PRIMARY SOURCES

Primary sources provide first-hand information such as eye-witness accounts, interviews, photographs, letters, poems and songlyrics. These provide close-up views of life during the time that the person created or provided the information. Secondary sources like books and newspaper articles complement primary sources by providing interpretations or analysis and adding context. Both kinds of sources enable readers to relate to and understand the history, significance, and influence of the Antebellum gatherings in Congo Square.

Songs

Musieu Bainjo (In Louisiana Creole)

Gardé piti Mulet là, “Musieu Bainjo,” 

La com’ li insolent! 

Chapeau sul’ côté, 

Soulié qui fait “cric-crac” 

Gardé piti Mulet là, “Musieu Bainjo,” 

La com’ li insolent! 

Gardé piti Mulet là, “Musieu Bainjo,” 

La com’ li insolent! 

Foular á la pouche  

La canne á la main. 

Gardé piti Mulet là, “Musieu Bainjo,” 

La com’ li insolent! 

Pitis sans popa, pitis sans moman,

Qui ça ‘ou’ zuť fé pou’ gagnein l’a’zanc,

No courri l’auť bord pou’ cercé patt c’ať

No tournein bayou pou’ péc’é patassa;

Et v’là comm ça no té fé nou’ l’a’zanc.

Pitis sans popa, pitis sans moman,

Qui ça ‘ou’ zuť fé pou’ gagnein l’a’zanc,

No courri dans bois fouillé latanié

No vend’ so racin’ pou’ fou’bi’ planç’é;

Et v’là comm’ ça no té fé nou’ l’a’zanc.

Pitis sans popa, pitis sans moman,

Qui ça ‘ou’ zuť fé pou’ gagnein l’a’zanc,

Pou’ fé di thé n’a fouillé sassaf’as,

Pou’ fé di l’enc’ no po’té grain’ sougras;

Et v’là comm ça no té fé nou’ l’a’zanc.

Pitis sans popa, pitis sans moman,

Qui ça ‘ou’ zuť fé pou’ gagnein l’a’zanc,

No courri dans bois ramassé cancos;

Avé nou’ la caze no trappé zozos;

Et v’là comm ça no té fé nou’ l’a’zanc,

Pitis sans popa, pitis sans moman,

Qui ça ‘ou’ zuť fé pou’ gagnein l’a’zanc,

No courri à soir c’ez Mom’selle Maroto,

Dans la rie St. Ann ou no té zoué loto;

Et v’là comm ça no té fé nou’ l’a’zanc.

Mister Banjo (Translated)

See the little mulatto, “Mister Banjo”

Hasn’t he a saucy air!

Hat cock’d on one side,

New shoes that go “cric-crac”

See the little mulatto, “Mister Banjo”

Hasn’t he a saucy air!

See the little mulatto, “Mister Banjo”

Hasn’t he a saucy air!

Kerchief in his vest,

Walking-cane in hand.

See the little mulatto, “Mister Banjo”

Hasn’t he a saucy air

Little ones without father, little ones without mother, 

What do you do to earn money? 

The river we cross for wild berries to search; 

We follow the bayou a-fishing for perch; 

And that’s how we earn money.    

Little ones without father, little ones without mother, 

What do you do to earn money? 

Palmetto we dig from the swamp’s bristling stores 

And sell its stout root for scrubbing the floors; 

And that’s how we earn money. 

Little ones without father, little ones without mother, 

What do you do to earn money? 

The sassafras root we dig up; it makes tea; 

For ink the ripe pokeberry clusters bring we; 

And that’s how we earn money. 

Little ones without father, little ones without mother, 

What do you do to earn money? 

We go to the woods cancos berries to fetch, 

And in our trap cages the nonpareils catch; 

And that’s how we earn money. 

Little ones without father, little ones without mother, 

What do you do to earn money? 

At evening we visit Mom’selle Maroto, 

In St. Ann’s Street, to gamble awhile at keno;  

And that’s how we earn money. 

“Congo Square” By The Neville Brothers

It might be superstitous but some kind of somethin’ 
Goin’ on down there 
Well, it might be superstitious but some kind of somethin’ 
Goin’ on down there 
Well, it’s an old-time tradition when they play their 
Drums at night in Congo Square 

You can hear ’em in the distance 
And the old folks up the bayou say a prayer 
You can hear ’em in the distance 
And the old folks up the bayou say a prayer 
That’s when dem voodoo people gather 
And they play dem drums at night in Congo Square

But my eyes would not believe it 
What I seen at night, I could not turn away 
But my eyes would not believe it. 
What I seen at night, I could not turn away 
They had that mojo in motion 
And I seen ’em dancin n prancin with that snake 

It might be superstitious but some kind of somethin’ 
Goin’ on down there 
Well, it might be superstitious but some kind of somethin’ 
Goin’ on down there 
Well, it’s an old-time tradition when they play their 
Drums at night in Congo Square

Poems

“Drums” by Langston Hughes

I dream of the drums    

And remember 

Nights without stars in Africa. 

  

Remember, remember, remember! 

I dream of the drums 

And remember 

Slave ships, billowing sails, 

The Western Ocean, 

And the landing at Jamestown. 

  

Remember, remember, remember! 

  

I dream of drums 

And recall, like a picture,  

Congo Square in New Orleans- 

Sunday-the slaves’ one day of “freedom” 

The juba-dance in Congo Square. 

  

I dream of the drums 

And hear again 

Jelly Roll’s piano, 

Buddy Bolden’s trumpet, 

Kid Ory’s trombone, 

St. Cyr’s bajo, 

They join the drums… 

And I remember. 

  

Jazz! 

  

I dream of the drums 

And remember 

  

Africa! 

The ships! 

New shore! 

And drums! 

  

Remember! 

I remember! 

Remember! 

“Congo Square now Beauregard Square” 

By: Rixford J. Lincoln (1872- 1962) 

Long, long ago, before the city spread 

Across the ramparts, far about the town, 

Was Congo Square, famed for many sights, 

Which caused it to enjoy quite strange renown. 

For here, when Spanish rule did flourish high, 

Were bloody bull fights fierce held on this ground; 

There rode the heroes in their glory clad, 

While cries of triumph loudly did resound. 

When France again had claimed her own from Spain, 

When slavery, with its evil deeds, held sway, 

The awful voodoos oft danced in the square 

Mid shades of night until dawn of day. 

In secret places were their charms there hid, 

With which to work from friends their fearful spell’ 

For superstition filled the place with dread, 

and in its shadows their dark queen did dwell. 

And e’en it is said somewhere within the park 

A strangler had his strange abode quite long, 

Who kill’d his victims in the stilly night, 

And buried them in pits to hide his wrong. 

And now the bull fights, voodoos, are no more, 

The strangler’s but a myth of distant past; 

The Square in modern beauty stands in pride, 

Where soothing shade its graceful trees now cast. 

The rush of cars has chased away its ghosts, 

The sound of traffic drowns the voodoos’ song; 

While birds and flowers breathe enchantment there, 

And sunshine leads one its walks along 

Source: Times Picayune, November 13, 1910 

“Congo Square”   by Kalamu ya Salaam (1947-    ) 

Audio:http://wordup.posthaven.com/poem-audio-congo-square-0 

the oumas indians prepared this place for us 

centuries before our arrival 

a sacred spot where corn festivals 

were celebrated & as the colonializers came 

they pushed aside our hosts 

& introduced us in chains 

& by the late 1700s we somehow 

recognizing the sacredness of le place de congo, 

we somehow, and the how of our persuasive methodologies 

is not clear at this moment, but nevertheless, 

even enslaved we crafted and created a space 

where we could be free to be we 

and thusly we countered the sacriligousness of the french 

giving great homage to our ancestors as well as 

giving praise & thanx to our red blooded brothers & sisters 

  

this is an oral libational toast 

to congo square 

to native americans & 

to our african ancestors 

who made a circle in a square 

and gave us a way to stay ourselves save ourselves 

from the transformatory ugliness of america 

which refuses to recognize the spirituality of life 

and celebrates death with crosses & crosses, double 

& triple crosses, the middle passage the first cross, 

christianity the double cross and capitalism 

the ultimate triple coup de grace cross of our captivity

but the terror of crosses notwithstanding 

we sang, we beat, we be, we was & is 

hail, congo square 

our african gods have not been obliterated 

they have merely retreated inside 

the beat of us until we are ready 

to release them into a world that we 

re-create, a world heralded by the beat 

be, beat being, beating being 

of black heart drums  

heart beat heart beat heart be/at this place 

at this place be heart beat be we 

beating place in new world space 

beating being in place 

in new world preserving our ancient pace 

our dance is the god walk 

our music, the god talk 

  

first thing we do, let’s get together 

circle ourselves into community 

no beginning no end con

nected together 

and singing ringing singing  

in a ring

second let’s be original 

aboriginal / be what we were before 

we became what we are, be bamboula 

dance, be banza music, and sing song words 

which have no english translation 

  

third let us remember 

never to forget even when we can’t remember 

the specifics we must retain the essentials 

the bounce the blood flow the feel the spirit 

grow energy, must retain and pass on 

the essential us-ness that 

others want to dissipate whip out of us 

but no matter how much of us they prohibit 

deep inside us is us 

remains us inside 

& needs only  

the beat 

to set 

us free 

the beat to free us 

  

it is morning, a sun day, a field w/out shade but dark 

with the people black of us in various shades 

eclipsing the sun with our elegance 

  

we are centuries later now 

and still this sacred ground calls us 

to remember / to beat / to be 

  

beat CONGO SQUARE be CONGO SQUARE 

beat be beat be 

remember 

 

 

Eight maps of early La Novelle Orleans, beginning in 1728, that show the area that is now Congo Square with different names. 

https://gonola.com/things-to-do-in-new-orleans/history/nola-history-8-fascinating-old- new-orleans-maps 

 

1845 Norman's Plan of New Orleans & Environs shows the name “Public Square” for present-day Jackson Square and the name “Circus Square” for what is now Congo Square. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Norman%27s_plan_of_New_Orleans_%26_en virons,_1845._LOC_98687133.jpg  

 

1869 map which shows present-day Congo Square with the name “Public Square.” 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_New_Orleans_1869_map.jpg  

1920 map of New Orleans that shows the name “Beauregard Square” for present-day Congo Square. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Orleans_Quarter_CBD_1920_map.jpg 

 

1724 Code Noir (Black Code, New Orleans specific) 

1817 October 15 New Orleans City Council Ordinance.  Louisiana Division / City Archives, New Orleans Public Library. 

1845 April 28 Ordinance from the First Municipal Council

2011 April 28 New Orleans City Council Ordinance

 

Creecy, James.  Scenes in the South.  Philadelphia:  Lippincott & Company, 1860. 

 

Flint, Timothy. Recollections of the Last Ten Years in the Valley of the Mississippi. Carbondale:  Southern Illinois University Press, 1968. 

 

Latrobe, Henry Benjamin. The Journals of Benjamin Latrobe 1799- 1820 From Philadelphia to New Orleans. Vol. 3. Edited by Edward C. Carter II, John C. Van Horne, Lee W,  Formwalt. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980. 

 

From the journal of Benjamin Latrobe, sketches of musical instruments he witnessed at Congo Square  

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Congo_Square_African_Drum_1819_Latrobe.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Congo_Square_African_String_Instrument_Latrobe.jpg 

 

Schultz, Christian.  Travels on an Island Voyage. Vol. II. New York:  Issac Riley, 1810. 

 

Schweninger, Loren ed.  The Autobiography of James Thomas:  From Tennessee Slave to St. Louis Entrepreneur.  Columbia:  University of Missouri Press, 1984.