Someone Knows My Name

Alassane finally agrees to take Aminata inland in September 1800, six years after her first visit to Bance Island. In this time hundreds of Negroes arrive in Freetown and help put down an armed rebellion by disgruntled Nova Scotians, who still had no land or say in their governance. Aminata packs bare necessities, herbal remedies, and some gold guineas for her journey. A group of her friends come to see her off, including Daddy Moses and the Falconbridges. She reflects on the people she has left behind in her numerous migrations before starting her journey.

During the journey, Alassane warns his men in Fulfulde that Aminata is clever and speaks many languages. She doesn’t tell him that she speaks Fulfulde, that she was born a Muslim, or that she was enslaved as a young girl. When asked, she tells Alassane that her family is waiting for her in Bayo. Alassane issues orders often, which make Aminata uncomfortable. She wonders how the men in Bayo will speak to her and if her years of independence have made her unfit for village life. Aminata imagines the horrendous journey the slaves of the many coffles they pass are about to encounter. She remembers thinking as a child that no decent person would allow a slave coffle to pass without intercepting and feels guilty about her inability to act.