root doctors who came to the Americas in the Colonial Era were "generally superior" to the European doctors of that time. An enslaved healer named Panpan was freed by Lieutenant Governor William Gooch because his herbal treatment was able to cure syphilis and yaws. Others were freed for developing herbal cures for a variety of ailments, including stomach problems and rattlesnake bites. Samson, the man who developed the rattlesnake bite cure, walked into the Commons House of Assembly in South Carolina in 1754 and pressed several rattlesnakes against his skin until they bit him. He then returned three days later, completely recovered, after using an herbal concoction to cure himself. He was freed and given a cash annuity for life. Enslaved Jane Minor was emancipated because of her medical expertise during an 1825 epidemic in Virginia and eventually ran her own hospital, using her earnings to free at least 16 slaves. Akan women used inoculation to prevent their children from getting yaws. African midwives brought their skills to the New World; midwives delivered 90% of babies during the antebellum era of the early 1800s. Folklore Africans crossing the Atlantic brought stories with them that were reframed and retold to reflect the new reality of slavery in the Americas, creating unique folktales and oral traditions of the African Diaspora. The Uncle Remus stories that were collected from Southern African Americans by Joel Chandler Harris in 1881 had their roots in diverse African animal fables that were brought to the United States by enslaved people. These fables often included a trickster character, similar to Brer Rabbit. The importance of Africa as homeland can be seen in the legend of Flying Africans who escape slavery by flying back to Africa, which has been retold all over the Americas and was included in a novel by Toni Morrison. High John the Conqueror is a trickster hero who in some tales is an African prince. Other elements of creative folklore that were brought to the Americas by Africans, particularly Angolans, included wrought iron work, basketry, weaving, pottery, clay figurines and grave decorations. References Further reading Holloway, Joseph. Africanisms in American Culture, Indiana University Press, 2005 Ojo, Valentine, Center for African Studies, Lincoln University. Culture, Identity and the Self: Africanisms in the Americas, published by University of Texas Africanisms, Encyclopedia.com Spencer, Jon M. The Rhythms of Black Folk: Race, Religion, and Pan-Africanism. Trenton, N.J: Africa World