Lowcountry Gullah

Today taking time to celebrate the holidays has become tradition. For enslaved people, the coming new year might have been a time of fear, dread or the anxious time that they've been waiting for to escape.

For generations, celebrating Kwanzaa from December 26th to January 1st has been a end of the year holiday tradition that's becoming more widely known and practiced. So what is Kwanzaa and why are the seven principles so important to our daily living? Intrigued? Here's a deep dive into this valued African American holiday that's based on family, empowerment and economic development.

The Watch Night Service is a tradition that grew out of slavery, yet still is an important part of how, for many African Americans, is the only way that a new year should be brought in. The practice, called “Freedom Night” or named the Watch Night Service, began in 1862, when anxious slaves were waiting on confirmation of their freedom based on the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, the service con...

Living on an island and the isolation that comes with it, made Gullah holidays a little different, but special nonetheless. Getting ready for the sea island holidays was a year long process which made the seasonal harvests an an important part in the preparation that involved the entire family, from children to the elders.

Sometimes, we forget that the ancestors left behind all of the tools that we need for success. Through creative storytelling, proverbs, and skills, they passed us all a toolbox full of ways that they, even though they were beaten, found ways not to be broken.

Every day, Americans are using Gullah Geechee traditions in what we say, do and eat. The culture and its foodways can be traced directly back to West Africa for several centuries. One pot meals are just the beginning of a great meal that's full of some amazing cultural flavors, ingredients and Gullah Geechee impacts to American dishes that we enjoy today.

Being able to travel around the world and experience other cultures, tastes and languages is a gift that usually becomes imbedded in to our memories that we can cherish for a lifetime. For most people and destinations, that is definitely the case. Traveling to Africa, however, is not just a trip, nor is it just another stamp in your passport; especially if you are the descendent of an enslaved per...

There's no argument that trees are important to our environment. They give us beauty and of course, shade. Most Gullah folktales involve trees, which always play a significant part in Gullah Geechee culture. Many trees grow for hundreds of years. Ever wonder if they could talk and see, what stories would they tell?

American history is full of dirty little secrets. It's uncomfortable and it is far from pretty. Regardless of what it is, it needs to be discussed, with all of the warts and blemishes that come along with it. Our story needs to be told along with our truth; telling it and sharing it exactly as it was.....raw, dirty and straight with no chaser. With truth telling should also include healing, which...

We don't think about how important music is in our lives. For enslaved people, music was a source of strength that might have been one of the few things that helped them get throughout the day. Listen in on a fascinating conversation with Keeper of the Culture, Dr. Eric Crawford, the author of Gullah Culture in America, on the importance and power that music was and still is in our daily life.

History books are full of misinformation about slavery. They often depict the enslaved as slow, lazy and even ignorant people who needed direction, to become civilized, or incapable of being independent. Of course, that couldn't be further from the truth. The enslaved Gullah Geechee were the best of the best of the best. They were the highly skilled, technological craftsmen who were stolen for the...

The never ending debate about the past and history will probably not go away. So, how important is our history and why do we need to dwell on it? Is it that big of a deal for us to pass it down to our children? And if we do, who's telling the stories that we're sharing?

Growing up Gullah, Zenobia Harper was gifted with all of the rich foundations that the culture has to offer, but walked away from it. Now, she's not only embracing her Gullah roots, but she's actively working to preserve it for future generations.

The Lowcountry Gullah Podcast has been airing for three years and has more than 100 interviews available, all hosted by Luana Graves Sellars. In this episode, we flipped the script! The interviewer has become the interviewee! Here's the backstory on the creation of Lowcountry Gullah, the motivation behind it and just a little taste of my trip to Africa.

During enslavement, sometimes all that people had were the memories of oral traditions and stories that they could remember. Most of the folktales that were shared, were African in origin and interestingly enough, alot of those folktales continue to be the foundation and in a significant amount of the children's stories that we all know today.

Most museum's have theme and focus, as well as artifacts that one can peruse and appreciate for its artistic value or beauty. What makes the new International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston different, is that in addition to learning about the uniqueness of the Lowcountry, the African American experience and the Diaspora, this musuem makes it more personal. The IAAM deepens the knowle...

From performing on the stage, to the Nickelodeon TV show, Gullah Gullah Island, to painting on canvas, to authoring Gullah focused books, Natalie Daise is an incredible cultural force and truly a keeper of the culture!

The preservation of cultural assets like plantations is really important, just like telling the stories about the big house or the grounds. But what about the less obvious things? In most plantations there's usually a back staircase that the house enslaved used or what about the fingerprints that they left in the bricks that support those houses. What's the story about the people who were enslaved...

In Gullah culture, the food is deeply rooted in rice and seafood dishes that grew out of the diaspora and its West African influences. Gullah Chef BJ Dennis has built a reputation for not just amazing flavors, but for spreading knowledge about the ingredient's origins. His Gullah cooking may be what he's known for on a national stage and but to him, its important to continue to use the techniques...

Just like for most descendants of an enslaved, many white people who trace their roots will probably discover that they are descendants of an enslaver. That's just one of the dark and often undiscussed byproducts of American history. For most Black people, it's not a surprise; in fact, it's usually a given. For white people, uncovering your family's role in the slave trade can be a shocking and un...

Like a lot of people, Glander Pressly grew up in the culture, but through her work she shares its richness all the time. For her, spreading Gullah is a deeply personal experience that she appreciates every day, especially when she looks at slave cabins or handles shackles and any other remnants from the past and the ancestors.

You never know where motivation or a shift in your life's path will take you. For Lotte Lieb Dula, it all started with a box in the attic that uncovered her family's past, led her to her calling. That box permanently altered not only how she sees the world, but what needs to change and how she intends to change it.

Most people don't know about the richly significant contributions from Gullah Geechee culture that's woven into the fabric of the US. Grow in culture and information every week, with cultural influencer and preservationist, Luana M. Graves Sellars on the

I bet you thought cotton was slavery's major crop. In the interior southern states, yes. But along the Gullah Geechee Corridor's coastline from North Carolina to Florida, rice became the most lucrative crop in the US. Join me for a fascinating conversation with Keeper of the Culture, Lee Brockington who breaks down slavery and the vital roles that enslaved women played in the story of rice as well...

Why haven't we been taught the truth about Africa? Where did the perceptions of the continent come from? For generations, we've been sold misinformation about its size, resources and images that are far from the reality and incredible beauty that many of the countries have to offer. In preparing for the trip of a lifetime to West Africa, there are so many mental resets that need to be done.