Sierra Leone: Gullah-GeeChee of the Carolina Lowlands
Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of Julie Dash's seminal film - Daughters of the Dust. Like the film, guest blogger J. Gustav (Dog Ate My Blog) reminds us of the fascinating collision of circumstances that slowed down assimilation and allowed the Gullah-Geechee--i.e. African slaves in the Carolina lowlands--to preserve their culture over several generations.The Gullahs are African-Americans who live in the coastal "lowcountry" regions of Georgia and South Carolina. Their language is called Geechee, a concoction of English-based Creole, African words, and African grammar and sentence structures. Their ancestors were brought over as slaves from Sierra Leone by way of Brazil in the mid 1700s. Plantation owners had discovered that rice grew well in the region, and so exported slaves from the West African "rice region" in the hopes they would be able to produce better results with their knowledge of the grain.
With the slaves transplanted to a similar climate also came similar disease, specifically malaria and yellow fever. The Africans had built up some immunity to the common maladies and so were able to weather them as their European owners and overseers headed for the cities and areas with less disease-friendly climates. This left the slaves alone with their black "rice drivers" in charge, and allowed for a continuation of African language and custom away from the supervision of whites bent on erasing these traits.
During the Civil War, many Gullahs fought hard for their freedom, and as a result the lowland region was one of the first to be emancipated. Post-war saw the Gullahs officially receive their freedom, but also saw an increase in their isolation from the country's mainstream culture. Plantation owners gave up their properties due to labor issues and hurricanes, and free blacks were unwilling to work the land due to the extreme climate and chance of disease. The Gullahs were able to continue to live in relative isolation without influence from the outside world, and so continued speaking Geechee and practicing their African-based traditions and customs.
In modern times, the Gullahs have had to contend with new issues and more attention from the outside world. In the 1960s, resorts sought to push Gullah families off lands their families have owned since emancipation, but to no avail -- they have been fought tooth and nail through civil suits, community protest, and political influence. The fight still goes on today, but with more support from the government and other agencies in recognizing the importance of the Gullah-Geechee tradition. In 2005, Congress passed the "Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Act" to preserve historic sites for the culture from southern North Carolina to northern Florida. The act pledges $10 million to be spent over 10 years.
Also in 2005, the gullahs finally completed a translation of the New Testament into Geechee, a project that took over 20 years. In the 1990s, several documentaries were released centering on Gullahs pilgrimages to Sierra Leone to trace and connect with their Western African roots. American educational institutions such as Purdue University have held exhibits and other events showcasing Gullah-Geechee culture. There are many festivals celebrating the culture up and down the lowlands region every year.
Though many Gullahs have moved away to more contemporary settings, the Gullah-Geechee culture still persists, and the Geechee language is still spoken today. Just like their ancestors were able to preserve their customs in the face of strong outside influences, modern Gullahs are resolute to continue their language, culture, and customs, and pass them on to younger generations.
J. Gustav is a guest blogger for Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on masters in social work online for Guide to Online Schools.
