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 prinicples 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.

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 prinicples 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 the 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 cont...

The Watch Night Service is a tradition the 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 cont...

Living on an island and the isolation that comes with it, made Gullah holidays a little different, but special none the less. 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.

So many stories go untold and have the potential to be erased. The powerful story of the Igbo tribe and thier caputre and forced entry into the US slave trade is one of those stories that should never be forgotten. From a simple google search, Neema Griffin, a young documentary filmmaker uncovered an incedible journey of discovering the power of taking control through resistance at the Igbo Landin...

The diaspora. What is it? Why did it happen? What are the impacts and it's results? The Global Diaspora's cultural influences has had an incredible and lasting effects on everything that we experience, eat, do and say everyday.

Every day Americans are using Gullah traditions in what we say and eat. The culture and its foodways can be traced directly back to West Africa for several centuries. Things like one pot meals is just the beginning of some of the cultural flavors, ingredients and Gullah impacts that we enjoy today.

Sometimes when our ancestors set the stage for our dispositions and character, it becomes the foundation of who we are and what direction our life's work takes. From as far back as 1870, Billy Keyserling's lineage has been serving the Beaufort, SC Gullah community, and today, there's no difference to his dedication and serve that he continues to deliver. From restoring local churches to National P...

Are we capturing our stories and recipes? Are we sharing traditional elements of our culture? Are we speaking up and correcting the mis-interpretation of our history? Author of the book, Krak Teet: A Catalog of Black Savannah's Biographies, Trelani Michelle and I are talkin' about the importance of speaking to our elders, telling our stories the right way, code switching and how important it is fo...

Most people can't get away from home fast enough when they are young, but eventually the heart and mind tugs so hard, that going back home is the only place that feels right. That's exactly what happened to Wilson Maron and in his case, coming home not only was where is heart needed to be, but it's also where he took up the fight that his family has being dealing with for the last 80 years.

Well, it's taken more than a year to get this interview scheduled, and having a conversation with her is worth the wait! Sistah Patt Gunn is Truth Teller, a Community Activist, Cultural Preservationist and so much more. She is such a cultural gem with so many incredible facets that this episode has to be part one!

It's not often that an animal is considered a significant cultural element. From the fields to races along beaches the Marsh Tacky horse easily tranisitions based upon the need. Not only is it an incredibly special animal, it also stands out as one that as specifically made to handle working in the thick gumbo or pluff mud on the hot and humid marshy sea islands.

The question of where Gullah islands are is a common one. The quick answer is that there are several. The issue is, how long will they be around? There's nothing more valueable than land, especially land that is the only legacy that you have. Gullah land is priceless and as such, what are we going to do to protect it?

Once you discover where you're from, the knowledge can lead to not only self identification, but to a lifelong curiousity. For author, professor and reknowned speaker Dr. Edda Fields- Black, her Gullah roots launched a career in the study of rice and the incredible stories that came out of Harriet Tubman's infamous Combahee River Raid. Along the river, enslaved people toiled over rice. The raid fr...

Passing traditional skills down through the generations is an important way of not only maintaining ancestrial connections, but it also enables the skill to be a significant part of the families cultural legacy. Making a batau, the traditional boats that were used by Gullah fishermen, is a time honored skill that is seldom practiced anymore. This specialized handmade boat building talent, which ha...

Gullah Geechee culture matured on the coastal sea islands, but it was born out of several West African countries, especially along its Rice Coast. The Gullah Geechee connection to Sierra Leone is very strong, with elements of the culture being found on a lot of shores around the Atlantic. Get ready to understand and experience the African story, history, culture, traditions, and the language, from...

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 throught 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.

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.

We talk about Heirs' Property a lot and how to find the heirs' and clear the title. But, what about what's next? There are several ways that the land can start to take care of itself and becoma an asset versus a liability. Here are some ideas and options that you can start today to have the land making enough money to pay for itself and create generational wealth.

West African tradition says that one should speak for themselves and for the ancestors who came before you. Gullah Chef, author and 6th generation farmer, Matthew Raiford is doing exactly that! He has taken his love for the culture, his roots and food and incorporated all of it into a lifestyle and business that is surly making the ancestors proud!

Plantation hopping from one to another and going in and out of slave cabins has become something that I've become drawn to. They have become more than old deteriorating buildings or just another historic tour, they are places were their stories I feel need to be shared accurately and completely. Straight no chaser. As it was and how it should be remembered. Every. Single. Time.

There's a lot of talk about the Gullah Geechee and West African connection and origin of the culture, but not much has been said about the strong bonds that slavery, wars and the blending of their traditions made between them. 

Some people say that the Gullah Geechee language is dying. Well, it's not! Finding out how many people are speaking Gullah or Geechee might be difficult because speakers are code switching. So, what is code switching? And why are bi-lingual Gullah's changing how they speak in public if their first language is Gullah? Join me for an energized and educational conversation on language, culture and ho...