{"id":4768,"date":"2020-09-18T13:08:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T13:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/?p=4768"},"modified":"2024-04-20T15:56:35","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T15:56:35","slug":"fun-facts-71-juke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2020\/09\/18\/fun-facts-71-juke\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun Facts About English #71 – The Gallah People and Language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Kinney<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the Lowcountry region of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, along the coastal plain and Sea Islands, is a region referred to as the Gullah Geechee Corridor. Gullah<\/em> is a term that was originally used to designate the creole dialect of English spoken by Gullah and Geechee people; descendants of Central and West African slaves brought to the U.S. in the 1600s and 1700s. Because of the relative isolation from their masters while working on large rice plantations<\/a>, they developed a creole culture that has preserved much of their African linguistic and cultural heritage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The communities are often distinguished and identify as Freshwater Geechee<\/em> or Saltwater Geechee<\/em>, depending on whether they live on the mainland or Sea Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gullah\/Geechee<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

African words that disseminated through the Gullah Geechee speaking people and into the culture at large are familiar to many living in the South, such as goober<\/em>, gumbo<\/em>, yam<\/em>, and cooter<\/em> (an edible sea turtle). The Gullah custom of painting porch ceilings haint blue<\/a> to deter haints<\/em> (haunts), or ghosts, was also adopted by White Southerners though its spiritual significance has been lost. In popular culture, the stories of the Geechee peoples have been featured in movies such as Daughters of the Dust<\/em>, by director Julie Dash, and Conrack<\/em>, starring Jon Voight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminary figures with their heritage in the Gullah Geechee culture are numerous. Click on the image below to see larger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Emory Campbell<\/a> is a community leader among the Gullah people and began his career in the 1970s as an activist working to implement public health measures in impoverished rural areas. Driven by the threat of out-of-control resort development on the Sea Islands, Dr. Campbell has worked to preserve traditional Gullah communities, their language, and customs. As the Executive Director of Penn Center, Inc.<\/a> on St. Helena Island in South Carolina, Dr. Campbell leads an international movement to raise awareness of the uniquely rich African cultural heritage of the Geechee people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n