Gullah Geechee culture has been carried from one generation to the next through stories, food, language, music, art, family traditions, and knowledge of the land and water.
And guess what?
Being a Culture Keeper starts with being curious.
Ask questions. Listen to stories. Learn where your family comes from. Pay attention to the traditions happening around you. And most importantlyβshare what you learn.
You don't have to know everything.
Every new word you learn, family story you remember, recipe you help prepare, or question you ask helps you understand a little more about the people and culture that came before you.
β€οΈ Love it.
π£οΈ Share it.
π± Keep it growing.
Culture can be hiding in places you see every day!
See how many of these you can discover with your family. You don't have to find everything at onceβbeing a Culture Keeper is about asking questions and paying attention.
β A family photograph that is older than you
β A recipe that has been passed down in your family
β A Gullah word or saying someone in your family remembers hearing
β A story about an ancestor or family member you never met
β A place on the map where your family has roots
β A sweetgrass basket or a picture of one
β A creek, river, marsh, or other waterway near your community
β A food your family makes that reminds someone of their childhood
β A song an older family member remembers from when they were young
β Something your family owns or keeps because it belonged to someone from an earlier generation
Choose one thing you discovered and ask:
Who did it belong to?
Where did it come from?
Why is it important?
Who should know this story after me?
π Look closely. Ask questions.
You might discover that history has been around you all along. πΎ
Some of the best history isn't written in a book.
It may be sitting right beside you. β€οΈ
Choose a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, older cousin, neighbor, or community elder and ask them a few questions.
Ask:
πΎ What was your neighborhood or community like when you were my age?
π What foods did your family cook when you were growing up?
π£οΈ What words, sayings, or expressions do you remember the older people using?
πΆ What songs do you remember hearing or singing?
π Did your family fish, crab, shrimp, farm, garden, or gather food?
β€οΈ What is one tradition from your childhood you never want our family to forget?
π΅πΎ Who taught you the things you know?
Don't just ask the questionsβremember the answers.
With permission, you could:
βπΎ Write the story down
ποΈ Record their voice
πΉ Make a short video
πΈ Take a picture together
π¨βπ©βπ§ Share the story with another family member
The story you save today could become a gift to your family tomorrow. πΎ
Every family tree starts with a story.
Learning where your family comes from can help you understand how your family's story connects to places, communities, and history.
You don't have to know your entire family tree to begin. Start with the people you know, then ask questions!
Ask your family:
π Where was I born?
π Where were my parents born?
π Where were my grandparents born?
π Where were my great-grandparents born?
π‘ Did our family live in the same community for several generations?
πΎ Does our family have roots somewhere within the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor? If your family does not have Gullah Geechee roots, that's okay! You can still learn where your family comes from while discovering the history and culture of the Gullah Geechee people.
If you discover a town, island, county, or community connected to your family, find it on a map.
Is it in:
North Carolina?
South Carolina?
Georgia?
Florida?
Is it near the coast, a river, marsh, creek, or Sea Island?
Learn the name of ONE ancestor you didn't know about before today.
Find out one thing about them:
Where did they live? What did they do? What were they known for? What story does your family remember about them?
Learning their stories helps you understand your own. πΎ
Food can tell us a lot about where we come from.
Think about a dish your family makes again and again. It might be something served on holidays, at Sunday dinner, at family reunionsβor simply something everybody asks one person to make!Β
Choose ONE family dish and ask:
π² What is the name of the dish?
π΅πΎ Who usually makes it?
β€οΈ Who taught them how to make it?
π Is there a written recipeβor does somebody just know how to make it?
π₯ Do they measure everything, or do they cook βby eyeβ?Β
π When does your family usually eat it?
πΎ Has the recipe changed over the generations?
The next time someone prepares the dish, help them make it.
Pay attention to the ingredients, the stepsβand the stories that come out while everybody is cooking.
With permission, write down the recipe or take pictures so your family can keep it for the next generation.
Save the story that comes with it. β€οΈπΎ
The way people speak can carry pieces of history.
Gullah has been passed through generations by people speaking, listening, storytelling, singing, and spending time together. Different families and communities may use different words, expressions, or pronunciations.
Your mission is to listen!Β
Talk to a parent, grandparent, elder, or other family member and ask:
π£οΈ What words or sayings did you hear growing up?
π΅πΎ Who used to say them?
π¬ What did they mean?
ππΎ How did they pronounce them?
β€οΈ Does anyone in our family still say them today?
Choose ONE word, phrase, or saying your family remembers.
Learn:
What it means
Who you heard it from
When they would say it
How your family pronounces it
Then teach it to someone else!
People should never be made fun of because of the way they speak.
Gullah is not simply βbad English.β It is a language with its own history, patterns, and cultural significance.
Learning about language means learning to listen with respect.
β€οΈ Remember the voices.
πΎ Pass the knowledge forward.
Culture isn't only something you read about. Sometimes you can see it, hear it, taste it, and experience it right where you live.
The next time you're out with your family, pay attention to what's around you.
Look for:
π A marsh, creek, river, or coastal waterway
π΄ A palmetto tree
πΎ Plants growing in the coastal landscape
π§Ί A sweetgrass basket or basket maker
π¦ Someone fishing, crabbing, shrimping, or gathering seafood
π A food or cooking tradition connected to Gullah Geechee culture
ποΈ A Sea Island or historic Gullah Geechee community
βͺ A historic church, praise house, or community gathering place
π¨ Gullah Geechee art, music, festivals, or cultural celebrations
Choose ONE thing you noticed and learn something about it.
Ask:
What is it?
Where did I see it?
How might it connect to Gullah Geechee history or culture?
Who can I ask to learn more?
you may begin seeing culture all around you. πΎ
One day, you will be the older generation.
The stories, traditions, recipes, photographs, words, and memories you learn today may be things you teach someone else tomorrow.
Think about everything you've explored as a Culture Keeper.
What is one thing you would like to make sure the next generation knows?
Maybe it's:
π A family recipe
π£οΈ A word or saying
πΆ A song
π A family story
π³ The story of your family's land or hometown
πΈ The names and stories behind family photographs
π£ A skill someone taught you
π§Ί A cultural tradition
β€οΈ Something special your family does together
Choose ONE thing you don't want your family to forget.
Then decide how you will help preserve it:
I can learn it.
I can write it down.
I can record it.
I can practice it.
I can share it.
I can teach it to someone younger someday.
Someone remembers.
Someone teaches.
Someone carries it forward.
Every question you asked, story you discovered, word you learned, and tradition you explored helped you understand a little more about Gullah Geechee cultureβand maybe your own family's story too.
But being a Culture Keeper doesn't end here.
Keep asking.
Keep listening.
Keep learning.
Keep sharing.
There will always be another story to discover.
And YOU are part of it. β€οΈ