Those washboards certainly give the authentic flavor. DF loves to get up on stage and play the board when she gets around her ol' Zydeco band friends. It doesn't take much training. They don't play every song with that swish, but it keeps someone busy.
Some of ,I like more than others. Some is more sophisticated. It is fun.
I've researched a few books about Jean Lafitte and the thousand or so smugglers that loosely made up the illegal trading back in the day. It was a different era, black market more wide open and tolerant, less controlled, accepted by the locals. There was some piracy amongst them and quite a bit of piracy in the Carribean of that age. Then, there was that War of 1812, when the large band provided gunpowder and weapons and volunteers to thwart the invasion of New Orleans in exchange for pardons and also, a more passive government. The British staged the invasion from Ships Island where our previous post occurred.
Slavery was an unquestioned way of life, but once a year, a "Dragoon Ball" was held, where mixed race generally "passing" women were made available to local gentlemen as mates, mistresses or married. Most sea commerce was done with smaller boats and once threatened by an armed fast, small boat or boats, would politely civilly transact cargo in their surrender. I used to think in terms of big ships, incorrectly. Things were so different than Hollywood pirate movies.
Jbee
