Magic of Haint Blue

Southern Living, Aug 2007 by Harris, Haskell

You see it on porches, windows, and doors. Learn how an ancient African belief influenced the palette of the South-and how this popular shade is used today.

A long rural roads in South Carolina, flashes of it peek out from clapboard houses. In parts of Charleston, splashes of it stand out among shades of peach, yellow, and pink. It glows like phosphorescence through the sultry heat of Savannah; New Orleans; and Beaufort, South Carolina.

It is haint blue, a historic color that was once perceived to hold magical powers. Painted on porch ceilings, shutters, and around exterior doors and windows, haint blue kept "haints," or haunts, and other evil spirits away.

Where Did It Come From?

The history of haint blue in the South can be traced back to the Gullah/Geechee people, a community with ties to enslaved Africans from the sea islands off South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The Gullah/Geechee people brought with them the African practice of using haint blue on porch ceilings and shutters and around doorways and windows to prevent misfortune.

"The color haint blue is as much a part of our cultural fabric as the indigo leaves used to dye the garments of our ancestors," says Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and the founder of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition.

So the legend of haint blue lives on. Passed down byword of mouth for generations, it is part of the collective memory of the South-the place we call home.

-HASKELL HARRIS

For More Info Sources: southernliving.com/august2007