The History Of The Gullah: From Africa To America | Circle Unbroken | Timeline

One of the great privileges of working at History Hit and making films together with our team at Timeline is the access we get to extraordinary historical locations like this one, Stonehenge. I'm right in the middle of the stone circle now. It is an absolutely extraordinary place to visit. If you want to watch the documentary like the one we're producing here, go to History Hit TV. It's like Netflix for history and if you use the code Timeline when you check out, you'll get a special introductory offer. See you there. Hi y'all. My name is Anita Singleton-Prayford and I'm a Gullah gal. What is Gullah you may ask? A unique culture. It is the taproot of African-American history beginning when enslaved Africans were brought here primarily from West Africa to America with the vast majority coming through South Carolina. Their beliefs, traditions, and knowledge blended with the European masters on the plantations and also the indigenous people, Native Americans. This gave birth to Gullah. Gullah influence is all around us. Food, music, art, language, religion, you name it, you can find it. And by the sheer numbers of our people who came into this country through South Carolina, if you're African-American, there's about a 75% chance that you are a Gullah too. So for all you lovers of history, I'll bet you just learned something. Charleston, South Carolina played a pivotal role in U.S. history as you will discover. In my hometown, Beaufort, South Carolina, the queen of the Sea Islands is just about an hour's ride from here. Both Charleston and Beaufort were critical to Gullah history. What we now know is without Gullah history, South Carolina history is not complete. And if South Carolina history is not complete, then American history is not complete. And if American history is not complete, then world history is not complete. And in order to tell the Gullah story and to really understand its impact and how it relates to all of us, we have to go back to the beginning, back to the continent of Mother Africa. The roots of the Gullah culture began in Sierra Leone, Gambia, Senegal, and Angola. It was here on the western coast of Africa that a rich rice culture flourished. Music also played a major role and often was heard the singing of African songs, the foundation of what would become Negro spiritual, slave songs, and now celebrated as Gullah music. One of the earliest documented songs loosely defined as a greeting of good health and peace be with you is Funga Alafia. The African village was often self-contained. The entire tribe engaged in activities such as cooking, laundry, thrashing, and pounding rice, storytelling, and basket making. They were warriors for protection and perhaps most importantly, the expert cultivators who produced rice and many other staples. Peas and rice, peas and rice, peas and rice, done, done, done, done. Poro was a name used throughout Sierra Leone for the secret men's society, responsible for organizing the initiation, preparing boys and young men for adult life. Poro, meaning bush, is a clearing in an area of virgin forests near most villages where Poro members meet to discuss society business and which is closed to non-members. The initiation of boys and young men takes the form of a period of seclusion at a camp in the forest where they receive instruction and moral education through Poro songs, stories that emphasize the values of cooperation and solidarity and respect for the elders. If they have not already been so, they are circumcised at the start of their time in the forest and given a Poro name. Towards the end of the initiation, they are put through a series of ordeals to test their manhood. This revered custom has roots that date back to at least the beginning of the 17th century. For the 200 years between 1440 and 1640, Portuguese slavers had a near monopoly on the export of slaves from Africa. The slave raiders stormed the villages to kidnap innocent men, women, and children. To succeed, they often enlisted the help of other enterprising Africans. Not only did these early entrepreneurs sell their own people into slavery, but some Africans became mercenary slave raiders and sold their skills to the highest credit. During the 18th century, the slave trade transported about six million Africans. Slaves were most economical on large farms where labor-intensive cash crops, such as tobacco, could be grown. But by the end of the American Revolution, slavery had proven unprofitable in the North and was dying out. Even in the South, it was becoming less useful to farmers because tobacco prices began to drop. But when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became king, replacing tobacco as the South's main cash crop, and slavery became profitable again, tying slavery to the region's economy. Perhaps the last glimpse most enslaved Africans heading to America had of their homeland was Bunce Island in Sierra Leone, typically the starting point for the Middle Passage voyage from Africa to the New World. The journey, lasting from one to six months depending upon weather conditions, was horrifying with vast numbers of human cargo dying along the way from disease and starvation. Conditions were abysmal with male slaves usually chained in pairs to save space and stacked on shelves with no ventilation and no ability to move around. Slaves, often numbering 350 to 450 per slave vessel, were fed one meal per day unless food became scarce due to a lengthier voyage, at which time the crew took precedence. Women with children were considered less desirable, and if a woman gave birth on a ship, she ran the risk that her baby would be killed so she could be sold without the burden of a child. Punishment was rapid, constant beatings from whips and cat-of-nine-tails to ensure submission, and suicide among slaves was not uncommon. Many slaves believed that once they committed suicide, the waters would return their spirits and their souls back to Mother Africa. Oh there's no danger in my god's water there's no danger in my god's water there's no danger in my god's water get on On this beautiful waterfront spot once stood Gadsden's Wharf, named for Christopher Gadsden, a Revolutionary War patriot who built it on his own property in 1767. You wouldn't know it today with all the residential and commercial development, but the wharf was 840 feet, and at its peak could hold six ships at one time. Most importantly, Gadsden's Wharf has significant historic value for African Americans, and is often referred to as our Ellis Island, because more than 100,000 enslaved Africans on 882 slave ships came to this country right through this very spot. Gadsden himself was not a slave trader, but he did build this wharf to service the rice industry, which was so critical to the South Carolina economy. But even more critical were the enslaved Africans who brought their expertise in rice cultivation from West Africa. Once the enslaved Africans reached the shores of the Sea Islands and other East Coast destinations, they were sent to pestilence houses to be cleaned and treated for disease. It was here they were also fed better to fatten them up for auction. Potential buyers inspected this human cargo as one might inspect cattle or horses with no concern for human dignity. Those families that hadn't yet been separated prior to the Middle Passage voyage were now torn apart, adding to the misery. And the process of bidding on human beings began in earnest with typical prices paid in the thousands of dollars, the equivalent of tens of thousands in today's market. But this value for human cargo was a fraction of what the slaveholder would make from the crops tended by the slaves, cotton, indigo, and rice. I've been bring out the next winch down here. Yes, this is a mighty fine winch. Gonna make good babies for her new master. Who's gonna start out the bidding market? Fifteen hundred. Fifteen hundred. Do I get sixteen hundred? Sixteen. Yes indeed. Seventeen for this good baby. Make a machine right here. Yes. Give me 17. I got 17. 27. Love will be the end We wish we never been born Love will be the end We wish we never been born On all the working plantations of South Carolina, the daily tasks required for enslaved Africans covered a wide variety. There was an unwritten rule for many slaveholders, which was never buy anything that can be made on the estate. From the smallest hinges and nails to clothes, tools, boats, and buildings, the best staffed plantations had enslaved Africans for every necessity. Middleton Place, a national historic landmark on the outskirts of Charleston that encompasses nearly 7,000 acres, is a great example of a virtually self-contained plantation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, about 100 enslaved Africans lived and worked here, primarily in rice cultivation, but they also built the buildings, tended the formal gardens, and possessed nearly all the skills needed to run the plantation. And though slavery depended on force, it was the wise planner who made decisions by taking into account how his enslaved Africans would react. It certainly makes sense that some slave owners came to realize that you can't grow crops if you're spending all your time punishing and hunting down your workers. But even the concept of some masters treating some enslaved Africans nicer than others takes nothing away from the abhorrent and unspeakable horrors that are bred from man's inhumanity to man. Why these Africans, one might ask. Because of the need for master cultivators originating from the rice coast of West Africa to work the plantations of South Carolina and beyond, our expertise came at a higher price tag than others, and it is estimated that 75% of all African Americans can trace their ancestral roots to these shores. It was on these plantations where one could find indigo, long fiber sea island cotton, and rice, or as it was better known, Carolina gold, because back then it was worth its weight in gold. And we enslaved Africans in Buford County were on something called a task system, which meant when your daily tasks were done, you might have the rest of the day to tend to your own garden or do other things of your choosing. Not because of masters being nice, but because rice fields were breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying malaria and young fever, diseases that were deadly to the white population, but not the Africans because of their genetic immunity. Inadvertently, that's why Gullah remained so strong and intact in this area, because we were able to maintain and retain many of our African roots. For male slaves, the day could be summed up as from no-see-um to no-see-um, meaning they would start work before they could see the sun and wouldn't stop until they couldn't see the sun again. The work? Back-breaking, with many slaves forced to clear land and to tend fields, pastures, and gardens. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me Please, Lordy, don't you leave me alone Please, Lordy, don't you leave me Guide me on this way Please, Lordy, don't you leave me Please, Lordy, don't you leave me alone Please, Lordy, don't you leave me Guide me on this way Please, Lordy, don't you leave me Please, Lordy, don't you leave me alone. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me. Guide me on me way. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me alone. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me. Guide me on me way. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me alone. Please, Lordy, don't you leave me. Guide me on me way. For enslaved Africans working in the big house as domestic servants instead of as field hands, the presumption may be that they somehow had it better because of their close proximity to the master and his family. And while it may be true that access to better food and clothing may have been considered advantageous, the constant scrutiny, coupled with always being at the beck and call of the slave owner, put household servants in the unenviable position of receiving great wrath for any perceived indiscretion, including the master simply having a bad day. During laundry and ironing, though considered unskilled tasks today, were jobs that took great strength and skill, multiple boiling pots, the use of dangerous soaps, the risk of scalding, all of these dangers were a constant presence. This also applied to cooking due to the need to choreograph the movement of heavy and cumbersome cooking pots to avoid burning, timing meals correct, and even coming up with new and appetizing recipes for the master and his family. These were ongoing sources of tension and anguish. Slave life for women was just as demanding as for the men. Women suffered mental and physical degradation and were routinely starved, whipped, and even raped, denied the most basic of rights. They worked as household servants, tended the vegetable gardens and domesticated animals, and did the laundry and cooking for the overseer and his family. They also helped clear the land and even worked as nursemaids, caring for and breastfeeding the very child who would someday grow up and become their master. This is Adam. Adam in the garden, pickin' up leaves. Oh, Adam in the garden, pickin' up leaves. Adam in the garden, pickin' up leaves. Adam in the garden picking on me Miss Lylor, Miss Lylor Adam in the garden picking on me Oh Miss Lylor, Miss Lylor Adam in the garden picking on me Miss Lylor, Miss Lylor Adam in the garden picking on me Oh, oh, oh, E, where is Adam? Adam in the garden, picking up leaves. Oh, Adam in the garden, picking up leaves. Adam in the garden, picking up leaves. Oh, Adam in the garden, picking up leaves. Adam in the garden, picking up leaves. Plantation was the most popular time for slave weddings. It was customary on this one day of the year that the master might give you time off or even some extra food. And some masters would even allow the slaves to come up to the big house so they could watch the celebration. ♪ There's a gal on the plantation ♪ ♪ There's a gal on yonder plantation ♪ ♪ With your mammy, yay or nay ♪ He build a house. Plant some flowers. Then you'll marry me. Give me your name. Ooh. Yes, Johnny. Yes. One of the favorite traditions among slaves was jumping the drum to signify a marriage. In the absence of any legal recognition, the slave community developed its own methods of distinguishing between committed and casual relationships. The ceremonial jumping of the broom served as an open declaration of settling down in a marriage. Jumping the broom was always done before witnesses as a public ceremonial announcement that a couple chose to become as close to marriage as then allowed. Slaves looked upon the broom as a common household item that came from a tree and exuded strength, bonding, love, and family, and would transcend separation. There are variations of this tradition, which dictated whoever jumped highest over the broom would be the decision-maker in the marriage, and alternatively, some practiced that the first one to touch the ground received that distinction. Regardless, anything resembling a legal marriage was a problem for the slave owner. Though one might think this type of union might bring stability and keep slaves pacified, marriage gave a couple rights over each other, which obviously would have been in conflict with the slave owner's claims. But in the spirit of the moment, many masters turned a blind eye. Though history significantly documents the very vocal abolitionist movement of the late 18th and the early 19th centuries, what is lesser known is how enslaved Africans resisted their enslavement. There are stories of destruction of property, sabotage, infanticide, and suicide, and certainly mass escape. But unlike more famous slave rebellions, such as John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, the Stoner Rebellion right here in Charleston, and Gabriel's Rebellion, though no southern insurrection was ever successful, the stories that came out of the South were the inspiration for a heated and constant dialogue, which ultimately did force a change to this repellent practice, and the eventual passing, many years later, of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery. Harriet Tubman, Moses, the General, the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses, an abolitionist who helped enslaved Africans to escape to freedom. She was born a slave in Maryland. Prior to the Civil War, Harriet escaped from slavery in 1849, and guided about 360 to freedom, including her parents, Big Ben and Big Harriet. At the request of her friend, an abolitionist, Colonel Montgomery, a Union officer, and commanded the troops on the Sea Islands of Beaufort County, South Carolina. She made her way down from St. Catherine's Parish in Canada, to Hilton Island, and began working for the Union Army as a spy, slipping on to the slave plantations in Carleton County, the county just north of Beaufort, on the shores of the Cumbie River. After gathering information from this Confederate stronghold, on the morning of June 2, 1863, she safely guided three Union vessels through the landmines of the Cumbie River, freeing between 700 and 900 enslaved Africans. Not one drop of African or Union blood was lost. This was the first time in American history that a woman, black or white, ever led a military expedition. Way down, way down, way down in Egypt land. Way down, way down, way down, way down in Egypt land. Way down, way down, way down in Egypt land. Way, way, way down. Wade in the water, children, wade in the water. God's gonna trouble the water. Wade in the water, children, wade in the water. God's gonna trouble the water. Wade in the water, children, wade in the water. God's gonna trouble the water. Wade in the water, children, wade in the water. God's gonna trouble the water. I'm standing near the remains of Fort Johnson, located on James Island, just across the harbor from downtown Charleston, on the very spot where on April 12, 1861, the first shot of the Civil War was fired on Fort Johnson. There are many reasons to question whether the Civil War was fought over slavery or for states' rights. But what is indisputable is that it was the deadliest war in American history, where more than 600,000 lost their lives, more than World Wars I and II combined. And when it was all over, the United States, as we knew it then, had become a much different place. For enslaved Africans, certainly one of the most significant outcomes was the Emancipation Proclamation and the almost unthinkable concept of freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation was written by President Abraham Lincoln. Its first public reading was in Beaufort, South Carolina, on January 1, 1863. It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states still in rebellion, thus applying to three million of the four million enslaved in the United States at that time. The proclamation also mandated suitable freed slaves could join the United States Armed Forces and be paid for their service. My country, tis of thee. Sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where fathers died. Land of pilgrims' pride. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. At this ceremony, Prince Rivers, from Beaufort, South Carolina, who escaped and joined the Union Army, returned to Beaufort as a sergeant in the 1st South Carolina Volunteers Regiment to accept the flag from his commanding officer, Thomas Wentworth Higginson. When the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, the Abilene abolition of slavery may have been its most significant outcome. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed and ultimately adopted on December 18, 1865. Slavery was officially abolished. Transitioning from slave labor to free labor was no easy task, considering the years of emotional scarring. And though the Emancipation Proclamation promised civil liberties, they were often ignored due to prejudice and anger from the populace. The quest for equality began with many heroes taking a stand to bring about civil rights and equality for all. General Robert Smalls, the first black hero of the Civil War, took the lead, and he sums it up with one of his most famous quotes. My people need no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life. This is Hampton Park in downtown Charleston. The Military College of South Carolina, the Citadel, is just across the street. Toward the end of the Civil War, this was a horse race track known as Washington Race Course and the Jockey Club, and track was turned into an outdoor prison camp for Union soldiers. At least 257 of these soldiers died of starvation and disease and were hastily buried in a mass grave right here on this property. But just after the war ended, a group of 28 black workers went to the site and gave the Union soldiers a proper burial, even putting a fence around the cemetery and building an archway with the inscription, Martyrs of the Race Course. As you're about to discover, this righteous act was the precursor and inspiration for Memorial Day, and its roots are right here in this park. Memorial Day has its roots in Charleston, South Carolina, beginning May of 1865, immediately following the end of the Civil War in April. For African Americans, the holiday began as a way of paying tribute to the Union soldiers who died in the quest to abolish slavery and reunite a nation. The commemoration was later moved to Beaufort County, the site of the Beaufort National Cemetery. The original 29 acres in the heart of Beaufort proper was designated by President Abe Lincoln himself as the final resting place for those who fought to preserve the Union. Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day for the tradition of preparing to honor the dead by cleaning gravestones and placing flowers and flags. In addition, celebrations began to evolve with African Americans from neighboring cities and states flocking to Beaufort to take part. He didn't own me Lord's time. He is trampling out the vintage ware, the grapes of Rastor. He is trampling out the vintage ware, the grapes of Rastor. He is marching on. The unknown soldiers were not forgotten, neither the ones that perished at sea. A special Sunday evening march to the water would culminate in a ceremonial cascade of flowers. Take me to the water. For the baptized. He wants to be baptized. Take me to the water. For the baptized. Me love me Jesus. Me Jesus. Me love me Jesus. Yes we do. Behind me is the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, lovingly known by many of us here in Charleston as Mother Emanuel. The largest and oldest AME church south of Baltimore, Maryland. On June 17th, 2015, a young man entered this hallowed building with the intent of inciting a race war by murdering nine of our beloved community members. But guess what? This is the day. Yes we is. This is the day that the Lord has made. Instead of the unrest he had hoped to achieve, the community came together as one in ways that transcended the hurt and the pain and proved once again that hate conquers nothing. Love will conquer all. The outpouring of forgiveness for this evil act was a true testament to the resilience of the African American people, the people of Charleston and all of South Carolina. I'm so proud to be a South Carolinian and a Gullah gal. We've come so far by faith already. Trouble will be over. Amen. Trouble will be over. Amen. Trouble will be over. When me see Jesus, trouble will be over. Amen. Oh, me see the lighthouse. Amen. Me see the lighthouse. Amen. Me see the lighthouse. When me see Jesus, trouble will be over. Amen. Oh, freedom coming. Amen. Oh, freedom coming. Amen. Oh, freedom coming. When me see Jesus, trouble will be over. Amen. Trouble will be over. Yeah, it'll be over. When me see Jesus, trouble will be over. It'll be over. Me see Jesus, trouble will be over. Oh, I see big t-r-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-s