Ardras, Jejes and Minas, or slaves of "first reputation": African Politics, Slave Trade and identity in Eighteenth-Century Salvador, Brazil

Abstract: In 1715, a French observer commented that Salvador appeared to be a "New Guinea", due to the diversity of slave origins. However, in spite of this diversity, Salvador had a high concentration of enslaved Africans who shared similar origins. These slaves came primarily from the Bight of Benin, the second largest slaving region in Africa. The article aims to discuss the presence of gbe-speakers (ardras, minas and jejes, primarily) in Bahia in the eighteenth century. The work by Luís Nicolau Parés, A formação do candomblé, highlights the presence of Africans from the gbè-speaking area in eighteenth-century Bahia. Yet, it is necessary to investigate the Atlantic dynamics resulting in the deportation of gbe-speakers to the Americas on the light of new sources. In exploring the connections between the political events in the Bight of Benin and the Bahian slave trade, the article also seeks to discuss the numbers and origins of those exported to Bahia. I intend to combine quantitative analysis on the numbers of the transatlantic slave trade and the records in the probate and baptismal records in order to shed light on the lives of these West African groups in eighteenth-century Bahia.

摘要：1715年，一位法国观察者曾评论称，由于奴隶来源的多样性，巴西萨尔瓦多（Salvador）俨然一副"新几内亚"的样貌。尽管奴隶来源庞杂，萨尔瓦多的被奴役非洲人群体中仍有较高集中度的同源族群——这些奴隶主要来自非洲第二大奴隶贸易区域贝宁湾（Bight of Benin）。本文旨在探讨18世纪巴伊亚（Bahia）境内盖语使用者（Gbe-speakers，主要包括阿尔德拉人、米纳斯人与杰热人）的分布情况。路易斯·尼古劳·帕雷斯（Luís Nicolau Parés）所著《坎东布莱的形成》（*A formação do candomblé*）已提及18世纪巴伊亚存在来自盖语区的非洲人，但仍需依托新史料，从新维度探究推动盖语使用者被贩运至美洲的大西洋航运格局。在探究贝宁湾政治事件与巴伊亚奴隶贸易关联的同时，本文还将讨论被贩运至巴伊亚的奴隶的数量与来源。笔者计划结合跨大西洋奴隶贸易（Transatlantic Slave Trade）的量化分析，以及遗嘱与洗礼档案记录，以揭示18世纪巴伊亚境内这些西非族群的生存实况。