Gullah Geechie Permanent Exhibit

The exhibit entitled “From Africa to Edisto Island:  The Gullah Story” explores the rich Gullah culture that is unique to the sea islands, including Edisto Island.  This exhibit teaches our visitors about different facets of this culture, including music, strong African roots, and why these customs were able to be preserved for so long, so far away from their roots.

The Gullah people are the descendants of enslaved Central and West Africans who were brought by force to the barrier islands.  They had different languages, so they developed their own new language that allowed them to communicate with each other.  This language is now known as “Gullah.”  The term also includes all of the people who labored on the cotton, rice, and indigo plantations.

A Yoruba proverb encapsulates the essence of this exhibit:  “However far the stream flows, it never forgets its source.”  You will learn that many of the things we think of as purely southern or American actually originated in Africa and were brought here by the enslaved.  Examples include Brer Rabbit, the banjo, okra and watermelon.  These things and more all tie back to African roots, and this exhibit celebrates this rich Gullah culture.