by Daniel Cohen

The African Burial Ground is quiet and peaceful, but it is still in Manhattan. And Manhattan is a very, very noisy place. The burial ground is near the intersection of Lafayette and Centre Streets, not to mention right near Broadway, resulting in the serenity of the memorial sharply interspersed with the noise of cars honking and the occasional unmuffled vehicle roaring down the street. The burial ground is surrounded by a waist-high black fence, itself lined with occasional plastic displays not unlike the kind you would see in a museum. These displays declare that the burial ground is in fact sacred ground (which should be obvious, but I suppose that every important public space has to be idiot-proofed). The declaration makes me feel a bit self-conscious as I proceed to examine every inch of the structure. I am irrationally afraid I will accidentally walk where I am not supposed to go, or look strange to passersby. Of course, these fears are completely unfounded, but I tend to be paranoid sometimes.

The African Burial Ground is in two pieces, an elegant memorial of black marble and the burial mounds themselves. The burial mounds are on the far wall, only feet away from the African Burial Ground Museum. There are six or seven burial mounds by my estimation, though there are hundreds of remains buried underneath, just over 400 according to the figures in the museum.

The memorial part of the burial ground is similarly divided into two pieces, each made of black marble. These pieces are the Circle of Diaspora and the Ancestor Chamber. The Ancestor Chamber is a tall but narrow black structure that has entrances shaped at odd, trapezoidal angles to evoke a ship’s hold. The museum’s description of it indicates it as a place for quiet reflection. A stairway at one end leads down to the Circle of Diaspora, which is the more elaborate structure of the two.

The Circle of Diaspora is a large black marble structure with a circular wall. A gray concrete ramp wraps around the circle’s interior. Every few feet along the ramp, an image is chiseled out of the marble, revealing a light gray inner material. The marble that forms the wall is smooth, but this inner layer is rough to the touch. Each image is a symbol that represents either an aspect of being African, of being human, or an African concept, with a name below and an English description of what it means. For example, one image is the famous ankh, the Ancient Egyptian symbol for life. Another image is the Christian cross. Others include a heart-shaped symbol labeled “Akoma” or, “Endurance,” and a four-pointed symbol with a description that I can’t pronounce for my life: “Funtunfunefu Denkyemfunefu,” which is translated to “Unity in Diversity.” There’s also a symbol for “Supremacy of God,” and another with a shape reminiscent of a cross-shaped tombstone representing Baron Samedi, the Vodoun god of the dead. His wife, Maman Bridgitte, has a symbol that combines a heart, several crosses, an isosceles triangle, and a trident. Fun fact: Apparently, the Baron and his wife are both fond of cursing according to Vodoun tradition. Who knew?