Transcript The Gullah People of The Sea Islands

The Gullah People of
the Sea Islands
Becky Cole
Cross Creek H.S.
The Sea Islands of the Georgia and
South Carolina Coasts
St Helena Island was one of the
first villages of freedmen on the
GA-SC coast.
A Gullah Art:
African Sweet Grass Basket
Weaving
Weaving Sweet Grass Baskets is
still a Gullah tradition.
Gullah Folk tales have been told for
generations.
• Video Clip
The Gullah Language
• Gullah is a creole form of English,
indigenous to the Sea Islands of South
Carolina and Georgia (the area extends
from Georgetown, SC to the Golden Isles
of Georgia above Florida). Like all creoles,
Gullah began as a pidgin language,
transforming into a language in its own
right with the first generation born in
America.
Gullah Expressions
• beat on ayun: "mechanic";
literally, "beat-on-iron"
troot ma-wt: "a truthful person";
literally, "truth mouth"
hush ma-wt: "hush mouth";
literally, "hush mouth"
sho ded: "cemetery"; literally,
"sure dead"
tebl tappa: "preacher"; literally,
"table-tapper"
More Gullah Expressions
• ty oonuh ma-wt: "Hush, stop
talking"; literally, "Tie your mouth"
krak teet: "to speak"; literally,
"crack teeth"
i han shaht pay-shun: "He
steals"; literally, "His hand is short
of patience"
Gullah Translation
• Ef anybody
knock one side
ob oona face,
mus ton de oda
side an leh um
knock de oda
side too. Ef
somebody take
oona coat, mus
gem oona shat
too.
• To him who
strikes you on
the cheek, offer
the other also;
and from him
who takes away
your cloak, do
not withhold
your coat as
well.
Much of the Gullah cuisine comes
from coastal waters and includes
many rice dishes.
Traditions are important in the
Gullah culture.
Marriage, Family, and Kinship
Folk Medicine