Through many generations, the Gullah (Geechee) people have held fast to their African cultural heritage more so than any other African-American group. This is due to their largely isolated community life as slaves. Seclusion between the Gullah slaves and their masters was promoted because of the highly contagious tropical diseases that existed in the slave community.
A culmination of language, rituals, customs, music, and crafts from various African tribes is the foundation upon which the Gullah people thrive today. Although they are no longer an isolated group, they continue to view themselves as a divergent community.
Examples of the Gullah language:
Hoe cake - a pan bread made out of a dough consisting of either corn meal or flour mixed with salt and water, and usually cooked in a greased iron skillet. The name comes from the tradition of cooking the bread on a greased hoe blade over an open fire.
Sugar tea water - water sweetened with sugar. It was very common during the 20th century to drink beverages from a Mason, jam or jelly jar. Mason jars are used for canning and preserving.
Perlo - a one-pot meal of rice with a vegetable and/or meat, traditionally seasoned with pork. Shrimp perlo, okra perlo and fish perlo are popular favorites. Rice was a major cash crop from the late 17th century until the Civil War, and it has continued to be a major Southern food staple.
Swimp 'n grits - shrimp is simmered in a brown gravy that's usually seasoned with pork and served over grits. This dish can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Most Gullah/Geechees consider grits to be a must-have for breakfast and rice a must for dinner.
Gullah Medicinal Traditions
Spider webs have been used like bandages, to stop bleeding.
Sassafras tea is boiled out of the plant's roots and is used as a tonic and as a cold remedy. Extract from the bark is commonly used in the food industry as a flavoring for food, soft drinks and toiletry products like mouthwash and toothpaste.
Life everlasting, also called Life Alasses, is an herb that's prepared into a hot tea for a very popular cold remedy. The plant is illegal in South Carolina because it is said to have an intoxicating effect if one smokes it.
The stamp is a small piece of brown paper that is licked lightly and placed at the center of a baby's forehead to eliminate hiccups.
Gullah Folkways and Beliefs
Compiled by Alada Shinault-Small for the Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston.
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Descendants of the slaves that worked in South Carolina's rice plantations, the Gullah people are a distinctive group of African Americans that live in the Coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia. They speak an English based Creole language that retains many elements of African language and culture. At least 100,000 people continue to speak Gullah today.Developed & Maintained by TechSC Associates - © 2003-2006 All Rights Reserved.