Introducing Indigo, the Amazing…Plant

I chose the name Indigo for my second daughter because it is the deep blue color of the sea, a strong and profound color, solid and unyielding.  It fits Indigo.  Her obstinacy and ability to hold her ground (in the face of mom pleading with her, bribing her, threatening her) will serve her well later in life, or so her wise preschool teacher had explained to me.  Indigo is definitely strong, physically and otherwise.  Her spirit reflects the boldness of the color that is her name.

The girls and I talk a lot about the special meanings and associations of their names and the suitability of each name for each girl.  I wonder if down the line, their lives will somehow be shaped by their names.

Indigo is also a plant, or more exactly, Indigofera is a whole genus with over 750 species of plants within it.  The indigo plant produces a steadfast, natural dye that has been in use for thousands of years.  There is an ancient Persian rug dating back to 5000 BC that has been found to have indigo-dyed fibers.  In ancient Egypt as early as 1600 B.C., the fabrics used to wrap mummies were dyed with indigo.

Since then, indigo has been used in many cultures and in a multitude of ways mostly to color and decorate fabrics, but also to paint murals and pottery and as makeup, hair dye, and even medicine.  In some parts of Africa, Indigo is associated with wealth and fertility.  In other cultures it has been a part of ceremony, ritual and myth.  It has been called "blue gold" and "the king of dyes."

"Jeans," said Phoenix.  "Blue jeans! So many people in the world wear blue jeans, no wonder it's important."

Today's blue jeans are actually colored using synthetic indigo which is produced from aniline, an organic compound derived from benzene which in turn is found as one of the basic constituents of crude oil.   I am constantly amazed at how all-embracing the petrochemical industry is in our lives.

The discovery of synthetic indigo dye was quite significant as the process of producing natural indigo dye is particularly complicated and arduous.  Within two decades of the development of a commercially viable substitute for natural indigo in 1897, production of indigo from plant sources dropped to only 5% of what it had previously been.  Natural indigo is scarcely used today.

During colonial times in South Carolina, this is how indigo dye was made:

1. Plant and harvest indigo.

2. Remove the dye from the plants by throwing them in large vats of water to ferment.  Once fermented, transfer to a second vat and continuously churn.  Once the bits of plant flake off and settle down in the vat, remove the water.

3.  Take the leftover indigo paste from the bottom of the vats and put them in cloth bags to drain.  The next day, mold the blue mush into bricks and press and dry.

Doesn't sound too hard, but as mentioned above, the process actually was incredibly difficult as well as time and labor intensive.

Now comes the unpleasant part of indigo dye's history in the colonial era.

It was slave labor that planted, harvested, and prepared indigo.  Only slaves could be made to tolerate the repulsive stench of the rotting, fermenting plants and be made to perform the laborious tending and mixing of the vats.  Some slaves were purchased especially for their technical knowledge and skills in preparing the dye.

It is theorized that the chemical reaction involved in indigo's fermentation process may have contributed to increased cancer or lung disease within the slave population working with indigo.

There are, however, also theories that postulate that indigo may have helped save lives in South Carolina.  Studies have documented a dramatic drop in deaths during malarial months and a significant decline in yellow fever epidemic during the forty years or so that indigo was a major crop in South Carolina from 1760 to 1800.

Could this have been due to the decrease in standing water caused by plantation owners replacing some of their rice fields with indigo crops?  Though rice remained the primary crop in South Carolina, even a small reduction in standing water could cause a decrease in breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes.  Could it be that indigo has insect repellant qualities? One colonial account refers to its use on horse harnesses to keep away flies.  There are also references throughout history of indigo-dyed cloths being used for mosquito netting or for swaddling infants to keep insects away.

A nice discovery about indigo production in South Carolina was that it was introduced and started by a 16-year-old girl named Eliza Pinckney.  Daughter of a British Army colonel who was positioned in Antigua, Eliza managed her family's plantations in South Carolina.  Her father sent her various seeds from Antigua, and Eliza experimented and tested different plants.  Realizing the value of indigo as a lucrative cash crop, she spent three years figuring out how to cultivate indigo and prepare its dye.  Once successful, she shared seeds and knowledge with other plantation owners, and started the great "Indigo Bonanza" for South Carolina.

Indigo production dropped dramatically after the American Revolutionary War due to loss of the British subsidies that had made it so profitable.

Today we traveled through vast expanses of beautiful swamp, marshland and cypress forests.  The enormity of space surrounding me made me wonder about how this land might have been used in the past and about who lives in these areas today.

Discovering indigo is only a tiny fragment of this area's great and immense history.

A beautiful plantation. 

Who has traveled along these waterways?

Indians have definitely been here. 

And early explorers.

Soldiers as well. 

And sadly slaves, displaced from their home countries.

These waterways are still used for commercial purposes.

How lucky that I am seeing all of this as a recreational boater. 

Who will travel these waterways in the future?

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WHERE WE STARTED: Anchored in Waccamaw River, Mile 375.5.

WHERE WE ARE: Anchored in Awendaw Creek, Mile 435.7.  Bahamian-style anchoring in case the mini cold front coming through at night brings more wind than predicted.  Good hold, not shoaled at the entrance and easy to see the deep water because of the current.  I love how in this Google Maps image  it looks like we could easily drift out into the Atlantic Ocean from this anchorage.  In reality, there is a very shallow shoal blocking the way.



THERE TO HERE: 60 miles, 9 hours, Nancy at the helm except for the last hour.  Current was in our favor for the first four hours and at the end of the day.   Motoring with minimal sail use.  There was a tricky spot at Minim Creek.  There used to be range markers in place, but they are no longer there (except for a few sticks that looked like they might be useful if you knew you could trust them).  Using the range lines on the chartplotter worked well.

I like when the girls keep me company. 

I love when they make and bring me lunch!