WWAY’s Black History Month: Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)- WWAY’s Amanda Fitzpatrick sat down with Heather Hodges from the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Hodges said The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of the enslaved Africans who were bought from the rice-growing regions of West Africa into the coastal areas of the lower Atlantic states to work on the rice plantations. They were bought here because of their pre-existing knowledge of tidal rice cultivation which is a challenging crop to grow.  Many of these rice plantations were located along the Cape Fear River. On these plantations, the numbers of enslaved Black people greatly outnumbered Whites. As a result, they and their descendants were able to keep many of their West African cultural practices alive to this day. These cultural expressions include the unique Gullah language; arts and crafts like sweetgrass basketmaking, quilting and net-making; religious expressions such as the Ring Shout; and their foodways which have heavily impacted Southern cooking.

Because of this unique cultural heritage, in 2006, the U.S. Congress designated the areas where they have traditionally lived the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.  In North Carolina, this area includes Pender, Brunswick and New Hanover counties.

The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Quarterly Commission Public Meeting will be held Saturday February 10th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Coastal Carolina University located at 100 Chanticleer Dr E, Conway, SC 29528.