|
KNOW THYSELF
"Black" is a global term usually referring to a racial group of humans with various colored skin tones, used to categorize a number of diverse populations into one common group. The term is mostly related to African Americans and descendants throughout the Diaspora, including the West coast, sub-Saharan African populations characterized by dark skin color. (This definition also includes certain populations in Europe, Oceania, Southeast Asia, southern South Asia, and the southern Middle East).
Living History
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Low Country region of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. The Gullah are known for preserving more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African American community in the United States. They speak an English-based creole language containing many African loanwords and significant influences from African languages in grammar and sentence structure. The Gullah language is related to Jamaican Creole, Bahamian Dialect, and the Krio language of Sierra Leone in West Africa. Gullah storytelling, foodways, music, folk beliefs, crafts, farming and fishing traditions, etc. all exhibit strong influences from West and Central African cultures. |