Ef oona ent kno weh oona de gwine
Oona should kno weh oona come f'um.
Gullah
proverb
If you don't know where you are going,
You should know where you come from.
Same proverb in English
"When
people come to Hilton Head they golf, they play tennis. They
don't know the Gullah people exist. If the other islands end
up like Hilton Head, no one would know the Gullah culture existed."
Marquetta
Goodwine, Queen of the Gullah
You
are African American and part of the Gullah community living
on the island targeted by the resort developers. You are proud
of your Gullah heritage. You earn your living by continuing
the centuries-old tradition of making sweetgrass baskets and
selling them in a small shop you own. Most of your customers
are tourists who visit the island. For years, enough tourists
have found their way to your island to sustain many native businesses.
You
also:
-
know
from experience that many Americans have never heard of the
Gullah before they visit the Lowcountry.
-
know
major new developments on other Sea Islands have damaged Gullah
communities.
-
fear
losing your business to make way for the resort.
-
think
it will be impossible to preserve the Gullah culture and language
on the island.
There
are some 270,000 Gullah residents living along the coasts and
islands of South Carolina. You represent their interests on
the task force.
Your
job is to ensure that the task force understands the importance
of the history and traditions of the Gullah community. You want
to make sure that the Gullah community is protected and respected
so that future generations will be able to experience the rich
Gullah heritage.
| You
are OPPOSED to the resort development. |
|
