Shared Respect for Nature

From the moment of their first encounter, Native American and African peoples shared a respect for the life-giving forces of nature and the earth.

Cultural Exchange and Agricultural Knowledge

African settlers in Florida taught Creek Nation runaways and the Seminoles methods for rice cultivation. Similarly, Native peoples educated newly arrived Black folks about the various uses of corn, including the preparation of hot water cornbread, a staple in the traditional Black southern diet.

Unity and Reverence for the Earth

This shared reverence for the earth united Black and Native American communities. Together, they helped one another, remembering that despite the colonizers’ ways, the land rightfully belonged to everyone.