Gullah neighborhoods
August 24, 2023
Family Compounds and family subdivision amendments to know
Hilton Head is one of the amazing places to spend some time with your family. Especially, if you are willing to explore an unseen culture and food around the island. Hilton Head is popular to have Gullah Geechee Culture embedded in its islands and every traveler must take some time to explore the beauty of it.
Gullah, also known as Geechee or Gullah-Geechee, is a Black American ethnic group that mostly resides in a territory that stretches from Pender County in southern North Carolina to St. Johns County in northern Florida along the southeastern coast of the United States. The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is the name given to this region by the National Park Service, while the Low Country and Sea Islands is a more accurate description. The Gullahs set themselves apart from other descendants of enslaved Africans chiefly by maintaining traditional West African customs and by using a distinctive creole language, which was made possible by their relative isolation.
The Gullahs are derived from slaves who were taken from what are now Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Angola. Many of these black people under slavery were sent to the West Indies to "season" (get used to the ills of slavery and the Western Hemisphere) before being transported to the port of Charleston, South Carolina, where they were then sold to plantation owners. Most of these enslaved people were made to labor in rice fields along the shore by the owners, who took advantage of their past agricultural experience. Other slaves cultivated indigo, which was found in some regions of Africa, and cotton, both of which were native to the people who owned them.
History of Gullah Community
The Gullahs are derived from slaves who were taken from what are now Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Angola. Many of these black people under slavery were sent to the West Indies to "season" (get used to the ills of slavery and the Western Hemisphere) before being transported to the port of Charleston, South Carolina, where they were then sold to plantation owners. Most of these enslaved people were made to labor in rice fields along the shore by the owners, who took advantage of their past agricultural experience. Other slaves cultivated indigo, which was found in some regions of Africa, and cotton, both of which were native to the people who owned them.
Let’s talk about Gullah Traditions
The southeast coast of the United States is home to a number of Gullah customs that have been passed down through the years. They consist mostly of seafood, rice, and seasonal coastal vegetables like okra and field peas, as well as basket weaving, indigo dyeing, and a distinctive cuisine. Folklore and oral history are still practiced today. They draw inspiration from both African and Christian mythology for their key characters. Gullah legend is full of witches and demons, as well as "haints"—the spirits of the uncared-for dead that torment the living—and "boo hags"—human-like monsters who peel off their skin at night and drain the breath of their live victims while riding them. In "ring shouts," participants dance in a circle that gets crazier and crazier until they reach a climax of being possessed by the Holy Spirit.
Present Situations of Gullah People
There are still a lot of self-described Gullahs living in the Low Country and Sea Islands today. Many Gullah people have been driven off Hilton Head and James islands in South Carolina due to the region's continuing growth as a tourist attraction, but there are still villages on Wadmalaw and Johns islands in South Carolina, as well as Sapelo Island in Georgia. In order to restore long-broken cultural links, Gullah groups have traveled to Sierra Leone on "heritage tours" during the 20th and 21st centuries.
The Penn School Historic District on St. Helena Island in South Carolina is one of the most famous historical locations to visit within the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. According to the National Register of Historic Places, the location is a National Historic Landmark.
