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RECLAIMING A HERITAGE Today, many Gullah/Geechee people can trace their heritage to the enslaved Africans who were forced to live and labor in the rice plantations of coastal counties of South Carolina, Georgia, and Southern North Carolina. The African roots of Gullah/Geechee people came from a diverse mix of African nations with a range of environments, languages, religious beliefs, and valuable skills. Many were skilled artisans – blacksmiths, potters, coopers, basket makers, carpenters, and fishermen. Many of the enslaved women had knowledge and skills in herbal medicine, nursing the sick, and midwifery. Together these people from various African nations created a new culture in the Lowcountry and Sea Islands of the Southeastern United States. They created their own language (Gullah/Geechee) so they could communicate with one another, assimilating many African belief systems, artistic expressions, customs, food ways, and healthcare practices to survive and prosper within the isolated rice plantations, Sea Islands, and inland marshes. The isolation of the enslaved people working in the rice plantations supported the development of family, religious, and community activities by which they were able to express their African-derived customs and practices with limited interference from many slave owners and overseers. The incredible contributions of the Gullah/Geechee people to American economy, food ways, art, music, dance, and culture have consistently been interpreted from a Euro-American perspective. This perspective has discounted the identity, value, and contributions of numerous Southern African-Americans to American culture and economy. For 250 years Gullah/Geechee was not a written language. The history of its people and beliefs were passed down through the generations by means of oral traditions. Because of modernization the use of the oral tradition has diminished, and generations of adults and their children do not know their history and have subsequently felt alienated and have lost a sense of identity, purpose, value, and self worth. For the past two years Jonathan Green has been working with scholars from universities, cultural institutions, and National Park Districts. These scholars have extensively researched the Gullah/Geechee history, economy, and culture in the kingdom of rice, which were based on African, African American and Native-American skills used to survive in a perplexing and shifting world. Mr. Green is proposing to use the visual fine arts created by contemporary African-American and Euro-American artists to assemble expressions of the life of Gullah/Geechee people of the Lowcountry. This collection will enhance awareness of the contributions of Gullah/Geechee individuals, families, and communities to the richness of American culture today. Exhibitions of the visual arts will be held initially in cultural centers and museums in Charleston, South Carolina. In time the exhibitions also will serve as a forum for music, dance, theater, and cross-cultural presentations to educate others about essential aspects of the Southeastern American heritage.

The artwork of Jonathan Green, who is internationally known for his vibrant, colorful pieces that reflect Southern culture, will be the inspiration for two murals to be placed in the Charleston City Market. Green, a Lowcountry native, has donated the rights to use images of his paintings Beach Market (pictured below) and Contemplation to create murals on the walls outside the Great Hall in the newly renovated market. The city said Green has been a champion for visual arts in educational, medical, cultural and social institutions throughout Charleston for 25 years. He created a major mural for Sanders Clyde Elementary School when the school was rebuilt. “Jonathan Green is a real ambassador for the arts and for the rich history of the African-American Gullah heritage of the Lowcountry,” Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said. “His contributions, especially for children, are invaluable in the integration of the visual arts into the school curriculum and for creating an environment of beauty for children to assimilate.” Barry Newton, general manager of the City Market, said the city was honored to have Green’s work become a permanent part of the market. “It is a privilege and an honor to underwrite the creation of two murals using images from my art to grace the east entrance of the Historic Charleston City Market that has served this magnificent city from the 17th century to the present,” Green said. “The cross-cultural vendors representing foodways, arts, crafts and specialty shops bring a life and excitement that welcomes visitors to enjoy Charleston’s contributions to America’s history and culture.”