The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. By the middle of the 18th century, this region was covered by thousands of acres of rice fields. Forced to work as slaves, African farmers from the "Rice Coast" brought the skills for cultivation and tidal irrigation that made rice one of the most successful industries in early America. Isolated from the mainland, they developed a strong sense of family and community and maintained a separate, English-based creole language. On November 7, 1861 - less than six months after the Civil War began -- Union troops invaded the lowcountry and the Sea Islands of Port Royal, Hilton Head, and St. Helena quickly became Union strongholds. The former Sea Island slaves, now free, were among the first in the nation to own their own land and to serve in the Union Army. The first school for freed slaves, Penn School, was established here on St. Helena Island. The Gullah are known for preserving more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than any other African-American community in the United States. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina hosts a month-long "Gullah Celebration" in February. The 2011 schedule of events will include De Aarts Ob We People XII Art Show & Sale, an Ol’ Fashioned Gullah Breakfast, National Freedom Day Parade and Program, A Gullah Film Fest Series, A Taste of Gullah – Food & Entertainment, The Arts, Crafts & Food Expo on Presidents Day Weekend, and The Youth Musical. Experience authentic Gullah crafts, storytelling, food, entertainment, and more.
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