1. Cultural Contributions to South Carolina The Gullah Culture Ms. Barrett Houston Elementary

2. What is Gullah? Culture directly linked to West Africa “Gullah” comes from Angola in West Africa Combined European, Native American, African cultures

3. History Settlers in colonies needed plantation workers West Africans were skilled farmers European ships carried West Africans to SC West African heritage brought to SC

4. Language Gullah is also a language Developed by Africans to communicate with tribes, Europeans Gullah language is similar to Krio Krio-language spoken in Sierra Leone, West Africa

5. Traditions-Basket Making One Gullah tradition is creating coiled grass baskets Sweetgrass and palmetto leaves commonly used Baskets were used on rice plantations Art form of sweetgrass basketry continues today

6. Fishnets Gullah fishermen knitted their own fishing nets Natural materials were used to make the nets Art of fishnet making came from West Africa

7. Storytelling Gullah folklore was shared through storytelling Folktales often included animals as main characters Stories always included a lesson to be learned

8. Songs Music is very important to the Gullah culture Stories were often told through songs Gullah is found in religious practices Gullah songs were an expression of slave experiences

9. Summary Gullah culture strongly impacted South Carolina Gullah language and traditions still present in South Carolina Gullah culture most prevalent in Low Country of South Carolina

10. Credits All photos are courtesy of the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress And the American Memory CollectionAmerican Memory Collection Home Page