History of a People

History of a People is a unique artist’s book that traces African American history and culture through scent. Each of the six bottles (or chapters) holds a custom blended scent that corresponds to the cultural landscape of selected historical periods: Roots, Journey, Arrival, Harrow, Protest, and Visioning. The scents symbolize the complex layering involved in the creation of a new culture.

This project envisions the possibility of material culture brought to the Americas by enslaved Africans, and passed down through generations. The cotton cover of the book is loosely based on tribal crowns, with the thought of how they might evolve over time and distance, while its triangular sides are reminiscent of slave ship schematics. Human hair embellishments lead to the Adinkra Sankofa, a Twi word from the Akan that loosely translates to, “go back and get it" - in this case, history and knowledge.

Custom blended scent “pages” - Roots, Journey, Arrival, Harrow, Protest, Visioning - are presented in glass vials that sit in a hexagonal base of wood painted with indigo ink. A door beneath each vial opens to announce the chapter.

Scents:

• Roots – Plants, earth, ambergris

• Journey – Water, metal, containment

• Arrival – Salt, water, iron, blood

• Harrow – Fieldwork, sugar, burning wood, iron

• Protest – Smoke, food, metal, sweat

• Visioning – Air with traces of water and earth, flight

On View

History of People is on view until October 2024 in Holding Ground: Artist’s Books for the NMWA, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, DC.

History of a People, Standard Deluxe Edition

History of a People is also a deluxe edition of 10 and contains the same aromatics as the unique version, but on a smaller scale.

For the edition, the cover is braided and embellished with cowrie shells and hair.

Adinkra symbols of the deluxe edition are burned into the wooden base, which is painted with indigo ink.