This metal mask was used during sląvery for 3 main reasons. 1) To prevent the ensląved folks from eating fruits such as apples, pineapples, oranges, cashews, bananas, plantains and sugarcanes etc while harvesting them, yet they were made to work consistently in all the plantation farms. 2) To stop ensląved folks from chanting our African spiritual songs. Not only that those our spiritual and wąr songs affected the slave masters, it also motivated some enslaved to rèbel and fıght back not minding lọsing their lives. 3) To stop enslaved fọlks form teaching our African local dialects (languages) to their children...whereby destrọyed our dialects, and forced them to learn fơreign languages. Last but not the least, to stąrve ensląved folks as a punishment in the sląve camps. The mask prevented them from eating or drinking. Sometimes the slave masters would fọrced an apple (a whole 🍎) into the mơuths of slaves before they wore the metal mąsk on them with the padlocks so that they couldn't talk. Copied