Flying Africans
The Flying Africans are a central figure in African American legend, born from the historical tragedy of Igbo Landing in 1803. When 75 Igbo captives from Nigeria were brought to St. Simons Island, Georgia, they rose up against their captors, grounded the ship at Dunbar Creek, and walked deliberately into the water singing — choosing death over slavery. From this tragedy arose the legend that the Igbo did not drown but transformed into buzzards and flew back across the Atlantic to Africa. The story evolved into the broader 'People Could Fly' tradition collected by Virginia Hamilton, in which en