Coiled Basket Weaving is a Gullah Geechee tradition that is a result of an art brought from West Africa to the sea islands during the West African slave trade (Turner, 2002).  Still very common along the sea islands, and coast of South Carolina and Georgia, basket makers primarily use sweetgrass, palmetto leaves, longleaf pine needles and black rush.  While the baskets are often collected as a form of art, they were made and used for many purposes on the sea islands over the past centuries. Today, a stretch of Highway 17 just north of Mt. Pleasant, SC is adorned with the title "Sweetgrass Basket Highway."  Residents and visitors alike can travel down the highway stopping at the many sweetgrass basket stands to purchase baskets, watch the weaving process, and to marvel at their beauty (Cross, 2008).

Strip Quilting is a Gullah Geechee tradition that is passed down from generation to generation between mothers and daughters.  It is not only an art form, but a way of telling a story.  Quilts are made from strips of cloth and often mimic the types of cloth strip quilts made on looms in many parts of West Africa (Cross, 2008).  Many traveling Gullah exhibitions feature strip quilts not only because of their raw beauty, but because of their portrayal of the stories of the past.  The Penn Center Museum and Library located on St. Helena Island, SC houses an extensive collection of quilts from the Gullah Geechee sea island people.  They also offer interactive experiences for visitors to create their own unique historical quilts based on the history and culture of their own family.   ​

Song and Dance are an integral part of the daily life and culture of the Gullah Geechee.  The music is often of a religious origin and the rhythms and melodies are similar to those of African spirituals sung along the Western Coast of Africa (Cross, 2008).  While the song and dance traditions are often tied to the Gullah Geechee's Christian values, the songs are also an expression of their descendent's experiences as West African slaves working in the fields on rice plantations (Opala, 2012).  An African tradition known as the "ring shout" is performed during prayer meetings where participants dance in a circle, with rhythmic stick pounding in the background.  Pictured to the left, Marlena Smalls and the Hallelujah Singers are a Gullah music ensemble based in Beaufort, SC.

Folklore and Storytelling is a Gullah Geechee tradition that has had a tremendous influence on mainstream culture.  Stories and folklore are passed down from generation to generation, and have always been an important way to communicate between the Gullah Geechee people.  Many of the Gullah Geechee oral traditions use characters from West African storytelling (Cross, 2008).  Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Brer Snake are common characters in Gullah stories.  The primary character, Brer Rabbit, is often the "trickster" and tries to outwit the other characters in the story (which backfires on him in more than one story).  The characters in the Gullah stories were made most famous by author Joel Chandler Harris in his writings about Uncle Remus.  Click here to watch a video clip of Brer Rabbit as told by the character Uncle Remus in the 1946 musical "Song of the South."

Gullah Geechee Food traditions are based largely on what was available to the Gullah Geechee people of the sea islands.  Because of their proximity to the ocean many traditional Gullah Geechee dishes include seafood.  One of the most popular Gullah Geechee food traditions is Frogmore Stew (pictured to the right).  Frogmore Stew originated in the Frogmore Community near Beaufort, SC and is a simple Lowcountry dish made from spices, corn, shrimp and sausage boiled together (Shumaker, 2008).  Other traditional Gullah Geechee foods include: okra and tomatoes, collard greens, and boiled peanuts.  Among the Gullah Geechee people one pot dishes, fried foods, boiled foods, and seafood (in particular shrimp) are most common (Cross, 2008).



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