The biographical details of Omar ibn Said’s life are somewhat fragmentary, says Ernst, although Said left behind a slim autobiography and was the subject of newspaper coverage during his lifetime.Īmbrotype photograph of Omar ibn Said, from the Ambrotype Collection in the North Carolina Collection’s Photographic Archives.

The manuscript “shows the way in which religion and racism were deeply intertwined in the slavery institution in America,” says Ernst, who is the co-author of a forthcoming book about Said titled “I Cannot Write My Life.” Understanding the document, and the context of its creation, requires knowing something about Said’s life. McClellan may have been given the document at a hot springs resort that the Owen family visited. Distinguished Professor of religious studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, one of them appears to be General George McClellan, who later became famous as a Union general during the Civil War. The document includes notations by other people who have handled it. The library has digitized the manuscript, now part of the North Carolina Collection at the Wilson Special Collections Library, and shared it online. According to John Blythe, assistant curator of the North Carolina Collection, the item is the first to come to light in many years. It contains an Islamic blessing and two biblical texts: the 51st psalm and the Lord’s Prayer.Įighteen examples of similar documents written by Said are currently known. The newly acquired manuscript, created in 1856, is a document addressed by Omar ibn Said to his enslaver, James Owen. University Development Opens in new site.Gillings School of Global Public Health.News and Updates Display Sub Menu for News and Updates.Life at Carolina Display Sub Menu for Life at Carolina.Athletics Display Sub Menu for Athletics.Continuing Education Opportunities Opens in new site.Academics Display Sub Menu for Academics.Branding and Identity Guidelines Opens in new site.About the University Display Sub Menu for About the University.

Ibn said manuscript