The color blue is significant in the cultural beliefs of the inhabitants of South Carolina and Georgia, who are mostly descendants of enslaved Africans. Haint blue is thought to have the spiritual ability to protect those who whitewash their buildings in this color from evil.
According to Atlas Obscura, the other school of thought is that the haint blue color is widely used to remember the thousands of enslaved Africans who were mistreated on plantations.
When paint was scarce in the 18th century, the enslaved relied on indigo dye to adorn their homes in the mystical blue color. It is believed that the haint blue can drive away evil spirits who have escaped their physical realms to harm horses or bring misfortune to people.
It has become a popular culture among the Gullah Geechee, who have bought into the beliefs and used indigo dye extensively on the Lowcountry plantations. The natives believed that the color misled the haints into thinking they had stepped into water while crossing, putting a distance between them and their victims. Additionally, they resorted to using blue glass bottles which were placed on sticks to drive away marauders.
Despite its popularity, superstitious beliefs are not shared by everyone in Gullah Geechee. When modernization and migration began in the early 1930s, many residents lost touch with their culture.
Heather Hodges, Executive Director of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor National Heritage Area, stated that the dye has a strong connection to slavery because indigo was produced by slaves on plantations.
According to author Andrea Feeser’s book ‘Red, White, and Black Make Blue,’ the blue color has symbolically stood for protection among West Africans for many centuries. She explained that many West African amulets have a blue color associated with the materials used. The color blue has long been associated with spiritual traditions.
In his book on resistance rituals, author Jason Young emphasized the significance of haints and boo hags in people’s traditions and culture. Despite the passage of centuries, many modern Gullah Geechee houses inherited from slavery have retained their color, texture, and traditions.
Many major paint companies are also cashing in on the tradition to allow people to modernize their spiritual beliefs; the belief that the haint blue is steeped in the inhabitants’ everyday life. It has influenced many people’s daily lives in Gullah Geechee because the fear of the wrath that could befall someone who fails to paint their house blue has been passed down from generation to generation.
Indigo was first discovered in South Carolina in 1739. It was one of the region’s most important exports to other international markets. It had an annual economic value of more than $30 million.
Oral history credits the enslaved Africans for the processing of indigo dye on the plantations.