This week's posts have highlighted the history and cultural significance of the Gullah Peoples of South Carolina. American historians now recognize that the Gullah people of South Carolina and Georgia have come in large measure from the rice-growing region of West Africa—but they have not placed enough specific emphasis on Sierra Leone. Scholars have looked at shipping … [Read more...] about Saturday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
The History of the Gullah People
Friday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
Black Seminoles—Gullahs Who Escaped From Slavery The Black Seminoles are a small offshoot of the Gullah who escaped from the rice plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. They built their own settlements on the Florida frontier, fought a series of wars to preserve their freedom, and were scattered across North America. They have played a significant role in … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
Thursday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
Happy New Year! Over the years, the Gullahs have attracted 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. This has … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
Wednesday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
When the U.S. Civil War began, the Union rushed to blockade Confederate shipping. White planters on the Sea Islands, fearing an invasion by the US naval forces, abandoned their plantations and fled to the mainland. When Union forces arrived on the Sea Islands in 1861, they found the Gullah people eager for their freedom, and eager as well to defend it. Many Gullahs served with … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
Tuesday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
The Gullah people have been able to preserve much of their African cultural heritage because of geography, climate, and patterns of importation of enslaved Africans. Taken from the Western region of Africa in primarily the Krio and Mende populations of what is today Sierra Leone as slaves and transported to some areas of Brazil (including Bahia), the Gullah-Gheechee … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People