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© DIEDRA LAIRD/THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

   The origins of the culture, and even the derivation of its name, are in many ways a mystery. But there are plenty of clues. Some argue that the name is an early distortion of the name Angola, a region believed to have supplied some 40 percent of the slaves sold at the Charleston slave market. Many Gullah, however, suspect that the term may be a carryover from the name Golas, a large cultural group near Liberia who were captured and sold in large numbers during the slave trade, as were their neighbors, the Gizzis. Other evidence indicates that those who settled in the coastal Carolina colony were called Gullah, and those who chose to live along the Georgia coast were called Geechees. Regardless of the history, the people now embrace both names and view their culture as a perfect blend of the various African groups who contributed so much to their ancestry and evolution.

   Once these people arrived on American soil, they adapted to their conditions, making do with whatever they had, according to Willie Mae Gerald, descendant of the Brookgreen plantation slaves from the George-town District. The Gullah maintained work patterns and a community structure that consisted of the church or "praise house," family, community, and self.

   Say the word "Gullah" today, and most people immediately associate the term with a dialect or language. Few understand that the term also represents a society with its own beliefs, practices, traditions, arts, religion, and spirituality. The language itself comprises a mixture of African words and unique linguistic features combined with hints of the English language spoken by their enslavers.

   Today, the Gullah can be found living anywhere in the United States, but large numbers still live between Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida, in a geographical region informed and influenced by the industry of tourism, fueled and sustained by Gullah labor. Gullah people can be found in almost every profession, working as teachers, lawyers, and physicians, but large numbers still fill the bottom rung of the economic ladder, meeting the needs of the affluent.

   During the 1950s and 1960s, before many Gullah people were able to afford transportation, whites often came into their neighborhoods to pick up their "help." Others took in laundry or sought employment in the hospitality industry as maids, cooks, and restaurant help. Many worked in resorts like Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Charleston, and Beaufort.

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