Manipulated by Hand and Moon: Implications of Form and Function of Water Control Features in Lower Cape Fear Tidal Rice Fields
Remains of water control features utilized in tidal rice cultivation of the Lower Cape Fear region during the 18th and 19th centuries are still visible within waterways along the Brunswick River. By examining the relationship between features within the context of rice field design, four questions drive this research: what features can be identified? How do the features operate? Is there evidence for technology transfer? Could these cultural resources support a National Register nomination as a maritime cultural landscape? Analyzing the form and function of features is important to determine layout intent and helps to delineate site boundaries for contemporary management purposes. Further, recognizing the origins of this technology contributes to the understanding of how the waterways of rice fields created liminal spaces of freedom for enslaved Africans who were tasked with manipulating the landscape to harvest one of the most profitable crops in the Lowcountry.
Keywords: rice cultivation, Lower Cape Fear, enslaved Africans, technology transfer