Joining the church, at one time, was an ancestral African tradition called seeking.
The practice was based in the thought that since God and the ancestors communicated through dreams, the interpretation of the dream, represented achieving spirituality.
Maintaining the family business is important, not only because of the financial benefits that it provides, but because it’s a vital part of the preservation of the island and the family’s Gullah culture.
Known affectionately as the “Rain Lady,” Mary Ford was one of the best-known voices on the island; her voice was soul-piercing, and it lifted and carried her listeners anywhere she chose to take them. With or without musical instruments as backup, for over 60 years, Mary had been belting out her earthy alto tones with heartfelt joy while she gave her community the beautiful gift of music.
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Cover artwork American Gullah By Sonja Griffin Evans “Good colored
Inside the Little Blue House lives a great mission to preserve and protect artifacts, stories and a culture. When you walk into the Little Blue House, you’re greeted by a voice that sounds like warm maple syrup that envelopes you and takes you on a journey back in time to when Africans on Hilton Head began to adapt to living free in America. If you want to learn about the history of Hilton Head before the bridge, you have three points on your journey. “Honey Horn represents slavery. Mitchelvile represents freedom, and the Gullah Museum represents independence,” said Louise Cohen curator of the Gullah Museum.
