African Origins contains information about the migration histories of Africans forcibly carried on slave ships into the Atlantic. Using detailed information on 9,453 Africans liberated by Courts of Mixed Commission, this resource presents geographic, ethnic, and linguistic data on peoples captured in Africa and pulled into the slave trade. Through contributions to the website by Africans, members of the African Diaspora, and others, the hope is to realize the history of the millions of Africans captured and sold into slavery during suppression of transatlantic slave trading in the 19th century.
Historical information in the African-Origins database comes from Havana, Cuba, and Freetown, Sierra Leone, Courts of Mixed Commission registers, created between 1819 and 1845. The data describes individual Africans who were liberated from slaving vessels in the era of the suppression of the transatlantic slave trade. Such information as name, age, and in some cases place of origin was provided by the Africans themselves, with the help of a translator, to a Spanish- or English-speaking Court registrar who recorded these descriptions as a way of helping to prevent these Africans from being re-enslaved.
The African Origins Project invites members of the public to assist in identifying the historical origins of Africans transported in the transatlantic slave trade. The project organizers seek assistance from those with knowledge of African languages, cultural naming practices, and ethnic groups. Perhaps you can assist in identifying these Africans' origins by drawing on your own expertise to identify the likely ethno-linguistic origin of an individual's name.
You can learn more at the African Origins web site at http://www.african-origins.org/
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