Mama Yaya Taught Me Gallery Canvas Wraps, Vertical Frame

When my best friend told me I should look into the story of Tituba, the Black witch who survived the Salem witch trials in our home state of Massachusetts, I was immediately intrigued. Every year since 2019 I have tried to become more familiar with this story and depict it through my art. This year when I revisited Tituba’s story I learned something different- she actually wasn’t Black. After the Civil War various authors wrote her story to fit their own agenda. Tituba was written as Black to fit the common perception of what a slave looked like. She was also written as a devil worshiper who practiced Voodoo. When I learned this I was inspired to counter some of this misrepresentation through my art.

What has always resonated with me is that Tituba’s story is an adoption story. By age 7 Tituba was orphaned and raised by Mama Yaya, a “Nago healer”. Nago is a descriptor for Brazilian Yoruba people. In my art Tituba has an Arawak phenotype as a reference deduced from her being an indigenous South American woman who was captured as a child and brought to Barbados. In my imagination Tituba and Mama Yaya both have ties to Brazil and their shared language allowed a young Tituba to trust Mama Yaya. If they both passed through Brazil- the largest importer of African Slaves where indigenous people were also enslaved- before ending in Barbados- the first British Black Slave society, then my theory is possible but who knows? What remains true is that Tituba was a survivor and history should remember that.

In this piece:

Mama Yaya’s hair is braided in a traditional Yoruba style. Both figures are in white to reflect the Barbados heat. Mama Yaya and young Tituba and one with the Peacock Flower otherwise known as the “Pride of Barbados” which represents the natural healing powers that Mama Yaya instilled in Tituba, the blossoming relationship between this new mother and daughter duo, and the love that will endure after Mama Yaya is gone.

This vertical gallery wrapped canvas print will always look as tight and flat as the day it was made. Every frame is built with a solid face to support the canvas and prevent deforming. Available in multiple sizes, comes in walnut and black frame options.
.: 100% cotton fabric canvas
.: Poplar wood frame with walnut or black finish
.: High image quality and detail
.: NB! For indoor use only