The Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor recognizes the Gullah-Geechee people for maintaining their cultural traditions and for being an outstanding reflection of American values of ingenuity, pride, and perseverance. The corridor extends along the coast of the southeastern United States through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Gullah-Geechee are direct descendants of West African slaves brought into the United States around the 1700s. The corridor is specifically focused on 79 Atlantic barrier islands within the designated area and their African-American inhabitants, and adjoining areas within 30 miles (48 km) of the coastline.
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Gullah/Geechee CHC
https://www.nps.gov/guge/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullah/Geechee_Cultural_Heritage_Corridor
The Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor recognizes the Gullah-Geechee people for maintaining their cultural traditions and for being an outstanding reflection of American values of ingenuity, pride, and perseverance. The corridor extends along the coast of the southeastern United States through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Gullah-Geechee are direct descendants of West African slaves brought into the United States around the 1700s. The corridor is specifically focused on 79 Atlantic barrier islands within the designated area and their African-American inhabitants, and adjoining areas within 30 miles (48 km) of the coastline.
Designated by Congress in 2006, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor extends from Wilmington, North Carolina in the north to Jacksonville, Florida in the south. It is home to one of America's most unique cultures, a tradition first shaped by captive Africans brought to the southern United States from West Africa and continued in later generations by their descendents.
The corridor encompasses a cultural and linguistic area along the southeastern coast of the United States from the northern border of Pender County, North Carolina to the southern border of St. Johns County, Florida and 30 miles inland. The Commission operates a small business office on Johns Island, SC., but there are many sites to explore within the Corridor.
Sweetgrass Basket
Vera Manigault demonstrates the art of sewing sweetgrass baskets.
Vera Manigault demonstrates the art of sewing sweetgrass baskets.
NHA Podcast Episode 3.2: Gullah Geechee Communities Revive Freedom’s Eve Traditions
Episode 3.2 of the National Heritage Areas Podcast explores the tradition of Watch Night, also known as Freedom’s Eve. The first Watch Night was held New Year’s Eve in 1862 in anticipation of the Emancipation Proclamation taking effect. Watch Nights are still held today, but their ties to freedom and history have largely been forgotten. The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is helping to revive Watch Night’s historical and cultural ties.
Seven women and a man standing in a church and smiling
