Lowcountry Gullah

The Lowcountry Gullah Podcast has been airing for three years and has more than 100 interviews available, all hosted by Luana Graves Sellars. In this episode, we flipped the script! The interviewer has become the interviewee! Here's the backstory on the creation of Lowcountry Gullah, the motivation behind it and just a little taste of my trip to Africa.

During enslavement, sometimes all that people had were the memories of oral traditions and stories that they could remember. Most of the folktales that were shared, were African in origin and interestingly enough, alot of those folktales continue to be the foundation and in a significant amount of the children's stories that we all know today.

Most museum's have theme and focus, as well as artifacts that one can peruse and appreciate for its artistic value or beauty. What makes the new International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston different, is that in addition to learning about the uniqueness of the Lowcountry, the African American experience and the Diaspora, this musuem makes it more personal. The IAAM deepens the knowledge of our culture by linking the history to our stories; which is how and why history becomes very relavent to all of us.

From performing on the stage, to the Nickelodeon TV show, Gullah Gullah Island, to painting on canvas, to authoring Gullah focused books, Natalie Daise is an incredible cultural force and truly a keeper of the culture!

The preservation of cultural assets like plantations is really important, just like telling the stories about the big house or the grounds. But what about the less obvious things? In most plantations there's usually a back staircase that the house enslaved used or what about the fingerprints that they left in the bricks that support those houses. What's the story about the people who were enslaved there? Join in on a fascinating conversation with Joseph McGill, from the Slave Dwelling Project, as we uncover those often forgotten and untold stories, because now more than ever is the time to make sure that they get told.

In Gullah culture, the food is deeply rooted in rice and seafood dishes that grew out of the diaspora and its West African influences. Gullah Chef BJ Dennis has built a reputation for not just amazing flavors, but for spreading knowledge about the ingredient's origins. His Gullah cooking may be what he's known for on a national stage and but to him, its important to continue to use the techniques of the ancestors when he's blending his ingredients and every plate comes with a serving of the richly significant history of the food. Chef BJ has been featured in local, national and international cooking events including the BB&T Wine+Food Festival, Netflix 'High on the Hog', P.B.S 'Moveable Feast' and Bravo's 'Top Chef' and sharing his story with me.

Just like for most descendants of an enslaved, many white people who trace their roots will probably discover that they are descendants of an enslaver. That's just one of the dark and often undiscussed byproducts of American history. For most Black people, it's not a surprise; in fact, it's usually a given. For white people, uncovering your family's role in the slave trade can be a shocking and unexpected discovery of your family's dark secret.

Like a lot of people, Glander Pressly grew up in the culture, but through her work she shares its richness all the time. For her, spreading Gullah is a deeply personal experience that she appreciates every day, especially when she looks at slave cabins or handles shackles and any other remnants from the past and the ancestors.

You never know where motivation or a shift in your life's path will take you. For Lotte Lieb Dula, it all started with a box in the attic that uncovered her family's past, led her to her calling. That box permanently altered not only how she sees the world, but what needs to change and how she intends to change it.

Most people don't know about the richly significant contributions from Gullah Geechee culture that's woven into the fabric of the US. Grow in culture and information every week, with cultural influencer and preservationist, Luana M. Graves Sellars on the