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SPEAKER_05: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan,
SPEAKER_00: and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about folk heroes, women whose lives and stories took on mythic proportions. Some tall tales have roots in reality, and it's possible that the fantastical figure we're talking about today was based on a real person. But mostly, she's known as the stuff of legend, passed down through oral tradition, old-timey radio shows, collections of folklore and children's tales. This brawny and brave keelboat captain has been hailed as the queen of the lower Mississippi River, the daughter of the Delta. Please welcome Annie Christmas. In some stories, Annie has appeared as Irish or African, but the most popular version of the Annie Christmas story belongs to the Black community in New Orleans, Louisiana.
SPEAKER_04: ["O Christmas Tree"]
SPEAKER_00: Legend has it that Annie was born on Christmas Day. She had wild and unruly black curls and eyes that shined as brightly as polished coal. Even as a newborn, her size was impressive. She weighed an impossible 25 pounds. Annie was already so strong that two minutes after she was born, she was able to lift her mother and swing her around. By the time she was a young woman, Annie towered over passersby in New Orleans at six feet seven inches, though some claimed she was even taller. She weighed 250 pounds and she was as strong as anything. When Annie yelled, the very ground shook with the might of her voice. And she was fast, so fast that she could outrun the swiftest horses and outswim the boats that chugged up and down the Mississippi River. ["O Christmas Tree"] One story goes that when Annie first tried to find work on the docks, a foreman sneered at her. He said a woman couldn't handle the backbreaking labor of unloading cargo ships. So Annie came back the next day, her long hair tucked into her cap, dressed in baggy, masculine clothes. She easily hoisted several heavy barrels at a time into her arms, astonishing the other longshoremen with her muscles. At the end of the day, the foreman announced, when each of you can do the work that this one can, you can call yourselves men. Annie laughed and whipped off her hat, revealing her identity. She responded, or maybe you can call yourself a woman. The foreman's face went red. Annie had proven him wrong. In many tales, Annie went on to become a highly respected keelboat captain. These boats were commonly used to carry cargo on the Mississippi River. They were usually propelled by oars and steered using 18-foot-long iron poles. Annie's career as a keelboat captain also put her in contact with the star of another tall tale, Mike Fink. Mike Fink was a legendary captain known for his hardiness, but even he was no match for Annie. Once, while he was passing through New Orleans, he spotted Annie working on the docks. He chuckled and suggested she should be at home making socks instead. She should stay away from this manly work. That was a big mistake. Annie lifted the bale of hay she was carrying and threw it into the river with such force that it created a great tidal wave. The wave swept Mike Fink right out of New Orleans, and he was too afraid to ever return. In all of these tales, Annie's larger-than-life strength and self-confidence symbolize an escape from the societal constraints black people, particularly black women, have faced throughout history. In some tellings, Annie ignored laws in New Orleans that mandated black women wear tions, cloth hair coverings. Descriptions of her often include traditionally masculine traits, like her neatly trimmed mustache and workman's overalls. But there are also stories of her elegance and poise, how she'd shave her mustache, dress in shiny silk dresses and hats decorated with turkey feathers, and enjoy parties with girlfriends. No matter the attire, Annie was most known for her steely strength. There are so many stories that they're hard to keep track of. She once helped save New Orleans during a terrible storm by hauling sandbags to raise the levees. And Annie didn't shy away from a fight. She wore a necklace of beads to represent her conquests. She added one bead every time she bit off a man's ear or nose, and two for every eye she gouged out. By the time she died, the necklace was said to be 30 feet long. Even Annie's journey into motherhood was superhuman. She was said to have birthed 12 sons in one day, who each grew up to be seven feet tall. It's disputed whether Annie ever had a husband. In some legends, she had many romances, in others, she never married. There are also many versions of the story of Annie's death. In one telling, Annie was so distraught when her gambling husband Charlie died at the roulette table that she took her own life at his funeral. In a different version, Annie helped rescue passengers from a luxury paddle boat on the Mississippi River during a sudden storm. She navigated her keelboat through the choppy and treacherous waters as rain pelted down on the passengers. She ferried everyone to safety, but was so exhausted by the feet that she died on the riverbank. Annie's 12 sons held a somber funeral service, and hundreds came from all around to pay their respects. Annie's coffin was laid to rest on a grand black barge that floated down the river.
SPEAKER_00: Annie's story has been told and retold over time. And like many folk heroes, it's unclear where her tale originated. Some say she was invented by two New Orleans writers sometime in the early 1900s. But many say Annie's story has been shared in the black community for much longer. Today, Annie's presence is still felt in New Orleans. Some say that to this day, if you stand on the bank of the Mississippi River on a misty night, you might just make out the shape of Annie's barge floating against the horizon. All month, we're talking about folk heroes. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram, at Womanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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