Discover South Carolina, Mar 10, 2015
Historically, the Gullah region extended from the Cape Fear
area on North Carolina's coast south to the vicinity of Jacksonville on
Florida's coast. The Gullah people and their language are also called Geechee,
which may be derived from the name of the Ogeechee River near Savannah,
Georgia.[1] Gullah is a term that was originally used to designate the creole
dialect of English spoken by Gullah and Geechee people. Over time, its speakers
have used this term to formally refer to their creole language and distinctive
ethnic identity as a people. The Georgia communities are distinguished by
identifying as either "Freshwater Geechee" or "Saltwater
Geechee", depending on whether they live on the mainland or the Sea
Islands.[2][3][4][5]
Because of a period of relative isolation from whites while
working on large plantations in rural areas, the Africans, enslaved from a
variety of Central and West African ethnic groups, developed a creole culture
that has preserved much of their African linguistic and cultural heritage from
various peoples; in addition, they absorbed new influences from the region. The
Gullah people speak an English-based creole language containing many African
loanwords and influenced by African languages in grammar and sentence
structure. Sometimes referred to as "Sea Island Creole" by linguists
and scholars, the Gullah language is sometimes likened to Bahamian Creole,
Barbadian Creole, Guyanese Creole, Belizean Creole, Jamaican Patois and the
Krio language of West Africa. Gullah crafts, farming and fishing traditions,
folk beliefs, music, rice-based cuisine and story-telling traditions all
exhibit strong influences from Central and West African cultures.[6][7][8][9]
Over the years, the Gullah have attracted study by many historians, linguists, folklorists, and anthropologists interested in their rich cultural heritage. Many academic books on that subject have been published. The Gullah have also become a symbol of cultural pride for blacks throughout the United States and a subject of general interest in the media.
Etymology
The origin of the word "Gullah" is unclear. Some
scholars suggest that it may be cognate with the name
"Angola",[2][11] where the ancestors of some of the Gullah people
likely originated. They created a new culture synthesized from that of the
various African peoples brought into Charleston and other parts of South
Carolina. Some scholars have suggested that it may come from the name of the
Gola, an ethnic group living in the border area between present-day Sierra
Leone and Liberia in West Africa, another area of enslaved ancestors of the
Gullah people.[12][2] British planters in the Caribbean and the Southern
colonies of North America referred to this area as the "Grain Coast"
or "Rice Coast"; many of the tribes are of Mandé or Manding origins.
The name "Geechee", another common name for the Gullah people, may
derive from the name of the Kissi people, an ethnic group living in the border
area between Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.[2]
Still another possible linguistic source for "Gullah" are the Dyula ethnic group of West Africa, from whom the American Gullah might be partially descended. The Dyula civilization had a large territory that stretched from Senegal through Mali to Burkina Faso and the rest of what was French West Africa. These were vast savanna lands with lower population densities. Slave raiding was easier and more common here than in forested areas with natural forms of physical defenses. The word "Dyula" is pronounced "Gwullah" among members of the Akan ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. The primary land route through which captured Dyula people then came into contact with European slavers was the "Grain Coast" and "Rice Coast" (present-day Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegambia, and Guinea). The story of Gullah Jack (an African slave imported from Angola to the United States) may indicate that the word Gullah originated in Angola, as some commentators believe the word is a shortened version of the country's name. Gullah Jack's other name was Jack Pritchard because he was sold to a white man with the last name Pritchard.[13]"...
****
Excerpt #2:
From https://www.nps.gov/places/gullah-geechee-cultural-heritage-corridor.htm#:~:text=The%20Gullah%20Geechee%20people%20are,Island%20cotton%20and%20indigo%20plantations.
"The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was created to
call attention to the historic and cultural contributions of the Gullah Geechee
people. The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of West and Central
Africans who were enslaved and bought to the lower Atlantic states of North
Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to work on the coastal rice, Sea
Island cotton and indigo plantations.
Because their enslavement was on isolated coastal plantations, sea and
barrier islands, they were able to retain many of their indigenous African
traditions. These traditions are reflected in their foodways, arts and crafts,
and spiritual traditions. They also created a new language, Gullah, a creole
language spoken nowhere else in the world.
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, and the
federal Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission established to
oversee it, were designated by an act of Congress on October 12, 2006 through
the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006. The Corridor runs from Pender County
North Carolina to St. John’s County Florida. The Gullah Geechee Cultural
Heritage Corridor Commission is charged with helping to achieve the goals of
the Corridor designation: to recognize, sustain, and celebrate the important
contributions made to American culture and history by the Gullah Geechee; to
assist state and local governments and public and private entities in South
Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida in interpreting the story of the
Gullah Geechee and preserving Gullah Geechee folklore, arts, crafts, and music;
and to assist in identifying and preserving sites, historical data, artifacts,
and objects associated with Gullah Geechee people and culture for the benefit
and education of the public."
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: The Gullah Singers.wmv
TheGullahLady, June 4, 2011
De Gullah Singers natives of Wadmalaw Island, SC provide an in depth picture of the evolution of their ancestor; West Africans enslaved on rice, cotton and indigo plantations of coastal South Carolina. The isolation they were subjected to on these sea islands served as mechanism for them retain more of their Afican culture than any other enslaved African population n the United States. We invite to experience their story through music(children songs and games, work songs, Praise House & plantation Spirituals, stories(Cuumyah and Been yah tales) demonstrations of antebellum work skills, crafts, open fire cooking and recipes and so much more. We invite to visit the Gullah Islands southwest of Charleston, SC.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #3: Experience Savannah's Rich Gullah Geechee Heritage
Visit Savannah, Dec 28, 2016
Experience Savannah's rich Gullah Geechee Heritage with Gail
Smith, historical interpreter.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #4: McIntosh County Shouters - 'Spirituals and Shout Songs'
[Behind The Scenes Documentary]
Smithsonian Folkways, Feb
1, 2017
In this video, members of the McIntosh County Shouters share
the origins of the ring shout, including both its religious and secular
traditions, as well as the community it brings. For the folks that practice it,
it can be a way to honor and connect with their ancestors.
Songs Featured (In Order):
"This Might Be Our Last Time"
"Drive Ol' Joe"
"Believer, I Know"
[...]
Acclaimed upholders of the African American ring shout, the
McIntosh County Shouters keep the faith, form, and fervor of the
generations-old tradition rooted in their small community of coastal Georgia.
Companion songs to the shuffle-step devotional movement called “shouting” have
resisted slavery, strengthened spirit, and left us a cultural keystone for the
future. Through their classic shout songs and spirituals, the Shouters beckon
us to remember the past while envisioning the future of the African American
cultural legacy.
The collection is part of the African American Legacy
Series, co-presented with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American
History and Culture....
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #5: The Gullah People Remember Their Enslaved Ancestors (2002)
Journeyman Pictures, Dec. 14, 2018
Gullah Island (2002) - The Sea Islands, off the Carolina and
Georgia coasts, are home to a people known as “The Gullah”, descendants of
former slaves from Africa.
**** Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment