From then 'til NowA Short History

Daufuskie Island Gullah aredescendents of slaves brought from the"Rice Coast" of West Africa to till the ricefields of the Carolina and GeorgiaLowcountry. Daufuskie Island provedunsuitable for commercial ricecultivation. Rice was grown only fordomestic consumption. Indigo was thefirst commercial crop on the island'splantations, replaced by the extremelyprofitable SeaIsland cotton.

FollowingEmancipation, formerslavesreturned to live onDaufuskie Island as Tabby Ruins at HaigPoint

owners of small farms or as workers for the new owners offormer plantations. With no bridge to the mainland, thecontinued isolation allowed their unique way of life toremain relatively unchanged until the mid 20th centurywhen the arrival of electricity (1953) and telephones (1972)brought instant connection to the world-at-Iarge.

In years past theGullah descendents' distinctdialect and customs broughtthem disrespect in the broadercommunity. Recently, however,the depth and richness of theirremarkable culture and heritage

have emerged as an integral and highly valued chapter ofAmerican history. Gullah descendents are dispersed

throughout the country, but retain distinct pride in theircommon heritage. Through language, food and acommitment to family and community, Gullah ethnicity isresisting the pull of assimilation.

Daufuskie Day,held each June, is a "homecoming"event that brings former residents, relatives and friends backto the island for renewal and to celebrate their uniquelegacy.

Making a LivingFreed slaves who lived on the island after

Emancipation had to provide for themselves. Some wereable to buy plots of land; others worked for absenteelandowners growing cotton. In the early nineteen hundreds

the boll weevil ended thecotton industry on the island.Being resourceful, DaufuskieIslanders plied the local watersfor shrimp, oysters, crab andfish. Hand-made bateaux, small"rocker-bottomed" boats,

MaggioniOyster Cannery c.1910 provided transportation for

gathering the bounty of the nearby waters and transportingit to Savannah for sale. Islanders also grew produce for salein Savannah. Rowing a bateau to market was a long andarduous trip. In this way, however, people earned enoughmoney to buy the necessities they could not produce ontheir own. The arrival ofsteam boats and latermotorized boats madetravel to and from theisland easier and faster.

With oystering jobs gone,many Daufuskie Islanders left theisland to find work elsewhere.From an all-time high of nearly2000 residents, the Gullahpopulation dropped to around fifty

in 1985 when the first residential communities (Haig Pointand Melrose) opened. The new properties provided someemployment opportunities but better paying jobs were tobe found elsewhere. The Gullah population on the island isnow lessthan 20 individuals.

Gullah crafts reflect their African origins and,although items were created for utilitarian uses,they reflectgreat artistry and design. Lowcountry Gullahs are known forbaskets made of bulrushes, long-leaf pine needles and, mostof all, sweetgrass. Unfortunately little evidence of thesecrafts remains on Daufuskie.

Day to Day Living

Daufuskie IslandGullahs were self sufficientpeople. They had to be. Theyhunted, fished, gardened andraised animals to put food onthe table. "They

accommodated to their needs,not wants:' They used traditional folk remedies and herbalmedicine to treat disease. Food was shared in good timesand the community came to the aid of anyone in need whentimes were bad. They lived in a tight knit community ofrespect and closely held family values, only interacting withthe world '~on the other side of the water" as needed.Because of that, their African origins remained ingrained intheir daily living and were passed down orally fromgeneration to generation.

Food was cooked on wood burning stoves whichalso provided heat in the winter months. Recipes might listingredients, but cooking was done by memory and taste,prepared with what was on hand. If you didn't have it, youdid without. If you didn't like it, you went without. Ricewasthe staple food of the Lowcountry and Daufuskie Island wasno exception. Gumbos and rice dishes were ever-present.Daufuskie Island deviled crab is a local delicacy still preparedon the island. No one went hungry and nature's bounty wastreated with restraint and moderation.

Religious practicetook on African attributeswith "ring shouts", anadaptation of African songand dance. Worshippersmoved in circles accompaniedby rhythmic hand clapping, Vacation Ilible School 1966foot and stick stomping, andrepeated shouted expressions of praise and thanksgiving.The call/response sequencing of Gullah hymns is also Africanin origin.

EducationVery few ~hildren of slaves received any formal

education. After the Civil War missionary groups sentteachers to Daufuskie Island to teach the children of freedslaves. Praise houses and empty homes were used as

classrooms until twochurches were built onthe island and were usedfor classrooms during theweek. School was heldfour months during theyear and only grades one

Mary Fields School to four were taught.Discipline was severe.

Family history, traditions, folklore, recipes and such werepasseddown orally from generation to generation.

The Gullah people believed that a person's souland spirit were two different things. Afterdeath, the soul went to heaven, but thespirit of the deceased remained behind.Most cemeteries were located nearmoving water so that the spirit of thedeparted could more easily travel hometo Africa. Burial customs included leavingfavorite household articles of thedeceased on the grave.

In Gullah communities discipline was meted outby the church. A system of "Just Law" intervention andmediation was used. "Unjust Law" (the authorities) was

Mary Fields SchoolIn 1913 Beaufort County constructed the one-

room White School House for white children. It was not untilthe 1930's that a school for black children was built. The FirstUnion African Baptist Church bought two acres of land asthe site for a school house, using funds raised by theislanders via bake sales and other fund-raising events. Theisland residents then raised half of the $800 needed to buildthe school, a considerable amount of money in theDepression. Local tradesmen and the WPA worked togetherto construct the building.

called upon only when" Just Law" failed. Individuals out offavor in the community were made to sit on the "back seat"of the church, a sign of disgrace. On the other hand, thoseneeding healing or seeking membership in the church sat upfront and received prayers of support.

In 1934 thetwo-room Mary FieldsSchool was opened for108 black students. TheBeaufort County Board ofEducation then providedteachers for the childrenwho attended school inmorning and afternoonshifts. School terms were six months for grades one througheight, later extended to nine months. There were few schoolsupplies and teachers improvised as best they £ould. Parentsbought a kerosene stove so the children could receive hotlunches. In 1950 an addition was built providing indoorrestrooms and a kitchen with a wood-burning stove.

Because it was difficultto get from the island to themainland for medical care,traditional home remedieswere used in Gullah homes.People depended on theefficacy of cures "taught fromyonder time from ancestors before them". Some remedieswere carry-overs from the days of voodoo and herbaldoctors, whereas others were concoctions learned over theyears to be effective.

Although the Gullah acknowledged that God had ahand in everything, this did not stop them from using magicfor healing and protection. They brought voodoo with them

from Africa, a practice that couldbe used for both good and evil.The "root doctor" or "DoctorBuzzard" would be consulted formedicine or protection fromcurses. Charms were sold to be

FirstUnion African Baptist Church wo rn, chewed 0 r bur ied .Through a combination of

Christianity, herbalism and magic, islanders felt they couldcure illness and bad luck! bring good luck to themselves andbad luck to others.

In 1962, the last white child then on the islandgraduated from the White School House, marking the end ofschool segregation on the island. Thereafter, white childrenwho moved to the island attended the Mary Fields School.The school closed in 1997 when the current Daufuskie IslandElementary School was built. Mary Fields School is currentlyused for church and civic activities.

Daufuskie Island'sGullah attended two churches.The First Union African BaptistChurch's first building was builtin 1881 and rebuilt after an 1884fire. It was restored in 1999 withits original pews and fixtures still Mt. Carmel Baptist Church No.2in place. The church holdsservices every Sunday for any and all who wish to join inprayer.

Religion andSniritualit

Encouraged byplantation owners to becomeChristians, Lowcountry slavesmelded Christian beliefs withAfrican spiritual ritual andpractice. Their religion was a"liberation theology" providinga sense of spiritual, if notphysical, freedom. Consider thelyrics of the spiritual: "Swing

Low, Swing Chariot". Praisehouses were one room buildingswhere hymns, spirituals and testifying took place. At onetime there were seven praise houses on Daufuskie Island.

The Mt. Carmel BaptistChurch No. 1 wasdestroyed by a hurricanein 1940. Its replacement,the Mt. Carmel BaptistChurch No.2, closedwhen the island'spopulation declined. Thebuilding was purchasedby the Daufuskie IslandHistorical Foundation in2001 and currentlyhouses the Billie BurnMuseum.

The Gullah ofDaufuskie Island

"For almost a centuryfollowing the Civil War the barrierislands, known as the Sea Islands, werereachable only by boat, creating anisolation in which the descendants of theenslaved were able to maintain andguard their cultural patrimony. The resultis a rich culture with a unique form ofspoken English that maintains African

sonorities and a tradition of praise houses where Christianityis celebrated with a profound fervor, yet coexists withtraditional beliefs.

On these islands there is also a West-Africaninflected material culture that is displayed in everythingfrom the handwoven sweetgrass baskets, which havebecome collector's items, to nets used for shrimping andfishing that are cast with a grace duplicating that ofthe otherfishermen across the Atlantic. Most of all, the islandsmaintained a way of life that honors old values of kinshipand community"

This exhibit is dedicated to the Gullah communityof Daufuskie Island which, for the last 300 years, has broughtpride, industry, resourcefulness and a sense of kinship to theisland. Daufuskie Island now is home to people from allwalks of life, but present life reflects the Gullah legacy of aclose knit caring and sharing community. We hope that youtake away with you a greater understanding of theseremarkable people.

DAUFUSKIE ISLAND HISTORICAL FOUNDATION

Bibliography:Branch,Muriel Miller; TheWater Brought UsBurn, Billie; An Island Named DaufuskieBurn, Billie; Stirrin' the Potson DaufuskieCampbell, Emory; Gullah Cultural LegaciesGoodwine, Marquetta L.,ed.; The Legacyof Ibo LandingOpala,JosephA.; The GullahPinckney,Roger;Blue RootsRobinson,SallieAnn; Cookingthe Gullah WayRobinson,SallieAnn; Gullah Cookingthe DaufuskieWay

Photography:GregSmith, www.imediasmith.comDaufuskie Island Historic Foundation, Historic Archives

THE GULLAHof

DAUFUSKIEISLAND, SC8qL

OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LIFEON DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, SC

~(lIV/tMIdeISLANDHISTORICALfOUNDATION

The Daufuskie Island Historical Foundationwas founded in 2001 to preserve the historical andcultural heritage of Daufuskie Island, SouthCarolina. To further public knowledge andappreciation of Daufuskie Island, the Foundationhas acquired and restored historic buildings,established an island history museum, created aself-guided trail of historic island sites, and begun anisland history archives.

The Daufuskie Island Historical Foundationis a 501(C)3 charitable organization. Contributionsmay be sent to: Daufuskie Island HistoricFoundation, Box 52, Daufuskie Island, SC29915.