Every Tongue Got to Confess

Zora Neale Hurston

• Editore: Amistad
• Anno: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780061741807
• Argomento: Letteratura
• Categoria: Narrativa storica

A recently discovered collection of folktales celebrating African American oral tradition, community, and faith..."splendidly vivid and true."—New York Times

Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s.

The bittersweet and often hilarious taleswhich range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, White Folk, and Mistaken Identity to witty one-linersreveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community. Together, this collection of nearly 500 folktales weaves a vibrant tapestry that celebrates the African American life in the rural South and represent a major part of Zora Neale Hurstons literary legacy.

Appendix 1

Negro Folk-tales from the
Gulf States*

SOURCES:

I. Alabama (Mobile & Suburbs, i.e. Plateau, Magazine Point, Prichard)

Collected Dec. 16, 1927–Jan. 12, 1928

June 4, 1928–Sept. 3, 1928

A locale of sawmills, lumber camps and fishermen. Illiterate and barely literate, except some school boys who told me tales.

 

I. Florida (Loughman Sawmill, Eatonville a purely Negro village, Lakeland, Mulberry, Pierce in the Phosphate Mines Country, Eau Gallie, a Truck-farm and fishing village; and Miami, a tourist town with more than half of the Negro population being Bahamians.)

Collected: Loughman Sawmill:

Jan. 15, 1928–March 20, 1928

Eatonville: March 20–April 18, 1928

Phosphate Country: April 19–June 2, 1928

Eau Gallie: April–Aug. 1929

Miami: Aug.–Nov. 1929

 

III. Louisiana—(New Orleans and Bogaloosa)

New Orleans is a huge and cosmopolitan city with many and marked characteristics. Very European, very American. Bogaloosa is a huge industrial center, sawmills, paper mills, chicken hatcheries and reforestation nurseries.

Collected: New Orleans: Sept. 1928–March 1929

Nov. 1929–March 1930

Bogaloosa: Nov. 1929

* This second partial title page was originally page three of the Hurston manuscript

Appendix 2*

1. Della Lewis: An illiterate woman around 70 years old. Born in West Florida. Mother of 11 children by 9 different fathers. Has always lived in Florida. Occupation: Midwife.
2. Eugene Oliver: About 3rd grade education. About 20 in 1928. Occupation: Sawmill hand.
3. Mary Dash: About 35. Married, from Georgia. Domestic.
4. Tarryson Parlor: About middle age. Sawmill worker, from Miss.
5. Mae Oliver: Sister to Eugene Oliver, of about the same educational level. About 22 in 1928.
6. R.T. Williams: About 40. Works in an orange grove. Born in Georgia.
7. Julius Henry: Illiterate. About 14 in 1928. Born in the neighborhood.
8. Belle Williams: About 13 in 1928. Sister to Julius Henry. Married.
9. Robert Bailey: Middle age. From Georgia. Worker in orange grove, barely literate.
10. Fred Cooper: About 20 in 1928. Grove worker, barely literate. Born in South Florida. Grandson of Della Lewis.
11. Willie Roberts: Bootlegger. About 33. Born in Eatonville, Florida.
12. John Smith: About 33. Born in Georgia. Sawmill hand.
13. Christopher Jenkins: About 21. Born in Florida. Worker in phosphate mines.
14. Cliffert Ulmer: About 23. Born in Florida. Sawmill hand.
15. James Moseley: About 45. Born at Eatonville, Fla. Chauffeur and yard man.
16. Sarah Sewell: Born in Eatonville, Fla. Age 41. Housewife.
17. Matthew Brazzle: Born in Fla. About 70. Gardener and mayor of town.
18. Soddy Sewell: Born in Florida. About 21. School boy.
19. Isiah Hurston: Born in Alabama. Age 31. Preacher.
20. “Nigger” Bird: Born South Carolina. About 25. Grove worker.
21. George Brown: Florida. Truck gardener. Age 28.
22. Louvenia English: Born in Georgia. About 30. Domestic.
23. Jonathan Hines: Florida. About 29. Waiter.
24. Louis Black: Born in Pierce, Fla. (a phosphate mining camp). About 11, in 1928. In 4th grade.
25. Hattie Reeves: Born island of Grand Command, West Indies. About 50. Domestic.
26. Lillian Green: Born Florida. About 12. School girl.
27. Catherine Hardy: Born Fla. About 10. A school girl.
28. Geneva Woods: Born in Georgia. About 20. A housewife.
29. Eliza Austin: Born in South Carolina. About 50. A laundress.
30. Charlie Jones: About 30. Born Florida. Laborer.
31. Dad Boykin: Born Georgia. About 80. Bum and roustabout.
32. L.O. Taylor: Tenn. About 30. Preacher.
33. Nora Lee White: South Carolina. About 23. Housewife.
34. Larkins White: Georgia. About 40. Sawmill hand.
35. James Presley: Musician, sawmill hand. About 40. Born in Georgia.
36. W. M. Richardson: Born in Florida. About 35. Orange picker and packer.
37. Handy Pitts: Middle Georgia. About 38. Sawmill hand.
38. Bertha Allen: Born in Georgia. About 55. Boarding-house keeper.
39. Ed Morris: Born Mobile, Ala. Age 15. 8th grade.
40. N.A. James: Born in Louisiana. About 40. YMCA secretary.
41. Peter Noble: North Alabama. About 22. Garage worker.
42. Jerry Bennett: Born in Louisiana. About 39. Sawmill hand.
43. J. Williams: Born in Mississippi. Sawmill hand. About 50.
44. Ed Edwards: Born in Alabama. About 17. About 6th grade.
45. Mrs. Louise Noble: About 48. Former country school-teacher. Born in Florida.
46. Baby Face Turl: About 65. Drives garbage wagon. Born in South Carolina.
47. Raymond McGill: About 35. Born in Florida. Works in phosphate mines.
48. Martin White: Born in Georgia. Age 50. Phosphate worker.
49. Floyd Thomas: Born in Florida. Age 23. Phosphate miner.
50. John Bird: Age 33. Born in Florida. Bootlegger and jail bird.
51. Carrie McCray: Prostitute. Born in South Carolina. Age 30.
52. Rebecca Corbett: Cook. Age 35. Born in Georgia.
53. Nathaniel Burney: Age 9. School. Born in Florida.
54. A. R. Cole: Laborer. Age 40. Born in Texas.
55. Louis Robinson: Age 11. School. Born in Florida.
56. Arthur Hopkins: Age 18. Born in Florida (reared in Alabama). School boy, but loads lumber at sawmill in summer.
57. George Mills: Born in South Carolina. Age 62. Deputy sheriff in Mobile, Ala.
58. David Leverett: Born in Alabama. Age 19. Sawmill.
59. Charley Bradley: Age 22. Sawmill hand. Born in Alabama.
60. Henry Edwards: Alabama. Age 19. Laborer.
61. George Harris: Farmer. Age 38. Alabama.
62. Douglash Shine: Age 26. Sawmill hand. Alabama.
63. Will Thomas: Boom-man. Age 28. Alabama.
64. Mannie Barnes: Born in Mississippi. Age 28. Sawmill hand.
65. Will House: Boom-man. Age 30. Georgia.
66. Hattie Giles: Age 39. Alabama. Housewife.
67. David Leverett: Age 19. Sawmill hand. Alabama.
68. Lorenzo Morris: Age 18. High School. Born in Alabama.
69. Richard Edwards: School boy. Age 15. Alabama born.
70. Armetta Jones: Domestic. Age 42. Georgia born.
71. Mack C. Ford: Age 55. Gardener. Florida.
72. Sarah Lou Potts. Born in Alabama. About 40. Tuskegee grad.
73. William Jones: Mobile, Ala. Ex-slave. Born near here.
74. Mrs. Sally Smith: Born in Tarkwa, Gold Coast. Brought to America in 1859.
75. Jessie Smith: Her son. About 60. Farmer of Bogue Chitts, Ala.
76. Russel Singer: About 17. Lumber mill. Alabama.
77. Clifton Green: About 20. Laborer. Alabama.
78. Uless Carter: About 20. Laborer.
79. Sam Hopkins: Born in Florida, reared in Alabama. About 14.
80. Gennie (Jenny) Murray: Born, Georgia. Moved to Ala. Age 40. Housewife.
81. Will Howard: Alabama. About 30. Lumber-mill hand.
82. Willie May McClary: Born Ga. Lives at Eatonville, Fla. Age 17 yrs.
83. Ed Langston: About 55. Born in W. Florida, now in Eau Gallie. R.R. section hand.
84. Clarence Beal: Eau Gallie. About 30. Garden hand.
85. Mrs. Annie King: Born in Florida. About 70. Cook.
86. Maybelle Frazier: Housewife, when out of jail. About 38. Born in Florida.
87. A. D. Frazier: Georgia. About 53. Barber when free.
88. Willie Fullwood: Turpentine worker. About 25.
89. Buster Williams: Age 20. Born in Georgia but reared in Mulberry, Florida.
90. Virginia Williams: Age 19. From Ga., but visited Mulberry, Fla.
91. Etta Lee Leonard: Pierce, Fla. School girl. 11 years old.
92. Jeannette Moore: Pierce, Fla. School girl. 10 years old.
93. Pearline Black: Pierce, Fla. School girl. 13 years old.
94. Catherine Williams: ′ ′ ′ 10 years old.
95. Pete Bryant: ′ ′ School boy. 11 years old.
96. Lulu Anderson: School boy. About 9.
97. Edward Frazier: Born, South Carolina, reared in Fla. Miner.
98. Tom Saunders: Age 42. Born, Va., keeps restaurant.
99. Rachael Moore: Age 60. Born Georgia. Laundress.
100. Marguerite Campbell: Age 22. Born in Florida. Domestic.
101. Lillian Green: Born Florida. Age 13. School girl.
102. Jessie Lee Hudson: Born Georgia. Age 28. Housewife.
103. Viola Ballon: Born in South Carolina. Age 33. Domestic.
104. C. S. McClendon: Florida. Age 40. Phosphate miner.
105. Louis Robinson: Born in Florida. Age 21. Laborer.
106. James Graham: Born in Miss. Age 42. Laborer.
107. Jesse Long: Age 56. Carpenter. Native of Tennessee.
108. Ed Davis: Bogaloosa, La. School boy, 17 years old.
109. Mrs. Fields: 1928 found her an invalid in New Orleans, Louisiana Hospital. She is about 70 years old.
110. Edith Knowles: School girl of Pierce, Fla. 11 years. old.
111. Gus Ramsey: Bahamian. Age 35. Laborer.
112. Ned Isaacs: Bahamian. Age 32. Sings.
113. Merle Wood: Bahamian girl. About 12 years old.
114. Dorothy Wood: Bahamian girl. About 14 years old.
115. Reuben Roker: Bahamian of Miami. Age 20.
116. Harold Tinker: Bahamian. Age 22.
117. William Weeks: Bahamian. Plantation owner.
118. Richard Barrett: Jamaica, B.W.I. Age 40. Chauffeur.
119. Mrs. Vera Taylor: Bahamian from Cat Island. Age 40.
120. Mrs. Sally Boles: Age 50. Born in Florida. Housewife.
121. Bunkie Rolls: Age 50. Truck gardener.
122. Horace Sharp: Age 55. Small shop-keeper.

* Hurston’s list of 122 ...