Haint blue is a collection of pale shades of

blue-green Blue-green is the color between blue and green. It belongs to the shades of cyan, cyan family. Variations Cyan Cyan is the blue-green color that is between blue and green on a modern RGB color model, RGB color wheel. The modern RGB co ...

that are traditionally used to paint

porch A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...

ceilings in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. The tradition originated with the

Gullah The Gullah () are a subgroup of the African Americans, African American ethnic group, who predominantly live in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry region of the U.S. states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. The ceiling of the slave quarters at the Owens–Thomas House in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, built in the early 19th century, was painted haint blue. The pigment was derived from crushed

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

plants. Indigo was a common source for haint blue prior to the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, when indigo was a common crop for

plantations in the American South Plantation complexes were common on agricultural plantations in the Southern United States from the 17th into the 20th century. The complex included everything from the main residence down to the Pen (enclosure), pens for livestock. Until the ...

, but the tradition survived well after the decline in

indigo dye Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive indigo, blue color. Indigo is a natural dye obtained from the leaves of some plants of the Indigofera#Uses, ''Indigofera'' genus, in particular ''Indigofera tinctoria''. Dye-bearing ''Indigofer ...

cultivation.

Etymology

The word ''haint'' is an alternative spelling of ''haunt'', which was historically used in African-American vernacular to refer to a ghost or, in the Hoodoo belief, a witch-like creature seeking to chase victims to their death by exhaustion.

Cultural significance and modern usage

Gullah culture

Originally, haint blue was thought by the

to ward haints, or ghosts, away from the home. The tactic was intended either to mimic the appearance of the sky, tricking the ghost into passing through, or to mimic the appearance of water, which ghosts traditionally could not cross. The Gullah would paint not only the porch, but also doors, window frames, and shutters. Blue glass bottles were also hung in trees to trap haints and boo hags. As Gullah culture was forcibly mingled with white southern culture, the custom became more widely practiced. Additionally, not all Gullah identify with the belief that haint blue can ward off evil spirits, but the historical significance of indigo crops still applies. Many enslaved Africans of the

Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...

and their descendants believed in the protective power of haint blue, but the cultivation of

as a

cash crop A cash crop, also called profit crop, is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate a marketed crop from a staple crop ("subsi ...

in colonial South Carolina to produce the dye also significantly depended on labor from the 18th-century

transatlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

. Indigo production declined in the Lowcountry after the US Revolutionary War and loss of exports to the British market, and indigo nearly completely disappeared after the advent of synthetic blue dye in the mid-19th century. However, producing and using indigo dye in art and artisanal crafts has been reclaimed in a Gullah movement with the intent to strengthen the Gullah community's connection to their ancestors' African culture, such as through educational workshops hosted by the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.

Aesthetics

The blue color is appreciated from an aesthetic standpoint for mimicking the color of the sky.

Bug and bird nest deterrent

The use of haint blue has lost some of its superstitious significance, but modern proponents also cite the color as a spider and wasp-deterrent. It is also believed to be a bird nest deterrent. Erwin and colleagues at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

’s O. Orkin Insect Zoo were not able to find scientific research on the subject, but said that it would be a good research study for a student to pursue. The associated repellent effect may stem from the use of milk paint containing

lye Lye is the common name of various alkaline solutions, including soda lye (a solution of sodium hydroxide) and potash lye (a solution of potassium hydroxide). Lyes are used as cleaning products, as ingredients in soapmaking, and in various other c ...

, which does act as an insect repellent. There is also a psychological component as a bug or bird will not nest on the ceiling if it thinks the area is the sky.

References