You may remember Gullah Gullah Island, the tv show from the 90s that brought Binyah Binyah and the bright sunny weather into our homes. What you may not know is that this beloved tv show, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in October, was inspired by the real culture of the Gullah Geechee people.
Nestled along the southwestern coast of the United States, spanning Pender County, North Carolina to St. Johns County, Florida, exists a window into one of the most distinct and influential African American cultures in the United States – the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Through the National Heritage Areas Act, passed by Congress in 2006, this unique African American site, which includes a 475-mile stretch of coastal land and islands, was designated a federal National Heritage Area in the United States, enabling the preservation of the history, traditional cultural practices, sites and resources associated with the Gullah Geechee people. But what makes it so significant, and who are the Gullah Geechee people?
The Gullah Geechee People are direct descendants of West and Central Africans who were brought to the United States, specifically North and South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, as enslaved people. They were forced to work on coastal rice, Sea Island cotton and indigo plantations, where their prior agricultural knowledge, specifically their expertise in cultivating rice, was exploited by slave owners. Many of them worked on Low Country Plantations, where diseases, such as yellow fever and malaria were rampant, and the heat and humidity too unbearable for plantation owners. As a result of this, plantation owners were often absent for extended periods, leaving control of the plantations to overseers who were too outnumbered to quell unity among the enslaved. This allowed for the development of their own unique culture, language and traditions that, remarkably, have been preserved over the generations. Upon emancipation, the newly freed Gullah population established their own hospitals, schools and churches.
Today, they live in rural communities on the coast, and on the Sea islands. Their culture is grounded in food, spirituality, craftsmanship and an intimate knowledge of the land and sea. The language, which is the only distinctly African creole in the United States, is rooted in African and European languages and has shaped vocabularies and speech patterns throughout the South. Many of the traditions that have been preserved, such as textile arts for warmth and clothing or basket weaving for agricultural purposes, were born out of the everyday needs of their ancestors.
“Our African cultures are so evident in our way of living and have been intact and passed down generationally… it’s important to preserve this culture because it was our ancestors that built America, brought the wealth to America and in many cases have not been recognized.” – Victoria Smalls, former Executive Director of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
In the Netflix docuseries, High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, host Stephen Satterfield explores the contributions to America’s culinary history made by the Gullah Geechee people. Through many of their traditions, Satterfield uncovers the nexus between ancestral recipes, farming practices and a cultural identity that has transcended generations of adversity, and tells a story of survival and adaptation.
Much of Gullah cuisine is rooted in farm-to-table practices, relying heavily on locally sourced and produced ingredients. The abundance of rice made it a staple in the food, along with cornmeal and seafood, such as shrimp, crab, fish and oysters, since many communities are located near the sea. If you’ve ever had shrimp and grits or Hoppin’ John, you’ve gotten a taste of the rich Gullah Geechee cuisine.
As time passed and more ingredients and seasonings became available to newer generations, the food was transformed to what some people call Soul Food, which eventually influenced the Southern cuisine we know today – Theresa Jenkins Hillard, National Geographic-featured historian, Author and Gullah Storyteller
In North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, October is recognized as the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Month. This month offers a unique opportunity to experience the rich culture firsthand and gain a deeper understanding of a tradition that weaves together past and present. The month-long celebration often features various events, workshops and festivals, reminding us that the Gullah Geechee legacy is not one confined to a chapter in history, but endures as a vibrant layer of today’s culture.
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