The Gullah

The Gullah people are decedents of slaves brought to America from a variety of African regions. The largest groups were from Wolof, Mandinka, Fula, Baga, Susa, Limba, Temne, Mende, Vai, but the current culture most reflects the culture in Sierra Leone. This background has been uniquely preserved by the Gullah people due to extreme isolation from the days of slavery till post World War Two, and really only recently have been less isolated. The Gullah still use many words from their African roots, these words are often mixed with English to create a unique dialect that can be traced back to its roots in Mende, Vai , Fula or other dialogues from the Guinea/Sierra Leone region.
The Gullah people still have songs that are very distinctly African, using polyrhythmic beats with membraneophones and idiophones providing the only instrumentation aside from vocal elements, although on some occasions more modern electrophones are used as well. These songs are pervasive throughout the culture being used in celebrations, in worship songs or even in communications, such as when someone in the community has died. Despite many Gullah’s moving away to the rest of the United States for jobs, this music has been preserved as a way of keeping contact with the Gullah past and heritage. Keeping in touch with their past and remembering where their people come from is very important to the Gullah, and this music is one of the ways in which they do this.
The Gullah audience is often other Gullah, preserving the Gullah tradition and passing it along. Their audience also includes many non Gullah for whom they perform, again, to preserve and pass along their unique culture. These songs are performed by many in the community and there are few, if any professionals in their particular dances and songs.