A Culture Treasured For Decades Retaining the authenticity of an age old culture is not an easy task to accomplish, but the people of Hilton Head made it possible. The Gullah people are known to preserve more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African American community in the United States. Their language is an English based creole language that contains many African languages in grammar and sentence structure.
The Gullah and Geechee culture on the sea islands of Georgia have retained their ethnic traditions since mid 1700. Many traditions of the Gullah Geechee people were transferred to them from one generation to another through language, culture, and spirituality. Because of the period of relative isolation and the unique location of the Island, the Gullah people could preserve their heritage from the influence of the world outside. Historically, the Gullah region extended from Cape Fear area on North Carolina coast south to the vicinity of Jacksonville on Florida’s coast, but today the area is confined to Georgia and South Carolina