Gullah Culture and the South Carolina Low Country

My wife and I had the pleasure of spending Labor Day weekend in the Charleston, SC area. Besides some great time with family and enjoying Folly Beach, we also did a tour of Charleston led by a guide named Alphonso Brown. Mr. Brown is Gullah. Know what that means? He is part of the Gullah culture, also known as Geechee, who are descendants of West African slaves who speak a sort of Creole English, or Pidgin — and have done so for generations. There is a lot of unknown about the origins of the Gullah people, but most scholars agree they can trace many of their roots to the country of Sierra Leone. The Gullah were concentrated for many years along the islands of the coastal Carolinas, Georgia, and extending into northern Florida. Since most of the islands have now been connected to the mainland by bridges and causeways, the Gullah have blended a little more into broader African American culture. The cities of Charleston and Beaufort, SC probably have the highest concentrations of Gullah speakers today. After an interesting tour of Charleston through the eyes of a descendant of slaves, I sat down for a few minutes with Alphonso Brown. You can find his book, A Gullah Guide to Charleston, below.

At the same time we were in South Carolina, I was reading a book called The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead. In it Whitehead chronicles the odyssey of a fictional but real character (if you know what I mean) named Cora, and her harrowing journey from a pre-Civil War Georgia plantation toward an elusive freedom.

If you tend to romanticize life on a southern plantation, or simply realize you need to know more about what African slaves were put through, I recommend this book.

ALSO while I was in South Carolina (talk about convergence!), I heard on NPR of the passing of Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, a onetime frequent contributor on NPR on things culinary and cultural. It turns out Vertamae was Gullah herself (she called herself Geechee, which up to that time was considered a pejorative term), and helped raise awareness of the Carolina Low Country.

So what if you’re a white South Carolinian grappling with the past, present, and future of the home state you love? I also sat down with long-time friend Liz Gilland, who, after a number of years living outside the sate, moved back to her native Conway, SC. She has since held public office on the regional level and is very invested in the welfare of the Low Country.  I asked Liz to do some musing on her beloved Low Country.

No matter where you’re from, there are things to celebrate about your culture and your history, and things you’re…well, not very proud of. That’s the human experience. But we can ensure a brighter future only by learning from the past.

An Amish Odyssey

I hope you have already listened to last week's episode, where I interviewed journalist and author Jeff Smith about his experience reconnecting with childhood friends Bill and Tricia Moser. At Tricia’s invitation to visit them on their new farm in rural Michigan, Jeff had a rather large surprise waiting for him. The Mosers had left the affluent middle class, suburban, Evangelical lifestyle…and become Amish. Becoming Amish is the title of Jeff’s book, where he recounts his journey of discovery into a world he knew very little about. It turns out I didn't know that much, either.

This week we get to hear from Bill Moser himself, who has been friends with Jeff ever since they were four years old and living a few houses down from each other in the Detroit area. I hope you enjoy listening to this thoughtful, soft-spoken man reflect on the last 17 or so years. And just a heads up: because he is so soft-spoken, you may need to turn your volume up a little higher than you’re used to!

Inside the Nashville Songwriters' Culture

As a part of our series on subcultures in the United States, we take an interesting turn this week and visit a unique breed of human: the Nashville songwriter. You might argue that songwriters the world over are a different breed — and I wouldn’t argue with you. But Nashville is almost without question home to the highest concentration of songwriters per capita of any city in the world. As you’ll hear in our conversation, it’s to the point where you can generally assume that the person who served you your food or drink is an aspiring songwriter — or certainly a creative of some stripe.

Fred Wilhelm

MPJ

reuben bidez

I sat down with three gifted songwriters to hear their perspective on being a songwriter in Nashville, and our conversation also led to different aspects of the creative process that I think you’ll find both interesting and encouraging — especially if you’re a creator yourself. I’d like you to meet Matthew Perryman Jones, Fred Wilhelm, and Reuben Bidez.

For you songwriters and creatives in general, Matthew mentioned a couple of resources (one on air and one off air) that might be of interest to you:

No Place Like Santa Fe

In our series on subcultures in the United States, we pay a visit this week to the unique city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The oldest state capital in the US, this jewel at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountains was established 400 years ago by the Spanish -- its full name being La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de Francisco de Asís -- the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Francis of Assisi.

My guests are Karen Lafferty, veteran singer/songwriter (if you grew up in the church, chances are you used to sing her song "Seek Ye First") and JD Vasquez, both residents of Santa Fe, share their favorite things about this special blend of Anglo, Hispanic, and Native American culture.

Karen and JD's love for their home town makes me want to go back for another visit. Maybe I'll see you there!

Karen Lafferty