8.1K views · 207 reactions | The tradition of blowing a conch shell...

Blowing the conch shell was a means for escaped slaves to communicate across the mountains and dense forests they ran away to. They had complex coding through the varied conch shell sounds that slave owners could not understand the meanings behind the conch horn. A story via oral history of Saint Lucia states that slaves were told when they heard the sound of the conch - they knew that they were free. The conch shell was then sounded on Emancipation day across the valleys. #knowyourcaribbean #co

In honor of the islands’ history with the conch shell, dozens of competitors gathered in Key West for their annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest. They were judged on a series of factors and only a select few could blow their way to the end. Listen for the winning songs. #conch #shell #KeyWest #Florida #history #cgtnamerica | CGTN America