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Freedom Song: Harriet Tubman’s Barred Owl Call
Tubman used a bird call as a signal to freedom seekers.
© Fyn Kynd
Harriet Tubman was a heroic abolitionist in the cause to end chattel slavery. She was also an excellent astronomer and naturalist — and an expert birder. She mastered the hoot of the Barred Owl, using it as a signal throughout the Underground Railroad to let freedom seekers know she had arrived.
This week is Black Birders Week! Learn how to participate in Black Birders Week here and by following #BlackBirdersWeek on social media.
BirdNote®
The Freedom Song: Harriet Tubman’s Barred Owl Call
Written by Tasha Lawson
This is BirdNote.
[Barred Owl song]
She was an incredible astronomer, master of the stars. Extremely knowledgeable of landscapes and geography, an expert forager and healer; an amazing naturalist. She was in tune with the birds and their calls. Notably, the hoot of a Barred Owl:
[Barred Owl song]
Harriet Tubman was a heroic abolitionist in the cause to end chattel slavery, and an expert birder. On the Underground Railroad, Tubman used the song of the Barred Owl as a signal to let freedom seekers know that she had arrived.
[Barred Owl song]
Her call let them know when it was safe to come out. She mastered the sound, and used it throughout the Underground Railroad.
After learning this story, I was inspired to learn this hoot myself, in homage to Tubman.
[Tasha’s Barred Owl call]
It was so smart to use the Barred Owl song as a signal. It's easily disguised, it's nature. She knew to use it at night, when it would blend in with other nighttime sounds. But those in the know, knew it was Tubman. And when they heard it, it was an important signal on a journey to freedom.
[Tasha’s Barred Owl call]
This week is Black Birders Week. To learn how to participate, follow the hashtag #BlackBirdersWeek on social media and visit BirdNote.org. I’m Tasha Lawson.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Barred Owl ML105433 recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote May 2023/2026
Narrator: Tasha Lawson
ID# tubman-01-2023-05-30 tubman-01
Reference:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/harriet-tubman-is-famous-for-bei…
https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=21-P13-00007&segmentI…
Tasha Lawson
Writer NarratorSights & Sounds
