Before a person appeared in a record of captivity, that person belonged to a world.

In Before the Chains, Ernst Pierre explores six histories from West Africa: Allada, Hueda, Ile-Ife, Oyo, the Edo kingdom of Benin, and Igbo communities. Diplomacy, political institutions, glassmaking, sculpture, cavalry, and intricate metalwork reveal people whose lives were shaped by knowledge, work, belief, and relationships.

This illustrated introduction recognizes achievement while examining unequal power, conflict, and participation in enslavement. It distinguishes archaeological evidence, written accounts, oral traditions, and artistic reconstruction.

The chapters span different centuries. Some concern medieval societies; others examine communities already entangled in Atlantic enslavement. The title invites readers to look beyond the identities imposed on captives, rather than suggesting that every chapter takes place before the Atlantic trade.

With modern reference maps, six interpretive illustrations, numbered source notes, and a glossary, Before the Chains begins the EP Deep Roots series and opens a path toward the histories carried to Haiti.

Before the Chains

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