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2016

Resurrecting ‘Phantom Limb[s] of the Dismembered Slave and God’: Unveiling the Africanisms in Gem of the Ocean

Artisia Green College of William and Mary, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Green, A. (2016). Resurrecting ‘Phantom Limb[s] of the Dismembered Slave and God’: Unveiling the Africanisms in Gem of the Ocean. Sandra G. Shannon (Ed.), August Wilson’s Pittsburg Cycle: Critical Perspectives on the Plays (pp. 142-163). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/asbookchapters/2

This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the Arts and Sciences at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Arts & Sciences Book Chapters by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Resurrecting "phantom limb[s]. .. " (GREEN) IIJ,3

Lhe basis of an ensuing tide of white-supremacy which demoralized newly freed African Americans. Structural injustices-sharecropping, merchant liens, peonage systems, and Jim Crow-prevented many African Ameri­ cans from migrating North and West in the hopes of escaping legal, polit­ ical and economic subjugation. Resurrecting "phantom limb [ s] In spite of these tensions, Wilson has been quoted as saying that of the dismembered slave and god": "[these characters] figure out how to live in the world:' He continues on by explaining that at the center of [ Gem] is the incredible spirituality of Unveiling the Africanisms African people who honor their ancestors. They have concepts of God­ 1 trees that have spirits. All of these things have been part of their belief in Gem of the Ocean system" (Dezell 254). It is this belief system-the character of their African cultural heritage-that should be wholly embraced lest they fall victim to ARTISIA GREEN the limitations of the law and the trappings of American materialism. As all of these ideals blend into art, Gem offers a duality for the masses. On the one end its dramaturgy is fashioned after the paradigm of "it's not potentially destructive at all. To say that I am an African, and I can Lhe West, "the age-old dramaturgy handed down by the Greeks and rooted participate in this society as an African, and I don't have to adopt European in Aristotle's poetics" (Lyons). However, within Wilson's poetic form lies values, European aesthetics, and European ways of doing things in order to the "phantom limb[s] of the dismembered slave and god" (Okediji 3). live in Lhe world ...." -August Wilson, Conversations with August Wilson Beneath Gem's Judea-Christian tropes and pseudo-American patriotism is a Yoruban cosmology situated within the characters and the architecture "You will understand Gern through Olokun:• -Julianna Sarr, personal interview of the text. Yoruban ideals instilling historical and ancestral pride not only offer equality for the black self-image, but further propel the black psyche 2 At the helm of the August Wilson 20th century cycle is Gem of 1/11• beyond the limits of the oppressor into the realm of deities. Wilson's Ocean (2003). On the surface, this play chronicles the first generation of employment of such an African aesthetic-Orl�a archetypes, sacred the post-emancipation era and the firstfamily of the Wilson Cycle-Auni objects and spaces, and Yoruban temporal coordination-positions Gem Ester and her protege, Black Mary; the formidableEli and Solly Two Kin{\i,, as one of his "spirit-centered texts" [with a] primary function of [evocating :ind dramatizing] spiritual conditions and spiritual activity" (Rahming 36). the harbinger of justice; Caesar Wilks, the town constable; and the

23). Wilson's emp loyment of Orlsa archetypes marries each character with I 'd ·1·11 e Bibl e say "A place of refuge shall be given unto an expression of a Yoruban divine consciousness. Olarosa, Ogun, Osun, to you to ( cc , c. ' d I I for you and whosoever coun Se! therein shall he be ma e a so c ean, f Aganju / Sang<'>,and Ososi are the Orisa archetypes that shall be discussed in this section of the essay. l have given unto the master of that abode a pl~ce above t~e I,~ 7~~~ the law is a punisher of men, and I seeketh their redemptwn I Olarosa, or "the god la stands at the door;' is the guardian of homes. son, Gem 79]. Situated at the homes' entrance and armed with a sword or stick, he keeps watch for impertinent and unknown entities. For the past twenty-five The design and implementation of the wall is Eli's atten_ipt at creati~g years, Eli has stood watch at 1839 Wylie Avenue, declaring to each b een tensions that become evident over t e environmen tal harmony etw o· ' tness a function of her unknown guest and those who he believes enter with ill intent that, "This 1 · between suns swee , is a peaceful house" (Wilson, Gem, 7). His protection over the house also course of the p ay, tenswns d .otiation and the resolute enforce- preference for peace, diplomacy an neg . 'd I h re) The wall is extends to the outside of the domain. As a function of his status as helper - , , (who shall be d1scusse e sew e . and guardian, he spends the better part of Act I building a wall "to keep ment of ~eeo~::cb:i ~::1rcation between the material and spiritual r_e~lms Caesar on the other side" (Wilson, Gem 14). The construction of the wall alsowith theAunt t Ester's house as the metap h ys1ca. I s·teI of accessing such spmtual is significant. Among Yoruba creation stories is the belief that when the transcendence. 9 w lie Avenue is Orisas descended from Ile-Ife to earth, what remained of their existence In Radio Golf (2005) we learn that the d_oor to 183 Y . as were rocks-okuta or all seeing eyes-which contained their as~ or "power . h not s ecifically mentioned m Gem, the red door IS to bring ideas and desire into being" (Washington 14). In the Ifa/Orisa , ed. Altho~g h / a hindrance to "death, sickness, tragedy, loss and tradition, worshippers collect the rocks from natural places associated Olarosa an t e wa - ted b Robert Farris Thompson "is the obstacles" (Neimark IO). Red no y ) d is known for its ability to with particular deities. In Gem, it is Rutherford Selig who collects these of color" (Thompson 6 an rocks for Eli during his travels along the river. Osun-the deity associated supreme presence ba arables. One says, avert malevolent forces as attested to by two y:~~he ~olor red. They ter­ with rivers, lakes and the Orisa most invoked in this instance. streams-is "The original three cloths of the Egungun were ·1 Aft ards Wilson draws upon a material element in one of her creation stories, her . Th t rorized the forces of pest1 ence. erw ' rorized the witches. ey er f I l ths were added to their association with honey, when he writes about Aunt Ester's house . It is . t t elders died these power u c o Harmond in Radio Goff (2005) who calls our attention to the sweetness whenever 1mpor an ' ,, (Thompson 219). Another states: of the hom e: corpse and the body rose up as Egungun . . not certain what it was, we only know "Once there was an ep1dem1c, we are d Two Trains Running (1990)-that each man must participate in his own are an expression of th . I - erencing both his industrialism d h. f . e ironwor < of Ogun, ref- liberation. In Two Trains, West recounts his experience of going to see . . an is unct10n of cle . bl I c1t1zen states "I stole a b t f . anng oc Pittsburgh Cycle you got? What you gonna do? Time ain't long, Mr. Citizen. A woman ain't Aunt Ester sends Citizen upriver to retrieve these necessary ritual items. but so many times filled up. What you gonna do? What you gonna fill m_e The location {upriver) and the material element (copper) evoke Osun, the up with? Love? Happiness? Peace? What you got, Mr. Citizen? I seen 1t divinity, as stated earlier, associated with small bodies of water as well as all. You got something new? ... Something I ain't seen?" (41). In archetyp~l copper, brass and gold. Her mirror, which she is also known to carry, repre­ fas hion of 6imn, Black Mary becomes the "impulse" of attraction and u~1- sents the surface of the river, an element that can be used for self-reflection. r,cation, an impulse Wilson captures here but also suggests in an ,~arh:r Citizen has to "wake up;' come face to face with himself in this mirror, and stage direction in Act I, "Citizen and Black Mary stare at ea~h o~her C~il­ learn to see himself through the light of his own eyes. To illustrate this point, son, Gem 26). However, just as the estuary regulates the nver s flow mto Aunt Ester invokes the ancestral Garret Brown as a model of inspiration. the ocean, Black Mary polices this encounter by refusing his mann~r ~f "He didn't care if anybody else knew if he did it or not;' she says. He knew. physical communication-grasping her from behind-as the lack of mt1- He did it for himself. He say I'd rather die in truth than to live a lie. That way macy prevents him from seeing the fullness of her womanhood and places ~e can say that his life is worth more than a bucket of nails. What is your the weight of their would-be encounter on her. He becomes a_nother taker. hfe worth Mr. Citizen? That's what you got to find out" {Wilson, Gem 45). Regarding all the former takers in her life, Leroy, John, CuJoe, Sam and . ~nly Citizen himself can determine the value of his life. Such singu­ Robert, she says, "they use you up and you can't hold them . They all th~ larity 1s captured in the symbolism of the single piece of iron-the other time taking till it's gone. They ain't tried to put nothing to i~. They amt necessary ritual item-Aunt Ester asks him to retrieve from Jilson Grant . got nothing in their hand. They ain't got nothing to add to it. They too "~he iron;' s~e says, "would have made [him] strong ... of heart" and given busy taking. They taking 'cause they need:' (Wilson, G~m 42). Howeve_r, him favor with God {Wilson, Gem 62). This ritual item evokes the Odu the momentary romantic tussle in the sheets he seeks will not assuage _his ~fwhich_ Ogun wa~ birthed, Ogundameji. The ninth of256 Holy Scriptures loneliness nor fill his feelings of insufficiency-the hole inside of him. m the Ifa orature, Ogundamejl speaks of the "fighting, disputes, imminent Everyone who comes to see Aunt Ester comes with the need for restora­ hostility ... financial problems and opposition from enemies" he would tion. Thus, with what will Citizen fill Black Mary up? During this gentle face _in the adventure of his life. The Odu also reassures Ogun that by and nurturing confrontation, Black Mary hints at what she makes soundly 1~akmg the appropriate sacrifice (which happens to include a single chain clear in Act 11, "You got to be right with yourself before you can be [empha­ lmk) he would never die (Epega 35-38). sis mine] right with anybody else" (Wilson, Gem 73). As he p_rep~,res to Besides Aunt Ester, it is also her protege Black Mary who assists Cit­ escort Solly back to Alabama, Citizen recalls her challenge askmg, Black izen in his discovery of self and spiritual renewal. In the first of two isolated Mary is you right with yourself? 'Cause if you is I believe when I come moments between herself and Citizen, he tries to arrange a late night ren­ back down from Alabama I'd come by and see you. If I was still right with ~ezv~us, suggestively encircling Black Mary's waist from behind. In push­ myself. Then maybe we could be right with each other" (Wilson, Gem 76). mg him away, Wilson draws a parallel between this moment and lines Black Mary like 6sun inspires, sparks the desire to create, and generates from a praise chant of Osun: the passion that seeks abundance (of knowledge, money, love, sweetness, Osun (embodiment of grace and beauty) etc.). She becomes Citizen's inclination to be better. The preeminent hair-plaiter with the coral beaded comb Aunt Ester's oneiromancy provides clues about Black Mary as her Powerful controller of the estuary protege and further evidences the ways in which her character is shaped Propitiator-in-chief of Ek6 (the City of Lagos) by Oi;un. Aunt Ester says, A copulent woman She had seventeen rings and I give her a dime for each one of them. That Who cannot be embraced around the waist [Abiodun 10]. was in a dream I had about Black Mary before l known her. l had that dream Black Mary intently demands a level of accountability Citi ze n has yet and th ncxLday Black Mary knocked on the door and asked me if l had any to experience. Thus, the play is not solely about his search for th e just laundry I lt:11 lll'l'ded washin g. I told her to go upstairs and ma_l~e t~at bed 'c:lLI Si' , yiirnl w ill i1q•. to do l::iunclry was welcome Lo slay here. I hal s Lhrcc rewards of citizenship but, also about hi s cl •velopint4 manhoo I hi s 111 yt·:, ·, ·' 1',11 •,111'l11 •,•11 111'1'1• ,·v,·r sinCL' I W ilslln , (;c111 IX\. becoming. She states, "You got a wom:\11 in yo ur h;111ds . Now w h:11·~ \'(! hat 1 150 /\ugusl Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle l,',·"1111·11111g·· l'Jir111to111/i111/J/s/ .. ." ( ;R1:1:N) I;, I The seventeen rings is another manifestation of Ocun who w th h ' , , .,, , as e sev- sy ncretism of Yoruba religion with Catholicism . Aganju is a mcclialor of enteent ?~I$a to descend from heaven to earth (the other sixteen were Lhe eart h's mysteries. He resides at the open mouth of a volcano an I is male). This 1s confirmed in the Odu Osetu' ra' of 1ca, d , • 1, sacre orature: Lhe spirit of the ensuing wilderness and new life that forms after the ·rup It was divined for the sixteen Odu Lion. He is known primarily for his intermediary role as the ferryman who Who were coming from heaven to earth safely transits departed souls from one plane to another. As a conduit of A woman was the seventeenth of them .... hope, Aganju is the ancient one that freedom seekers call upon to ass ist They never knew she was an aje. in navigating troubled waters. A comment by Baba Raul Canizar es, au th o r When they were coming from heaven, of Aganju, Santeria and the Spirit of the Orishas of the Volcanoes a11d \,Vi / God choose all good things; derness bears repeating in full here: He also chose their keeper, And this was a woman. According to Roman martyrology, Christopher's [Aganju's Catholic :1v:1l:1rl And all women are aje. birth name was Offerus, the son of a heathen king, It is sa id lhal Ol l1·1w, grew to over seven feet tall. He decided to put himself at th e se rvin• ol I Ii,· And because all other Odu left 0$un out, most powerful man on earth. He first served a king said to be th e most pol\'111

Nothing they did was successful [Abiodun 16]. in the world, but the king was terrified of the Devil. Offerus th ·n SOllf.\111rn11

the Devil, only to find out that Satan was afraid of Christ. He Lhen d(•<·l:1r1•d In "Hidden Power: Osun, the Seventeenth Odu " Rowland Ab· d "[6 ] · • ' 10 un states, his allegiance to Christ, in time [becoming] the disciple of a h rm it who I old sun IS believe~ to have the power to influence the destinies of men him he should give himself in service to Christ. The hermit bapti,,cd ( )flnu ~. women , and the [O]rl$a, and that Osun's presence is crucial to the suste~ changing his name to Christopher (Christ bearer) ... he took u1 lh e l:isk nl nance of life and order on earth" (Abiodun 11) Bl I M carrying people across a raging stream as his duty to Christ. He lb · ·:111wl d · • · ac < ary manages the ally_affairs of Aunt Ester's way station and is her student assistant in all the Patron of travelers .... It is thought that his hour is sun rise, for he is the rituals performed. 'Thu~, the dream prophesies that Black Mary stands thought to be one with the sun. This association with the rising sun makes Aganju an Ori~a people seek when they need hope, when they literally need ~o l~ecome Aunt Esters ultimate promise of survival and evolution-that to experience the dawn of a new day [21-22] . is, '.f ~lack Mary decide~ _that she wants to do so. Aunt Ester spends the maJonty of the play awa,tmg a decision that finally comes in Act II. Black Christopher's name change and his status as liberator and progenilor ~ary agrees to change her name to Ester Tyler but, declares she will nego­ of new possibilities become part of the Yoruba mythology Wilson draws tiate the role on her own terms. She tells Aunt Ester, "Your way ain't always upon in developing Solly's character. When he burns down the mill, Solly the best way. I got my own way and that's the way I'm doing it. If I stay as his Aganju archetype, becomes "the hand of justice" smiting oppress ion nd ~r?u here I'm d?ing it my own way" (Wilson, Gem 74). As stated earlier with a cleansing fire (Wilson, Gem 24) invoked in Act I by the Reverend it is Black Mary (Osun) who controls how the river flows into the ' Tolliver. Aunt Ester admits to no-confidence in the veracily of O When her Sol_ly !woKings is another character determined to act unde~e~7~ Solly's implication in the mill arson, he enters from her room and declares own pnnc1ples. A self-emancipated slave, he changed his name from the truth. Solly says, Alfred J~ckson to Solly Two Kings and declared the former dead. As ref­ Yeah, I burned it down! The people might get mad but freedom go l a high erence~ Ill the text, it is tempting to read this labeling as a type of Christian price. You got to pay. No matter what it cost. You got to pay. I didn't min I figurahsm-the referencing of two Old Testament Kings l d s settling up the difference after the war. But I didn't know th ey was go nna Da 1·d H 1 , o omon an , ,v, • owever, w 1at lies beneath this naming is the conjuring up of two settle like this. I got older I see where I'm gonna di e and everything be th e On~~ archetypes-Ag~nju (the way Solly functions) and Sango (the dis­ same. I say well at least goddamn it they gonn a know I was here. The people pos1t10n h_e c~rnes). His embodim ent of the archetype of Aganjt'.1 is first go nn a know al out Solly Two Kings [Wilson, Ge1117 51. su~gested Ill h1s_Ieadership of the Underground Railroad but, also as owner I lis lasl sl:1l<·111t•111s iµnifi s Lhc rnajcsti di s1 osilion he ca rries in lhv o~. the_h_an~ o,f ~usti_ce_"that set fire to the mill. Aganjt'., is believed lo be a 1 11 rnanner of Ids .,'111111.c'>.i I c llC'Iy pl'. Th e fourth ruler of I lw Oyo I i11µdo111, lov('r P mo1cl1al On$a or n·un m<.>lc associaled wi I h S;1i 111C h risl ophn u ndn lh(' c,( dogs, :111d w111111·11, ',,11q•/ • I•, :1 ll'ifil·cl :111c'l'Slor :llld a11olii l'r pri111ord1:d 11,:1 // 1'\ /II I I ' / /1//g "11/1011/IJI// /i111/1/.,f ... " ((; 1u:1:N) ,:, I .) 1\u g 11~L \X/il so11's l' 111~h1111\11( ' ~---( k ------. . . . h the slagc dire ·Lio ns which t'l'a I, Orl~a. Sango is known for his virile temperamenl, volalil e personality, dig­ of his reincarnall o n is implied througS II 's coat and hal and lakes Solly's ffl · t He puts on o Y < < nified walk, and his fierce comm itment to enforcing justi ce. Believed to "Citizen takes o 11s coa · II , . t ·n the hat. Eli pour s a dri11I I H d' ers the letter from So y s sis er • I be the only Ori~a besides Olodumare and Orunmila to rule the skies, he stic <. e iscov " . "S l' "Citizen exits wilhoul a word (Wi strikes with thunder and his lightning rod is truth's illumination. Wilson and raises it in a toast, saymg, o ive. . . . ey endin g wh •re il 85) Th l y has taken a circuitous iourn ' draws upon Sango literature through Solly's associations with pure col­ son, Gerr: h El: : li;izen . Yet, in this structurally Sankofic mom ·n_l ,_lh e lection, his talk of two women-"one for each arm " (Wilson, Gem 18) and began wit I an . the hei ht of its spiritual power a. docs ilt zl'tl his walking stick-the metaphor of both the as~, Sango's double-headed Gem of the Ocean sails to ld Rg d with a sense of purpos e and l 'Vl ' I' lk' out into wor enewe axe of liberation and destruction, as well as Aganju's wooden staff, the oar be fore wa mg · ·f ,, (W'l Gem 68) 'ilizen ex ils lwrn so thoughtful of his "duty to h e I son, . of his ferry boat. When Caesar comes to arrest Solly for arson, Solly strikes him on his knee and in the warlike manner of a titan he proclaims , 'Tm ically. d . t . . t of c<'>sl Lh , "u ;Hd i;1n oi' . h h to the en 1s a rai ·1 • ' r, under God's sky, mother-----r! That's what I'm under!" before running out Seemg events t roug . t He is ar ·hl'l yp:lil y portrn yt·d d t t r of the env1ronmen . < of the door (Wilson, Gem 70). The walking stick (a reference to both his the forestan proeco bl o· , , low orksclosl' lyw ith0 1;1111, 1d1·11 . C the town consta e. sos1, w 1 , I I atavistic forefathers as with it he directs and strikes) is also a testament 111 aesar, . f I t to an in livid ua\., , p11 lu,1 t d most meamng u rou e , to his liberation of others. Inscribed on it are sixty-two markings, narrating tifi.es the s h ortes an . . eahno th . tnith .1h111ll111 ,it . d ets to core of any s1tuat10n, sp , ' r, the number of individuals he and Eli led to freedom on the Underground evo Iut10n an g . . I d ti erw is. I k is kiiow11 .1•, 1lt 1• . h h ' d rogress sp1ntua an o 1 . . I Railroad. At the beginning of the play, Solly is planning his last rescue wh1c m ers p ' . f h th of cthi ·al lw ll:1v101· 11,1 1l \ f f th law and guardian o t e pa mission to Alabama for his sister, Eliza. She would mark sixty-three or enorcero e - fl. 1 •s favorilcbird111ll11·1 i11('l il . t of Os6sl speaks o eavmg 11 L I nine when reduced to a single digit, which in Yoruba numerology is the or praises ory • . f d f h' s fami ly. \l lw n IH· 11·l 111111'• . d ther while huntmg for oo or • . I numb e r of bolh Aganju and Oya, who represent transitions and endings. his gran mo . d h h b. ·cl had l c1.·ii v:il\'11. I 111.11•,1·1, l th l ter he d1scovere t at t e ll , Afler slowing away on Selig's wagon and getting as far as West Vir­ severa mon s a ' f . . t trike the heart of'tlw oll1•11

him with the law h praises. 1· 1· . 'L111l 1·s·t1•1· th e J)hys i(';d As he is moved to the kitchen table, Solly's life force drains as he begin s ' t · C IS ' U S S ll1 !,\ " " ' This providl's :rn ('nlr y po in or . . . I . 11 Au11l Ls to traverse the twelve gates of the City of Bones. Successfull y passin g ... ln l' tnbodi1111·11Io l 1111', 11H·1••,1ors. Nearin p. thrl'l' lrnndn •( Y(, 11s o ' through each of the gates, he initiates another ear lhl y r(' I urn. The l'v id ·11<·1· N, ·111111·, 1111g "JJ!tr111/0111li 111/i/s/ ..." ((;111:1:N) I:,:,

already defies the laws of man and as she impresses upon Citizen, deter­ "These fra gmentary remains stood ... dismemb ered bodies disca rded on the mines for herself what has value. In the following didactic moment ocea n's floor- th e residue, the 'collateral damage' from the trade betwee n between herself and Caesar, who has come to arrest her for aiding and three continents: Africa, the Americas, and Europe. The depth of the ocean abetting Solly, she speaks on the matter of papers, their value, and the law is still the domain of Olokun, a Yoruba diety transmogrified by some in the he represents: Americas as the 'patron saint' of the black race. The bones were laid thick; they made a brittle carpet upon which slave ships glided and memories I see you got a piece of paper. I got a piece of paper too .... It say on there derailed" [Bellegarde-Smith 1-2] . Ester. That's a Bill of Sale for Ester Tyler. That's me ... Mr. Caesar, you can put the law on the paper but that don't make it right. That piece of paper say Referring to the historical archive that is her narrative quilt, Aunt I _was property. Say anybody could buy or sell me. The law say I needed a Ester describes the City of Bones as "half mile by a half mile .... Pearly piece of paper to say I was a fre e woman. But I didn't need no piece of paper white bones ... the center of the world" (Wilson, Gem 52). The City of to tell me that [Wilson, Gem 78]. Bones is approximately 1600 meters in circumference, the size of four She repurposes her Bill of Sale as the Gem of the Ocean, a boat which pro­ average running tracks. A sacred number in Ifa, sixteen represents the vides Solly, Black Mary (whose previous journeys were alluded to in the original number of Ori~awho descended to earth, the primary number of text) and Citizen the necessary means of passage to the City of Bones. Odu within lfa sacred orature, and references the Sixteen Truths of Ifa. Wilson, as he has done in other plays, appropriates a song title for the The sacred corpus, as other religious texts (written or orally maintained), boat's moniker but revises its meaning. Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean, narrates "epic and cosmological myths about gods, goddesses and ante­ is not simply a 19th century battle hymn but, a legal document of servitude, cedents" (Ogunyemi 82). It describes human encounters with the divine now emblematic of a barge of freedom. "Whatever happen you hold on and speaks to a variance of experiences that one may confront over the to that boat. You hold on to that boat and everything will be all right;' she course of their life in the material realm-joys; challenges and their solu­ says (Wilson, Gem 63). In "Gem of the Ocean and the redemptive power tions; and notions of destiny. Thus, it can be argued that the City of of hi story;' Harry Elam states, "the medium of enslavement becomes now Bones-the material evidence of the ancestors as a source of spiritual wis­ the method of transcendence" (Elam 82). Not only is the journey on this dom-is an embodied sacred text or what Vincent Wimbush calls a sig­ vessel transcendental but, by insisting that he hold on to the Gem, Aunt nifying scripture, an "elevated object (imbued with 'spiritual and Ester reminds Citizen of the black American historical condition Wilson metaphysical meaning'], symbol, ritual, place, person or activity that helps spoke of in his Bill Moyers interview and the need for remembrance: [humans) focus attention on issues critical to the human experience: it [is] criminal that after hundreds of years in bondage, we do not have a explore where they came from, deal with lack of knowledge or power, thing like the Passover, where we sit down and remind ourselves that we are address the unknown, [and] manage trauma and pain and the other ongo­ African people, that we were slaves .... Part of the problem is that we don't ing challenges of their existence" (The Institute for Signifying Scriptures). know who we are, and we don't recognize the value of claiming that, even if Rather than written vernacular, their guidance which must be actively there's a stigma attached to it [Moyers 74-75]. sought is a narrated book whose orature (sometimes falling on deaf ears) For Wilson, holding the Gem becomes "a thing like the Passover" and a is delivered by culture bearers of the Wilsonian Cycle-Aunt Ester, Bynum, 19th century American war ode becomes a praise chant for situating one­ and Stool Pigeon for example. In Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1986), Wil­ self on the ancestral shrine of their African origins-the City of Bones. son reminds us that by 1911, few were consulting the book. In the preface While the lyrics to David T. Shaw's 1843 song are not explicitly sung in Lo the play Wilson tells readers that, "newly freed African slaves wander the text, Wilson invokes them in the titular of the play and name of Aun I into the city. Isolated cut off from memory, having forgotten the names Ester's Dumasian ark (Dumas 1974)-"O Columbia! the gem of the ocean, of their gods, only guessing at their faces, they arrive dazed and stunned"? the home of the brave and the free, the shrine of each patriot's devolion, Seventy-seven years later, the book seems to be largely forgotten. Stool a world offers homage to thee" ("Columbia, The Gem of Lhe Ocea n") IL is l' igeon in/ i11p, llcdlcy II (1999) says: in the realm of the Orl~a,O lokun, the OW ll (' J' of' I hv 0('(': 111, whe1· • aul hor Th · pl'o pk w ,1111l1·1·1111•, ,,II ovl'r the p lace. Th ey got losl. Th ey clon'L even know Patrick Bellegard- miLh wrilcs: 1lw stor y of li 11w 11!1•, 11,111 lrn111 tit l o 1:11. /\u nl l:sl cr I now. l\ul th e path lo IS7 k, ·.,111·r1·1'ti11g "pha11tom Lim/1/s/ ... " ( ;R1: 1:N) 1r.: 6 Au g usl Wi lsu 11's PiLLsbur g h Cyvlt-

her house is all grown over with weeds, you can't hardly find th e door no Gem 1.3-5 more. The people need to know that. The people need to know the story. See SuNDAY-Oja Aiku . . how they fit into it. See what part they play [Wilson, King Hedley II 8]. Day of long life and tranquility;_ascension; immortality; and settl111g Gem's positionality within the cycle is Wilson's redress to the slow clisputes-Obatala, Orunmlla, Orl death of Aunt Ester-the ancestral presence-in the material world and Gem 11.1-4 the consequential wandering black Americans in his cycle faced between MONDAY-Oja Aje 1911 and 1988. He goes back to pick up the dropped ball (Wilson, Two Day of commerce; initiating of educational, social programming; Trains 109) to strengthen the link between Africa and the characters. financial success-Yem9ja/Olokun Gem 11.5 TUESDAY-0j6 Isegun Temporal Coordination Day of victory-Ogun, 6sasl WrnNESDAY-Oja Ru Gem of the Oceans' plot line, limited locale, cast size, and well-made Day of confusion; the day opens the door and goes out-Oya resolution are signifiers of a climactically structured play. Such a play TttuRsDAY-Oja Bu begins late in the plot, working towards the climax. The characters provide Day of fulfillment; creation; ancestral return; return of sun to its us with necessary exposition, the time frame of the play is significantly normal course-Sang6 compressed (compared to episodic); scenes, locales, and characters are Gem Prologue limited; and the plot is packaged neatly with no loose ends. Gem's action FRIDAY-Oja Etl spans five days, with the rising action taking place during Friday and Sat­ Day of trouble, prolonged struggle; fight, P!ocrastination; urday, the climax on Sunday, and the falling action/denouement, Monday postponement; impossibility; or quarrel-O~ un Tuesday. However, Wilson uses what I refer to as an Ethnocultural and Gem 1.1-2 Dramatic Structure (EDS) to arrange the sequence of events within the SATURDAY-Oja Abameta . plot . EDS is a structural framework for transposing a given culture's Day of three suggestions; thre~ evil resolutions; three negative philosophies of time within the dramatic structure of the play. Gem's plot incidents; or three wonclers-E~u is mapped in accordance with the traditional Yoruba week calendar. Figure I. Yoruba Week Calendar The Yoruba week calendar (Fig. 1) comprises a seven day cycle char­ acterized by daily attributes that resulted from events which occurred in Yoruba creation stories and days on which to venerate specific Ori(>as opens with his arrival at 1839 Wylie Ave looking to get his soul cleansed. (Neimark 50-53). The Odu Oturapon-tura explains the purpose of the He insistently queries Eli about an immediate audience with Aunt Ester. However, Eli informs him that she only works with clients on cycle stating, "Orunmlla ... created [the days of the week] for the purpos e Tuesdays­ of observing marriages and birthdays, for starting a business or moving the clay of victory over enemies and challenges. Thus, his jour~ey ~o the into a new home, and so on. The days of the Ori(,a are also accounted for City of Bones is postponed. The second delayed event (which is not within these seven days for important observance of whatever may happen revealed until the following scene) is Garret Brown's funeral. Originally on the day of a particular divinity" (Epega 505-507). Thus, the week cycle planned for Friday, it was interrupted by Caesar who informed the ~ev­ is a way of organizing one's daily affairs so as to effect the most favorable crencl Flowers that providing funerary services for a man who committed outcomes. Philip Neimark's The Way of the Orisa sheds light on the sui cide "was against the law. The Christian law" (Wilson, Gem 11). Saturday (l.1- 2) is devoted to exposition. The charact ers testify to mythology behind the characteristics of each day and its ruling divinity. Lhc circumsl:rn c·l·s of the world that influences their lives. Interwoven in The table below provides an overview of the week. 1h e fabri (' of' thi s d:1y ;m• stories of Lhree men who were all fal sely accusecl­ Gem begins on a Friday evening and two cvenls confirm Lhc •n ' rgy l lH' J l' ilii ll' I , 1111,•11t111 ·11vd outlaw af'Lcr bein g indicted for horse slealing, that character izes the tension of day. The first is ( 'it i;,,('11's .1rri va l. 'l'hl' I l;1y 1 159 --158 ------=- /\ugu-----sl W ilso ,1'., 1'111~li111gli ( )t I,· Nesurrecting "phantom Limb/sj. .." (GREEN) Jesus Christ, and Garret Brown, whose previously inlerrupt cd fun eral h ·r that she can't figure out the mystery of life in advance but "trust the takes place mid-afternoon. Each of these men, who themselves could I adventure" (Wilson, Gem 43). seen as three wonders or whose stories and the experi ences contained After conferencing with Black Mary, Aunt Ester turns to Citizen ask­ therein seen as evil resolutions, walked to their deaths, "not, like th • ing, "Tell me about the man you killed. Tell me what you done, Mr. Citizen" quarry-slave at night, scourged to his dungeon but, sustained and soothed (Wilson, Gem 44). He finally admits to stealing the bucket of nails and by an unfaltering trust" (Bryant, Gem 59) in their innocence. Through watching Garret Brown die instead of confessing to the crime in order these three examples, Wilson illustrates the notion of living and dying in that he might save his life. Citizen is then prepped for his journey to the truth resolutely. Furthermore, both Jesus Christ and Garret Brown were City of Bones by being sent to Blawnox to collect items necessary for the falsely accused of committing offences against the law; their lack of impar­ ritual. 1.5 ends with Solly, who believes that "making the people owe is tial hearing s and subsequent deaths ignited varying levels of mayhem wo rse than slavery" (Wilson, Gem 56) "[settling] the difference" (Wilson, before new beginnings and peace ensued. The lore is that Christ's death Gem 61) and burning down the mill. Thus, three days after the death of saved the world. Garret Brown's suicide saved him but arguably was the Garret Brown, Act I ends with the symbolic fiery Phoenix rising at the catalyst for Citizen's spiritual renewal as well as the instigation the mill hand of the black Christ bearer-So lly as Aganju. workers needed to contest their disenfranchis ement. Reading them as On Monday evening (II.1-4) three new adventures are initiated. Solly both victims and saviors echoes sentiments surrounding the mythology prepares to leave for Opelika. Less than twenty-four hour s later Citi zen of Oluorogbo, son of Moremi and Olujare of 14th century Ile-Ife. Oluo­ returns from his journey to Blawnox with hi s two pennies and des en Is rogbo, thought to be the Yorubanized Messiah, was sacrificed to a river to the City of Bones. Black Mary finally declares that she will Lak c up /\u 111 goddess, Esinmirin, by his mother after she consulted with the goddess Ester's mantle and become the ke eper of the anccslr::.il memories. on the best strategy to appease unruly tensions between Ile-Ife and Igbo Finally, Tuesday (II.5), the day of victory secs Lh · f'ulfillrncnl of' go;ils. soldiers. In exchange for her services, Esinmirin requested the martyrdom Solly ascends to Gatekeeper status upon dcalh. In lhl' openi ng of' /\(' I II of Moremi's only son. It is believed that his death restored order within he tells Citizen, "That's where I'm goin g when I d i •... . ;01 Twl'ivl' ( ;;1lt·s Ile- Ife, but historical accounts differ as to whether Oluorogbo "was a vic­ and it's got Twelve Gatekeepers. T hat's whal I always wa nled to bl'. /\ tim of lawlessness" (and subsequently his mother's immortality and glo­ Keeper of the Gate" (Wilson, Gem 56). A spiritually ren •we I :iLizt·n rification) or "savior of his people" (Ogunyemi 87). returns to Alabama to retrieve Eliza and reconnect himself' wilh hi s ·ul ­ Sunday (I.3-5) is the day of settling disputes . Events that occur on tural roots in the South. The return South at the play's conclusion, seen this day build to the tipping point or are resolved. Thus far, mill work­ here and in another Wilson play, The Piano Lesson (1987), harks back to ers have been on strike for three days in a row in defiance of management one of Wilson's earlier arguments: "[black Americans] would have been at the mill and have now begun rioting because their demands have gone better ... stronger if [they] had stayed in the south" (Bigsby 212). Coinci­ unheard. Caesar and his ilk make over two hundred arrests before the dentally (or not), it is the south where all must return , "in order to rise to riot is quelled. Subsequently, the Reverend Tolliver plans a strategy meet­ the highest level of [our] spiritual and cultural attainment ;' says Malidoma ing. Some in his 1994 text, Of Water and the Spirit (279). The counterclockwise Black Mary, who has been withstanding Aunt Ester's pressure to traverse and descent South on the African Cosmo gram (regardless of the definitively answer one way or the other if she will accept the responsi­ geo-ethnic population-Kemetic, Yoruba, Bakongo, etc.) leads to the bilities of being a keeper of the memories, assuages her by stating that she attainment of spiritual wholeness. One has an understanding of the world does not reject the opportunity. However, Aunt Ester insists that her ret­ of the living and the realm of the ancestors. icence is displayed in her actions. She says, "You act like it. Run from iL Wilson's usage of an Ethnocultural Dramatic Structure-a Yoruban all the time. I told myself Black Mary got to make up her mind. I don'L Lcmporal construct-allows for a discussion about the architectural for­ know how much time I got left" (Wilson, Gem, 43). She presses her loser mation of Gem's plot without dependence on the dramatic constructs of to a final answer by repeatin g her age, "go in g o n Lhrc(· hundr ed yea rs now W •slern da ss i<"isl s. The cyclical nature of the Yoruba week calendar inher­ ... two hundr ed eighty-fiv by my count " (Wilso n, ;I'll, 11-;1)a 11d rl'111i11cling t·nt ly vml 11dit"• W,·.·tnn clra malurgic::.il nomcn cbturc ::.incl sensibilities- 161 ,: ,-" .,.,,l'fi ll,~ "p/iru1/0111li 111b/s/... " ( :i iu :i:N) 1 11 160 Au~11~1 W il~o 11's l 111, l111q1,l1 < )t 1,·

l hemselves" and "reconnect [wit h] their values and beliefs [and] sacred stasis, disturbance, ri se o f onflict, cl imax, and r ·slorat ion. Wilson's l'lcments of t he culture" (Young 13S). employment of EDS as an expressive mode challenges Lhe "hegemonic aesthetic priorities" Paul Carter Harrison writes about in "Toward a Crit­ ical Vocabulary for African Diaspora Expressivity" (2014) and expands N OTES 1. Research conducted for this essay was supported by a 2014 NEH ls; :m;~ the theoretical lexicon of critics who continue to evaluate plays like Gem , . fi d' n s do not necessarily reflect those of the Nat10na n o informed by Africanisms, through the white gaze. Inst 1;~te ~~: 1~~~:ni: e: ! version of this essay titled "Their Song ls a Play: Mapping Gem of the Ocean possesses a polyrhythmic dramaturg y that speaks men or . " resented at the 28th Annual Black Theatre on multiple levels. Although crafted with dramaturgical traditions and the Symbols in Gem of ,;Ohe o~:an's ;:: i hing:' I would like to thank the following Network Conference, ur ay f h. _ cultural references of the West, the black aesthetic-his sourcing of Yoruba . ted in the intellectual and spiritual development o t is essay cosmology and ritual in his character development, references to sacred ~~t~~~et;r:~ ; ~s~:scussion, textual reference, and editing: Paul Carter Harrison, Joy objects, plot construction and spatial landscapes-is evident and perhaps . C J R berts and Julianna Sarr. 1<111t ~: Yor:ban c~smological evidence is given primacy, l wish to acknowledge predominat es. Dramaturgical excavations which lift the veil and reveal ;~ . . d. . Gem of other Africanist spiritual trad1t1ons. What is t ec- such aesthetic markers can impact productions in striking ways. Actors Lhat there are 111 ices 111 can draw upon narratives and mythology of the Ori~ain creating riveting ognized is labeled accordingly. characters with clear, efficacious goals as it is the divine symbols upon W ORKS CITED which the characters are modeled that provide Gem with such gravitas. t' " I 6 Across . un Rowland. "Hidden Power, O~un, the Seventeent h O cu_- n ~un Reviews such as the one Ben Brantley wrote in the New York Times of the Ab10d ' A v b Goddess in A rrica and the Americas, edited by Joseph M. the Waters: , oru a '1' • · p • 1998 10- 2004 Broadway production of Gem miss the point of Wilson's employment . Me· Sanford Bloomington: Indiana U111vers1ty ress, . Murp h y an d M e1- 1 · of such majesty and otherworldliness. Writing on the difficulties of "play­ 33. PrSint.d T Ar,r1·ca's Ogun- Old World and New. Bloomington: Indiana Uni- ing a metaphor;' Brantley writes, "[the characters] are more like pieces of 1 Barnes, an ra . ; • parchment on which legends of the past and maps to the future have been versity Press, 1989. Print. . b h V drawn in swooping strokes of ink" (Brantley, "Sailing"). However, in a per­ Bellegarde-Smith, Patrick. "Introduction: W hat iRf ~ istory Wer~:·::;l d yetdi:e; ~~ sonal interview with the author Harrison stated, "it is the gods [who are] uished:' In Fragments of Bone: Neo-African e igwns ma. ' oo le ~atrick Bellegarde-Smith. Champaign: University of llhno1s, 2005.1- 12. G g working through the actors ... characters for the salvation of the commu­ nity" (Harrison). The fact that it was written after King Hedley II (1999) Book Search. Web. 24 June 2014. . w· t " In The Cambridge Com- . h "A Interview with August I son. is key to understanding that Gem is about the rebirth of a people, their Big;~~i~: : ~ ~ ~g~;~ v::ison, edited by Christophy Bigsby. Cambridge: Cambridge psyche, and their community. Thus, it is through the playwright and sub­ University Press, 2007. 202- 213. Print. . y k Times sequently the actors that the gods are awakened and pulled down as their Brantley, Ben. "Sailing into Collective Memory:• New York Times. New or ' presence is necessary to the community's survival. It is important to priv­ 7 Dec. 2004. Web. 29 June 2014· y rk- Theatre 1811). "Thanatopsis:• Quoted in Gem of the Ocean. New o . ilege such cosmology and ritual within the text when producing and/or Brya nt , WC . • ( . teaching Gem. Furthermore and despite Wilson's admitted Borgesian c munications Group, 2006. Pn nt. _om Baba Raul Agan1·u Santeria and the Spirit of the Orishas of the Volcanoes influence, conceptual frameworks rooted in "magical realism" should be C a111zares, • , . problematized as the cultural narrative Wilson draws upon is sacred, func­ and Wilderness. Old Beth page: Original,_2 003. Prh111Gt. if th Ocean." In Con- - I Maureen "A 10-Play O dyssey Cont111ues wit em o e . tional, and African; not magical which implies fantasy and fiction. An De:~r:ations wi;h August Wilson, edited by Jackson R. Bryer a_nd Mary C. Hartig. . · · · 2006 253- 256. Pn nt. application of Reggie Young's term "spiritual realism" (Young 134) should Jackson: University Press o f Miss1ss1pp1, . . . T lb x . "Tl e Ark of Bones'.' National Huma111t1es Center Resource oo o . better illuminate the metaphysical world in Gem and achieve Wilson's Dumas, 1-1e n1 y. 1 goal of presenting "black art that feeds the spirit and celebrates the life of 1974. Web. • p r f History:' ln The . . . Jr "Gem o,Jthe Ocean and the Redemptive owe o . .. I black America" (Wilson, "Ground"). The "strategies for [black Ameri ci'sl 1.1,un , H,u Y, · . . d. I I Christopher Bigsby. Cam- prosperity and survival" in Gem of the Ocean are the "opportuniti es I Wil­ ru11/Jrirlf!,e Con·1pa11io" to An,~1tst Wtl.1on, c ilcc ) Y. brid gl': ~;1mbriclg. n ivcrsit y Pn •ss, . 00 7. 75 88. l'r 111L. son creates] for the characters, [readers, and viewers I to renl'w or reclcl'lll il Pi11 11 ·)'< 1.- /\u g u~t W son's ~l 1rgli ( /(1'.111n·1·rti11g "p/J(,{nton-1limb/sf ... " ( ~R1:1:N) ~------Epega, Afolabi A., and Philip John Neimark . 'f'l, e Socrcd I/a Oracle. Ne w York: Thompson, Ro be rt Farris. African Art in Motion: Icon and Act in tl,e Collection rd' HarperCollin s, 1995. Print . Katherine Coryton White. Berkeley: Univers ity of Ca lifornia Press, 197'1-. ;ooglc Fatunmbi, Awo Fa'Lokun. Ogun, !fa and the Spirit of iron. Bronx: Original, 1992. Print . Book Search. Web . 3 May 2014. __ . Ososi and the Spirit of the Tracker. Bronx: Original, 1992. Print. _ _ . Flash of the Spirit, African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy. New York : Fu-Kiau, Bunseki K.K. "Ntangu-Tandu-Kolo : The Bantu-Kongo Concept of Time:' Random House, Inc ., 1983. Print. In Time in the Black Experience, edited by Joseph K. Adjaye. Westport: Green­ Tishke n, Joel E., F:ilol:i T6yln, and Akintunde Akinyemi. Sango in the Afi'icr, rr11rl//,(' wood Press, 1994. 22-23. Google Book Search. Web. 24 July 2014. African Diaspora . Bloomington: Indiana Unive rsity Press, 2009. Print. Harrison, Paul Carter. "Toward a Critical Vocabulary for African Diaspora Expres ­ Washington, Teresa N. In Our Mother, Our Powers, Our Texts, Manifcstrrlio11s 0{'1\j,'

sivity:' Continuum: The Journal of African Diaspora Drama, Theatre and Per­ in Africana Literature. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 200 5. Pri 111. formance l.l (2014). Wilso n, August. Gem of the Ocean. New York: Theatr e Co mmuni cation s ;roup , _ _ . Pe rsonal interview. 22 July 2014. 2006 . Print. Herrington, Joan. "i Ain't Sorry for Noth in ' i Done:" August Wilson's Process of Play­ _ _ . "The Ground on Which I Stand :' American Theatre (Sept. 1996) : I 111. 1'1l111 . writing. New York: Limelight Editions, 1998. Print. _ _ . King Hedley 11. New York: Theatre Communications G roup, 200 5. l' ri 11t. The Institut e for Signifying Scriptures, a research center directed by Vincent L. _ _ . Radio Golf New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2007. Pri11L. Wimbush and hous ed at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Califor­ _ _ . "Sailing the Stream of Black Culture." New York Times 23 Apr. 2000 . W!'b. :~•! nia . 23 Jan. 2015. http: / /ww w.signifyings cr iptures.org. June 2014. King, Martin Luther, Jr. "I have a dream :' Lincoln Memorial, 28 August 1963. _ _ . Two Trains Running. New York: Plume, 1992. Print. Love, Velma E. Divining the Self: A Study in Yoruba Myth and Human Consciousness. Young, Reggie. "W ilson's Joe Turner's and The Piano Lesson:' In August Wilso11 a11rl University Park: Pennsylvania Press University, 2012. Print. Black Aesthetics, edited by Dana A. Williams and Sandra G. Shannon. New York: Lyons, Bonnie, and George Plimpton. The Paris Review-August Wilson, The Art of Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Print . Theatre No. 14. Web. 30 July 2014. Mo ntgomery , George ne Bess. The Spirit and the Word, A Theory of Spirituality in Africana Literary Criticism. Trenton: Africa World Press, 2008. Print. Moyers, Bill. "August Wilson: Playwright:' In Conversations with August Wilson, edit ed by Jackson R. Bryer and Mary C. Hartig. Jackson: University Press of Mis ­ sissippi, 1988. Print. Neimark, Philip John . The Way of the Orisa: Empowering Your Life Through the Ancient African Religion of lfa. New York: HarperOne, 1993. Print. Ogunyemi, Yemi D. introdu ction to Yoruba Philosophy, Religion and Literature. Brooklyn: Athelia Henri etta Press, 1998. Print. Okediji, Moyo. The Shattered Gourd: Yoruba Forms in Twentieth-Century American Art. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2003. Print . Rahming, Melvin B. "Reading Spirit: Cosmological Considerations in Garfield Lin­ ton 's Voodoomation: A Book of Foretelling:' In Literary Expressions of African Spirituality, edited by Carol P. Mar sh-Lockett and Elizabeth J. West. Lanham : Lexington Books, 2013. 35-62. Print. Rush, John A. The Twelve Gates: A Spiritual Passage Through the Egyptian Books of the Dead. Berkeley: Frog, 2007. Print . Sarr, Julianna. Personal intervie w. 13 Feb. 2014. Shaw, David T. "Columbi a, The Gem of the Ocean:' 1843. New York: Frederic k A. Stokes, 1889. Google Book Search. Web . 24 July 2014. Some, Malidoma. Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic rrnd lnitiatio,, in //I(' /,if!' of An African Shaman. New York: -Pe nguin , 199'1,.

Soyinka, Wole. Myth, Literature rr11dtl, c 1\ji'irr111 \\101·/rl. N\'w Ymk : C::i 1nbridgl' l/ 11i versi ty Press, 1990 . Print.