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Roots and Homelands of the Gullah Geechee
Nation:
The Gullah people
are an African American population of African ancestry found in the
Sea Islands and lowcountry region of South Carolina, Georgia and
northern Florida. In Georgia, they are commonly referred to as
Geechee, often you will hear reference to "The Gullah Geechee
Nation".
The origin of the name Gullah may be
from Angola, a country in southwestern Africa where many of the
Gullah's ancestors came from. However, some believe it comes from
Gola, a tribe living on the border area between Liberia and Sierra
Leone in West Africa.
Africans brought in
large numbers from the "Rice Coast" region of West Africa to be
slaves in the US, brought the skills that made rice one of the most
successful industries in early America. Cotton also figured heavily
in the growth and maintenance of the slave trade that brought
Africans to the US. Among others, Penn Center on St. Helena Island,
South Carolina, is a modern institution engaged in research and
preservation of Gullah culture, it began as on of the first mission
schools for Black Americans in the South following the Civil
War.
White planters fled the low country
during the rainy malarial seasons in the South, leaving African
"drivers" in charge. During the 1700s South Carolina and Georgia
became Black-majority states as Africans were enslaved and imported
to grow cash crops and manage households. The social
isolation/autonomy of the Gullahs helped them preserve their African
language, culture, and community life.
Since the 1960s resort development on the Sea
Islands has threatened the Gullah way of life. The Original Gullah
Festival held in Beaufort, SC is a celebration and teaching event
for Gullah people and interested persons. Connecting with African
relatives and preserving Gullah Culture has been the subject of
several films and documentaries, including: "Family Across the
Sea,"Daughters of the Dust","The Language You Cry In," and "The Will
to Survive,".Marquetta Goodwine, also known as "Queen Quet", is a
well known artivist and advocate for the Gullah people of South
Carolina.
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