Celebrate the Gullah Culture This Week
While development booms along Ocean Boulevard and throughout the area, it's easy to lose sight of the Grand Strand's rich cultural heritage. And I'm not talking about the origins of shagging or memories of the old Pavilion site, either.
We're talking West African culture here that dates back to the 1600s, but remains alive and vibrant on a 12,000-acre island across the Waccamaw River.
It's a small parcel of land known as Sandy Island, and still inhabited by the Gullah - African-Americans who have preserved more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other black community in the United States. Many of the island's 140 residents still speak Creole, or an English-based version that contains many African "loanwords" and significant influences form African languages in grammar and sentence structure.
The Gullah's significance to the Grand Strand area pre-dates the Civil War, when they were brought to this country during the height of the slave trade. When the war ended and slavery was abolished, some 30 freed slaves settled on Sandy Island - one of many such settlements along what Congress last year decreed as the "Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor," which extends along the southeastern coast from Wilmington, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida.
While the Corridor was established to preserve and celebrate the Gullah-Geechee culture (they're known as "Gullah" in the Carolinas, and "Geechee" in Georgia and Florida), those efforts are just getting off the ground. But thanks to the folks who've organized the "Treasures of the Tidelands" festival that begins later this week, we don't have to wait to experience it first-hand.
Several events are scheduled, and begin this Friday. They include:
Gullah Roots Tour of Georgetown
Location: Meet at Bethel AME Church on corner of Broad & Duke Sts. in Georgetown
Event Dates: May 4-13, by reservation only
Event Info: A tour of 5 historical African-American sites in Georgetown, two oldest African-American churches, and the African-American museum. Call 843-546-1974 for reservations and more info. Price varies for size of group.
Gullah Ooman Museum
Location: 421 Petigru, Pawleys Island
Event Dates: May 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; AND May 5th & 12th 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Event Info: Native Gullah/Geechee descendant Bunny Rodriguez offers crafts and tales of the Gullah/Geechee era, a historical tour, plus demonstrations of boat building and quilt making. Free.
- Tours de Sandy Island
Location: Sandy Island
Event Dates: May 4- May 13
Event Info: Tours begin daily at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. Tour operator Romy Pyatt takes you from the Sandy Island Landing on the mainland across the Waccamaw River to Sandy Island for a fascinating 2-hour tour of an island still inhabited by the families of the freed slaves who originally settled there. Seniors 55+ $25, Adults 18-54 $30, Children 7-17 $10, Children under 7 free. Please call 866-900-4460. Reservations Required.
- Gullah/Geechee Rhythms
Location: E. Craig Wall Lowcountry Center, Brookgreen Gardens
Event Dates: May 9th, 1-2 p.m.
Event Info: Utilizing audience participation, singing and storytelling, Gullah performer, author and historian Ron Daise identifies 10 memorable ways to recall the importance and significance of Gullah/Geechee heritage. Pictures, music, personal reflections and lecture are interwoven throughout stanzas to the tune of a well-known Gullah coded message song. FREE with Brookgreen Gardens admission.
A Reintroduction of African Drumming to the Low Country
Location: St. Ann's Church, Arcadia Plantation
Event Dates: May 13, 2-4 p.m.
Event Info: African and Gullah drum, dance, and poetry by Egbe Kilimanjaro. For more information contact Leon Jackson at 843-546-7555.
More information about these and other "Treasures of the Tidelands" events can be found at its Web site.
If you want to read more about the Gullah in the meantime, a great place to start is with the recent writings of Dan Huntley of the Charlotte Observer. Huntley wrote a feature piece in March 2007, and also a blog entry detailing his unique visit to Sandy Island. There's also this detailed feature from the winter 2004-2005 edition of Coastal Heritage (requires Adobe Reader).
Pretty facinating stuff. Thanks for the info!
Thank you for doing this. It’s nice to see that the Gullahs are getting the recognition and respect that they deserve.