Hilton Head consists of only a few historic neighborhoods that represent the Gullah families that called them home for seven or more generations. Even though the majority of the communities are sprinkled around the northern tip of the island, culturally, boundaries didn’t exist when it came to the overall sense of community that was typical for the Gullah
Join Lowcountry Gullah every week to get a deeper dive into topics and information on culture, history and tradition.
Hosted weekly by Luana M. Graves Sellars, you’ll also get a chance to hear from guests from a variety of backgrounds who are knowledgeable keepers of the culture.
The Brown family is unique, genealogically speaking, because their family tree has been traced back to 1825, before emancipation. Documenting this kind of information about a black family is truly rare. The Browns’ story reveals a rich history, and includes information and details that paint a clear and beautiful picture of this vibrant family for future generations to treasure.
Remnants of captivity aren’t hard to find. One thing that the Atlantic Slave Trade demonstrated was that it was founded on economics and strategic captures. The enslaved were targeted and captured because they were highly skilled. Whether they were Mende rice farmers for the Lowcountry along the sea islands, who could engineer the intricate trunks that diked the waters or Ashanti builders for Savannah that knew construction, iron work or brick making, reminders of their incredible talents are not hard to find.
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Christmas is a world-wide tradition, yet in the Gullah community,
The true mark of kindness and humility is found in someone who doesn’t even recognize the impact that they have on the people around them. That’s how Betty Days has always lived her life. Raised in the Gullah culture as part of a community that when one has, all has, for Betty, the act of doing for one another just comes naturally.
aditions that the Gullah maintained within the church might not continue to be consistently followed, it doesn’t mean that they are forgotten. One such African tradition is of the ring shout. In a time when slaves did not have access to instruments, the ability to make music or a beat was made from their using objects found close by or in most cases, their bodies. Drums were made from whatever raw materials that were available.
The island’s first families who were also residents of Mitchelville, is a relatively short list, so armed with the information that Mr. Moon actually lived in Mitchelville, and with the names of his grandparents, Sammy and Ella Young, I set out to find stories about the Young’s first recorded generations. I wanted to see if I could find out more about Mr. Moon’s great great grandparents. Genealogy research can be an exciting mystery that reveals seductive clues as it slowly brings the past to life. It also can be very frustrating, because sometimes the puzzle being built will never become a complete picture. Missing pieces of data, or documents may never be found due to carelessness and mishandled records, fires, or what I call the dreaded “1865 Slave Wall.” 1865 is the pivotal point in time prior to Emancipation when Black Americans’ lives were not officially documented.
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By Luana M. Graves Sellars Yard after yard, in the front of Gullah homes, variations
