The Truth about Mandingo or n*gger fighting

First you need to know it existed.

Excerpt 1 from VOICES FROM SLAVERY:100 Authentic Slave Narratives

John Finely - Interviewed at Fort Worth Texas, Interviewer not identified, Age when interviewed: 86

Alabama am de state where I'se born and dat eighty-six year ago, in Jackson County on Massar Martin Finnely's plantation, and him owns about seventy-five other slaves besides Mammy and me. My pappy am on dat plantation but I don't know him, cause Mammy never talks about him except to say "He am here".

Skipping to  a whipping and a fighting reference:  

De worst whipping I seed was give to Clarinda. She hits Massa with de hoe 'cause he try 'fere with her and she try stop him. She am put on de log and give five-hundred lashes. She am over dat log all day and when dry takes her off, she am limp and act deadlike. For a week she am in de bunk. Dat whipping' cause plenty trouble and deer lots of arguments amend de white folks round deer.

We has some joyments on de plantation, no parties or dancing' but we has de corn husking' and de n*gger fights. For de corn huskin' everybody come to one place and dry gives de prize for findin' de red ear. On Massa's pale de prize am brandy or you am allowed to kiss de gal you calls for. While us huskin' us sing lots, but, I'se not twine sing any den songs, 'cause I'se forget and my voice sound like de bray of de mule.

De n*igger fights am more for de white folks' joyment but de slaves am allowed to see it. De massas of plantations match deer n*ggers 'cording to size, and bet on dem. Massas Finnely have one n*gger what weights about 150 pounds and him powerful good fighter and he like to fight. None lasts long with him. Den a new n*gger comes to fight him.

Dat field am held at night by de pine torchlight. A ring am made by de folks standin' around in de circle. Deys allowed to do anything with dry hands and head and teeth. Nothin' barred except de knife and de club. Dem two n*ggers gets in de ring and Tom he starts quick, and dat new n*gger he starts just as quick. Dat surprised Tom and when dey comes together it like two bulls--kersmash--it sounds like dat. Den it am hit and kick and bite and butt anywhere and any place for to best de other. De one on de bottom bites knees and anything him can do. Dat's de way it go for half de hour.

Findly, dat new n*gger  gets Tom in de stomach with he knee and a lick side de jaw at the same time and down to Tom, and de other n*gger jumps on him with both frets, den straddle him and hits with right, left, right, left, right, side Tom's head. Dere Tom lay, makin' no resistance. Everybody am saying', "Tom have met he match, him am done". Both am bleeding' and am awful sight. Well, dat new n*gger could get to he feet, Tom kicks him in de stomach, again and again. Dat n*gger's body start to quaver and he massa say, "Dat enough." Dat de closest Tom ever come to gettin' whipped what I'se know of.




Edited by pattigurlatl - Feb 08 2013 at 6:58pm

forcing blacks to fight each other

rickysrose wrote: forcing blacks to fight each other and whip each other speaks volumes about the psychological tools racists used to make us distrust each other and destroy the cohesiveness we need to force true equality

There is one that I can't find but it makes me teary eyed. It's a former slave's recount of how a "massa" forced two young boys to fight each other. And they were crying as they were doing it.

I downloaded so many narratives and unfortunately the Kindle app's search feature isn't that intuitive. But I'll post it when I find it.

pattigurlatl wrote: rickysrose wrote: forcing blacks to fight each other and whip each other speaks volumes about the psychological tools racists used to make us distrust each other and destroy the cohesiveness we need to force true equality There is one that I can't find but it makes me teary eyed. It's a former slave's recount of how a "massa" forced two young boys to fight each other. And they were crying as they were doing it. I downloaded so many narratives and unfortunately the Kindle app's search feature isn't that intuitive. But I'll post it when I find it.

this happened to me when I was watching django.. thank you so much for creating this thread, I've been meaning to do research on this topic. I have a question, why do black people use Mandigo as a compliment?