepin be lookin' at you, an jus' for fun, they reach out and touch you. An you had no idee dey was dere. Yes, dey can turn demselves into trees an t'ings. Dey had weapons, yes dey did. An' some of dey guns was up in de trees wid vines tied to de triggas. You talking 'bout fightin'-one time dey held off bout 20 slave catchers-oh dat was a big fight. Dem maroon mens comes a jumpin' out from everwhere. Dey had sticks an' animal skins tied to em, jes abashin' and gashin' with dere machetes and bowie knives.

Nowadays white folks know dere's all kinda peoples here, and don't give a hoot. Dey comes roun' an' trades wid us. Some o' de wil' horses here on the island run jus' as free as dey wanna be. An one day I was able to save this baby horse from de jaws on an ol' bull alligator. When it finally let go o' de horse's leg, I pulled him up from de water and fixed him up wid some o' de medicine roots dat grows aroun' here. From dat day on, we never part company. My momma was a Seminole and my pappy, he be an African man, and now here I am, with this brown, snake-colored skin, and long thick hair. I never did care much for menfolk, cuz dat would mean babies, and stayin' in one place and fixin' vittles fer 'em. Right now, what I really likes doin' is ridin' ole Soljah and feed and protect the few peoples dat's lef' here on Mule Head Island.