Stagville at Night

Once one of the largest plantations in North Carolina, Stagville today serves as a learning center for the history and culture of another time.  On Friday night staff from Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill told sky myths and legends on the lawn in front of the old slave quarters.  Telescopes were set up for night viewing, but clouds covered much of the sky and the moon was visible for only a short time. No one complained, though; we were a quiet group, sitting and lying on blankets as the dark closed in around us.

On the drive over to Stagville, we saw one of the most spectacular rainbows I've seen in a long time.  Every color of ROY G BIV was visible, and the arc span immense--as if a giant had taken 7 markers and drawn a line as far and as high as his hand could stretch.  I wondered what the enslaved people at Stagville once thought about rainbows.  Were they a promise from God?

We fell asleep that night lying on our blanket, protected by something larger than ourselves. Was it the rainbow, or was it the sacred ground where we lay?  Maybe it was both.  All I know is, you could feel the peace in the air, silent and still.