If you’re looking for everything on Gullah Geechee culture, its rich history, generational traditions and its incredible people, and cultural products that you can put in your home, you definitely landed in the right place! This blog is a collection of articles that will educate, inform and inspire you on the past as well as current issues that are important to the Gullah Geechee culture. Don’t forget to check out our online marketplace for great Gullah art by Sonja Griffin Evans, awesome Gullah cookbooks, delicious carolina gold rice, amazing books, cultural t-shirts, hats and more! Enjoy!!
When we think about slavery, we don’t usually consider the day to day or the gory details. The general knowledge of captivity, hard labor and cruelty are the basics, but for the most part, the actual experience that enslaved people went through are forgotten. Slavery inflicted generational trauma in so many different ways; fear, uncertainty, humiliation and mental and physical stressors.
Gullah Geechee foodways is one of the oldest practices and traditions that’s still being practiced in America today. At its foundation, slavery and the foodways are deeply rooted in cultural West African ancestral ties, as well as adaptability, creativity and circumstance. The meals were and still are designed to be hearty and provide the necessary sustenance and strength to get one through an arduous and physical day.
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Enslaved women on a rice barge in Georgetown, SC Any
Being around Mother Emily Meggett is just like being at home, even though she has been honored by the City of Charleston, on countless TV interviews on CBS and other major mediums, but, through it all, she is just as gracious and generous with her time as any great grandmother would be.
My genealogy research has taken me on a very fascinating journey of discovery that I never expected to experience. The information that I have uncovered has given me a clearer vision of not only my families struggles to make a life for themselves, but also their triumphs while facing amazing odds against them.
Hilton Head’s social and cultural history dates back to the early 1700’s, and from the beginning, the Gullah people were central to the story. Enslaved, and then abandoned by plantation owners fleeing the Union army, they not only endured their circumstances, they displayed the intelligence, fortitude and survival instincts to maintain and develop a culture and a community that is vibrant, and rich in traditions that are alive today.
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Harvest Time By Sonja Griffin Evans The Carolina’s and Georgia’s
Most black people doing research get frustrated when they hit what I referred to as the “1870’s slave wall.” The “slave wall” is sometimes the end of most family tree searches, because most slave owners often did not record their slaves’ names or information because of their status as property prior to the abolishment of slavery in 1865.
Being a part of the National Network of Freedom is an incredible opportunity for Hilton Head for a variety of reasons. One important reason is that it makes Hilton Head’s historical value an even greater part of the American story. Mitchelville is a strong piece of America’s history that needs to be shared.
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