Negro Head Corner, Arkansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Negro Head Corner, Arkansas
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 Negro Head Corner, Arkansas
Location in Arkansas
Negro Head Corner, Arkansas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Woodruff |
| Elevation | 217 ft (66 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 52597 |
Negro Head Corner is a small, unincorporated community in Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States. It is located about 4 miles north of the town of Augusta. An unincorporated community is a place that does not have its own local government.
What's in a Name?
Negro Head Corner gets its unique name from a special wooden sculpture. This sculpture was a carving of a Black man's head. It used to be displayed at a farm corner near the main crossroads in the area.
The Artist and His Story
The sculpture was carved by a man named Wade Antney. Wade Antney worked on the land for many years. First, he worked there when he was an enslaved person. Later, he became the owner of the farm himself.
A Look at the Sculpture's Meaning
People have wondered about the meaning behind Wade Antney's sculpture. Some have thought it might represent Legba. Legba is a spirit, or loa, in Haitian Vodou, often linked to crossroads.
However, another idea is that the sculpture was a type of nkisi. An nkisi is a spiritual object. Many Black Americans in the South use these objects. They are used for protection, healing, and to connect the physical world with the spiritual world. This spiritual world is where ancestors are believed to live.
In some African-American traditions, figures or charms are placed in the corner of a house or property. This placement can represent important spiritual ideas, like the Kalûnga Line or the Kongo cosmogram. These are symbols from African cultures that connect to life, death, and the spiritual journey.
