Preserving a Culture

Approximately 30 ancestors of the 110 who were on the Clotilda in 1860 settled in Plateau, north of Mobile, Alabama. They were quiet makers, preservers, and teachers of the art of Ghana, West Africa. Israel Lewis, Sr., a direct descendant of Cudjoe Lewis, was one of many responsible for selecting and teaching ancestral drawings, paintings, and carvings to first borns. Israel Lewis, III (Kwaku Kazula) is the grandson of Israel Lewis, Sr. and was taught by him the who, what, when, where, how, and why of the Tarkar art. He was exposed to the art a few days after his eyes opened.