Colonial Era

• Gullah history has its roots in the American Colonial period when slaves were transported to the Carolinas and Georgia from Africa. While some in the Gullah community attribute the name "Gullah" to Angola or the Congo, others relate the name to the Golas and Gizzis, groups who were living in what today is Liberia in West Africa.
  
  

Rice Boom

• Fueled by a boom in the production of rice, large numbers of slaves were brought to the region in the early 1800s from communities in what are now Senegal and Sierra Leone--known as the Rice Coast of Africa. Once in America, the relative isolation of the Gullah communities in the Sea Islands allowed them to retain much of their African culture and language, which merged with English to form the distinct Gullah dialect.
  
  

Post Civil War

• Following emancipation during the Civil War, many Gullahs became farmers and fishermen. More recently, many have joined the hospitality industry. While the Gullah dialect is not widely spoken today, it is still used by some members of the community. Additionally, much of the African-influenced culture of the Gullah lives on in their food, music and fashions.