The Heartache of Cudjoe Lewis

Portrait of Cudjoe Lewis 

His story is well known. He lived in Africa Town, and the man's name is Cudjoe Lewis, and he was the last known survivor of the slave ship Clotilde, which brought him from West Africa, to Mobile Bay. He is also said to have been one of the very last people still enslaved and finally given freedom.

His story is similar to that of others, he was kidnapped when a young boy, survived the Middle Passage, sold when arriving in American. But he lived to see freedom and he lived well into the 20th century.

Thanks to the hard work of prolific writer Zora Neale Hurston, he was actually captured on film before he died in the 1930s. The Clotilde captured people from Dahomey (now known as the Benin Republic) and brought them into Mobile Bay in 1860.

Much as been written about him, and there are also a few images of Mr. Lewis that also survive. Though he lived well until the the 20th century, he never saw his beloved homeland ever again, he had longed for his return and frequently stated a desire to see home, again passage, his wish was never granted.

As I read about his life, I wanted to know more about Cudjoe Lewis, the  man. Perhaps, the fact that that this man who longed so, for his Native Africa, but was never to see it again, struck a note in my soul. Simply put, no one in the post Civil War South or North ever saw it in their heart nor kind spirit to return these captives of the Clotilde back to the land where they belonged. With time, he later admitted that he would, most likely not know his home anymore and beyond that, he would probably not find anyone who would have remembered him, either.

As I read the accounts of his life I noticed the names of his children were known, and I noticed that he did manage to pass a small piece of Africa to them. They had a mixture of western names, and also African names. Some of the names were from the West African Yoruba language.

So, I spoke to my husband about their names, and learned even more. My husband is Yoruba, and speaks 4 languages, three of which are from West Africa. He is fluent in Twi, Hausa, and Yoruba. So, I read to him the names of Cudjoe Lewis’ children, he pointed out quickly that some of the names were indeed Yoruba names that had meanings. 

And as he told me what the names actually mean in English, I felt even more about Cudjoe Lewis, and how his heart ached so to go home.

His children’s names were

Aleck Iyadjemi  Lewis (Translation of Iyadjemi: "I suffered")

James Ahnonotie Lewis

David Adeniah Lewis (Translation of Adeniah which is actually Adenirah "The Crown has Lineage")

Polee Dahoo Lewis

Cudjoe Kazolla Lewis Translation (Translation of  Kazolla, which is actually Kajola: “Let’s survive together”)

Celia Ebeossi Lewis  (Translation of Ebeossi, which is actually Ebiosi  “There is no begging.” )

How touching---his heartache continued even as he had his own American born family, and it carried through with their names. Indeed how he must have suffered.

According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Cudjoe lost most of the children in his family as well as his wife, as all had early deaths.

 "He and his wife had five sons and one daughter. To mark their attachment to their culture, they gave American and Yoruba names to four of them and Yoruba names only to two. Sadly, all of the children died young: Celia Ebeossi died of sickness at 15, Young Cudjo was killed by a deputy sheriff, David/Adeniah was hit by a train, Pollee Dahoo disappeared and was probably killed, and James/Ahnonotoe and Aleck/Iyadjemi died after short illnesses. Abile passed away in 1908, just one month before Aleck died. Cudjo again suffered the loss of his family."

Source of data: Encyclopedia of Alabama

In the 1920s all of the others who had survived the slave ship voyage, had died, leaving Cudjoe Lewis as the lone survivor of that historic voyage. But Cudjoe Lewis had grand children and great grandchildren who lived in the community in and around Mobile Alabama. And it is believed that his descendants still live in southern Alabama today.

Mr. Lewis died in July of 1935 and it is hoped that the descendants of this distinguished man still honor him and his legacy. 

And is it also hoped that his heartache is now settled as he continues to walk among the ancestors. 

Cudjoe Lewis with great granddaughters.

Source

A Gem of Zora Neale Hurston - Rare Film Footage of Cudjoe Lewis

The beginning of this film, Cudjoe Lewis the elderly man appears. He is the last known survivor of the slave ship Clotilde, and this is the only moving image of a former survivor of the middle passage, to have been captured on film.

Thanks to Zora Neale Hurston, we can see the images of Cudjoe Lewis.

Now Zora Neale Hurston is one of my favorite writers. But writing was only a fraction of what this amazing woman produced. She saw the value of talking to people, and so she set out throughout the south talking to black people in small country towns and settlements. She filmed their faces, she taped their voices and what remains is a treasure trove of glimpses into the folkways of people of the south, long forgotten by most, but saved for all to remember. She was a sociologist, anthropologist,  storyteller and more. And she traveled to meet the people of the south and to hear their stories.

One such person was Cudjoe Lewis was one of the last known formerly enslaved people known to have been born on the African continent and brought to America. Mr. Lewis was a survivor of the slave ship, Clotilde, and thanks to the brilliance an insight of the great Zora Neale Hurston, he was actually captured on film before he died in the 1930s. The Clotilde captured people from Dahomey (now known as the Benin Republic) and brought them into Mobile Bay. 

Zora Neale like many others knew of Lewis and she knew the value of allowing this man's story to be shared with the world. She captured him on fillm and the footage above represents the only moving image of an African who survived the middle passage from Africa to America. Cudjoe Lewis died in 1935 in Mobile Alabama in the community known as Africa Town. Though Lewis and other survivors longed to return to their native Dahomey, they were never afforded the chance to see African soil again. But his life and  legacy continue due to the wisdom of Ms. Hurston.

So special thanks to Zora Neale Hurston, we know so much more about our people, their customs, and their lives. It is fitting therefore of this birthday of Zora Neale Hurston, to share a tiny portion of what she shared with the world.

Happy Birthday Zora!!