A Culture at Risk
mainland modernization on the gullah geechee
This is part of a thesis series within the boundaries between cultures- exploring how participatory design can empower a community and culture at risk. Read the introduction.
When it comes to the conservation of Lowcountry communities, human culture and environment cannot be easily separated (Halfacre, 2012). This is unlike traditional environmental research, which tends to create hard distinctions between natural and human domains. Similar to how the historical preservation movement discovered that it must consider “local sentiment and economic realities (as well as an awareness of potential “elitism” influencing such preservation efforts)”(Halfacre, 2012), the conservation of the Lowcountry and its culture cannot be done merely through the efforts of a few individuals or imposed from above. “It must continue to engage the support of those who, black or white, rich or poor, live on and love the land and identify their own cultural heritage and pride of place with its fate” (Halfacre, 2012). “Deeply engrained traditions and multiple layers of meaning that create what might be termed as a shared ethnocology” (Halfacre, 2012) must be involved in the development of a powerful sense and pride of place.
Gullah Geechee Culture
The Gullah Geechee’s cultural expressions are important to the dominant mainland culture because of their deep connection to the living landscape, knowledge of local resources, and adaptive practices. Marquetta Goodwine (2019) states that “There are things that we know from over 400 years in the Sea Islands that nobody else knows, and now everybody in the scientific world is looking at us and saying, ‘Hey, maybe they had something that we need to know”. Although the mainland culture is perceived as being self-sufficient and in no need external influence, particularly from a marginalized group, Henriksen, Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2019) states that their knowledge offers “valuable responses to climate change, food insecurity, reducing inequalities and other challenges”, developed over generations through daily life practices and a close understanding of local environments while also offering “tremendous opportunities in such areas as land management, conservation, and scientific, technological and medical research.”
Although the Gullah Geechee traveled to and from the mainland, outsiders seldomly came into their communities- especially after the Civil War (National Park Service, 2007). During this time, the Sea Islands experienced a change in population, with recently freed people of the Lowcountry dispersing throughout the United States. Many who chose to stay isolated themselves from the mainland culture. As time passed, the newly freed chose to return to their traditional homes, back to their families, their language, and their adapted way of life. Well secluded, the majority of the Gullah Geechee communities remained unmasked from the mainland culture, being accessible only by boat. It wasn’t until 1950 that the first bridges were built to the Sea Islands, introducing new threats to the region’s people.
The Gullah Geechee culture gradually became exposed as modern industrial infrastructure progressed toward the Lowcountry. By circumventing the barriers to the Sea Islands, the industrial culture of the mainland became a threat to the slow-paced life of the Gullah Geechee communities and their former cultural insulation. Many Gullah were forced from their ancestral lands due to rapid coastal development, changing job markets, and population shifts. Soon, the suburban and resort service economy were to replace the Gullah Geechee’s traditional and informal economy of farming, fishing, hunting, and craft. A shift toward a hegemonic globalization has led these communities to economic hardship, brought on by the encroachment of outsiders armed with a dominant paradigm and a different system of value. This shift has trapped many members of the communities into low-paying service jobs, in turn preventing community members from practicing their ancestral skills, hurting their original, self-sufficient economy. This is a reality that is compounded by the outsider’s unawareness (m’Cheaux, 2019) of the culture’s historically ancient and rich traditions. The economic consequences development continues to have on the indigenous population is its cultural impact. Emory Campbell, a prominent figure in the Gullah Geechee community, states, “Developers just come in and roll over whoever is there… move them out or roll over them and change their culture, change their way of life, destroy the environment, and therefore the culture has to be changed.” (Jones-Jackson, 1997). When the pressures of development and globalization are met with the social realities of isolation, race, and economic inequality (Hussmann, 2006), how is a culture to be preserved?
Collaboration
The Gullah Geechee culture could benefit from outside collaboration because of the ongoing pressures of the mainland. Hussman (2006) notes that “the pressures of development have largely spelled the end of independent Gullah communities” and that they are no longer able to sustain themselves due to “the inevitable pressure to assimilate into mainstream American life”. In the face of cultural assimilation, Emory Campbell (2005) hopes that a merging of two worlds should be embraced in order to preserve the Gullah Geechee culture.
Although there are instances of self-sufficiency within the Gullah Geechee community, examples of outside collaboration mentioned in the NPS Special Resource Study (2005) act as a “catalyst for reconstructing Gullah social vitality” which they “seek to turn to their advantage” in order to save their culture. Recent efforts have been made toward the history and preservation of the Gullah Geechee culture, however, it is still unclear whether it will be enough to sustain their livelihood. For generations, this community has persevered in preserving their cultural heritage both with Africa and in the New World (Jones-Jackson, 1997)- now faced with new problems. In order for the culture to prosper in a time of modernization, proper relationships outside of the community are needed.
Explore other posts in this series:
- The Power in Cultural Diversity
- The Road to Cultural Pluralism
- Integrating Translucent Acculturation
- Permeable Membranes
- Hybridity, Vulnerability, and Authenticity
- The Gullah Geechee Community
- Culture at Risk
Bibliography
National Park Service. (2005). Low Country Gullah Culture: Special Resource Study and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Ga.: NPS Southeast Region.
Hussmann, M. (2006). Life-everlasting: Nature and Culture on Sapelo Island. Southern Cultures.
Halfacre, A. C. (2013). A Delicate Balance: Constructing a Conservation Culture in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.Ellin, N. (2007). Integral Urbanism. New York: Routledge.
Jones-Jackson, P. (1997). When Roots Die: Endangered Traditions on the Sea Islands. Athens, GA: Univ. of Georgia Press.
