Disya Who WEBE!
- The Gullah/Geechees came together to declare themselves as a nation on July 2, 2000 with international observers and media present.
The Gullah/Geechee Nation exist from Jacksonville, NC to Jacksonville, FL. It encompasses all of the Sea Islands and thirty to thirty-five miles inland to the St. John’s River. On these islands, people from numerous African ethnic groups linked with indigenous Americans and created the unique Gullah language and traditions from which later came “Geechee.” The Gullah/Geechee people have been considered “a nation within a nation” from the time of chattel enslavement in the United States until they officially became an internationally recognized nation on July 2, 2000. At the time of their declaration as a nation, they confirmed the election of their first “head pun de boddee”-head of state and official spokesperson and queen mother. They elected Queen Quet, Chieftess and Head-of-State for the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com).
Queen Quet is the first elected Chieftess and Head-of-State for the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
The Gullah/Geechee Nation can be reached at
Gullah/Geechee Nation Headquarters
Post Office Box 1109
St. Helena Island SC 29920
(843) 838-1171 or email GullGeeCo@aol.com
The Gullah/Geechee Nation Declaration states:
Mission
To preserve, protect, and promote our history, culture, language, and homeland and to institute and demand official recognition of the governance (minority) rights necessary to accomplish our mission to take care of our community through collective efforts which will provide a healthy environment, care for the well beings of each person, and economic empowerment.
Goals
As we are the authentic original Gullah/Geechee Nation with direct linkage to our ancestral legacy, we stand as custodians of Gullah/Geechee culture and protectors of our human rights. Henceforth, being the ONLY and TRUE keepers of the Gullah/ Geechee cultural legacy, upon us falls the responsibility to promote in an accurate and positive manner all aspects of Gullah/ Geechee culture by emanating knowledge and healing souls. This process is guided through the release of the full story of the foreparents of Gullah and Geechee ancestral souls and the wisdom of our elders.
WE intend to protect the development and construction of Gullah/Geechee culture through the establishment of appropriate institutions and law by the exercise of our human rights. Presently this is being achieved through and during conferences, workshops, festivals, and other celebrations of culture and the continuation of oral traditions, living history, crafts, skills, and reconnection to the soil. The establishment of this Constitution will guarantee the continuation by the exercise of our minority right to self-determination.
WE will link with organizations, other nations, and institutions that are contributing positively to the cultivation of our nation.insuring that those connections are carried out with dignity and honor.
In the tradition of our foreparents we will record in written form OURSTORY as a living testament to our Gullah/Geechee legacy. We will also broaden our continuum through the use of electronic and video and audio means of documentation. Through the exercise of our human rights, we will be the keepers of this material as we accept the responsibilities of defining ourselves and our ancestors.
WE will preserve, maintain, and reclaim ALL elements of our homeland which will FOREVER be our base of existence as we carry out these goals. With these goals in mind, Gullah/Geechee people take formal recognition of their nation and their human right to self-determination within the context of their minority governance rights, and thereby, the Gullah/Geechee Nation Wisdom Circle Council of Elders, by its hands, spirit and soul undertakes the task of creating and ratifying the first Constitution of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
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The Gullah/Geechee Nation Constitution is 21 pages long. It is the document of governing principles by which the Wisdom Circle Council of Elders and the Assembly of Representatives operated as the right and left hands of the Head-of-State.
Official flag of the Gullah/Geechee Nation
Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation educates about the meaning of the national flag of the Gullah/Geechee Nation:
In order to keep up with the latest information regarding the Gullah/Geechee Nation, please subscribe to our Gullah/Geechee Nation blog or click on the link below to access it, subscribe to our monthly international ezine “De Conch” by emailing the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition at GullGeeCo@aol.com, watch Gullah/Geechee TV Nayshun Nyews and subscribe for FREE on YouTube, and tune in to Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio and subscribe for FREE on iTunes. All a disya gwine le hunnuh kno who webe fa tru an fa sho! Ef hunnuh wan buy Gullah/Geechee tings, den gwine ta de Gullah/Geechee Nation’s online store: www.gullahgeechee.ecwid.com or at www.gullahgeechee.biz fa support we!
Hi,
Is Smiley a surname in the Gullah-Geechee Nation?
We actually have met a small family with that surname in Beaufort, SC.
Hello I was told my Grandfather Edward Saunders was Gullah/Geeche and later moved to Charleston is that familiar surname
Yes it is. Check Charleston County, SC.
Hello, my family and I will be coming down for the Famlee Reunion. We plan to do research on our family roots in Georgetown. My grandfather’s last name is Rainey, from Waccamaw and my maternal grandmother is Lester from Georgetown. My mom always mentioned that we’re Geechee. Could you tell me if these names are familiar and common?
Blessings to you and all that you do for our ancestry,
Susan Shields Grant
Yes, the Rainey name is connect to Joseph Rainey from Georgetown. Tenki Tenki fa supportin Gullah/Geechee Famlee Day!
Hello. My Great grandmother is from SC her maiden name is Glasgow my Grandmother is also from SC and her last name is Martin are those familiar surnames?
Peace!
Those are not common names. WE have met a Martin family that was in Charleston, but we are not sure that they originated there. They may have migrated there.
Thank you. My great great grandmother surname is Ruff
Hello, I’ve been tracing my ancestry and my ancestors are from South Carolina. The map shows they were in Charleston, Saint Johns Moncks Corner, and Walterboro. I was wondering if my family surnames are familiar within the Gullah Geechee Nation? My closest family surnames are Snowden, Bradley, Lewis, Williams, Evans, Jones, Moore, Ball, Berry, Brooks, Burris, and Chappell
Peace!
Your family is from Johns Island not Saint Johns. All of these locations are in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Chappell of Dave Chapell’s family is not from this coast but from the midlands where the state capitol is-Columbia, SC. The Ball surname you can find a lot about in the book by Ed Ball entitled “Slaves in the Family.” There are Brooks in coastal Georgia but not familiar with that name in the Carolinas. Bradleys are in Beaufort County, SC for sure. Jones are in Yemassee in Beaufort County, SC for sure. Williams is an extremely common surname throughout the coast. Snowden is actually an entire community in Mt. Pleasant in Charleston County, SC. The other surnames-Burris and Berry are not common. We have seen these and the surname Evans amongst those that married people from other places and live on the coast now.
I hope that helps you in your search.
Peace,
Queen Quet
Hi my grandfathers last name is Burroughs is that surname familiar? Trying to understand my r families history. Thanks!
That is not a surname that we are familiar with.
Are Riley and Fleming surnames common in the nation?
Thanks
We know those surnames but they are from folks that moved to the coast and didn’t originate here. Those names are not common here.
You may want to check into the founder of MC Riley School in Beaufort County to see if that is a relative of yours.
Hello,
Do you know of any Canfalls or Greens
There are a LOT of Greens here on the coast.
Hello! Have been following the Gullah Geechee Nation off and on for some time in an effort to determine if family has any further roots there in Monks Corner. Are there still any or have there been any Wineglass, Sthokes/Strothers (spelling most likely incorrect), Berry’s or Colemans connected to and/or living among the Gullah Geechee Nation?
Peace!
Yes, Elder Lesa Wineglass-Smalls is a leader of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Dr. Jessica Berry is from the Huger, SC area not too far from Moncks Corner. There are Colemans throughout the SC coast also. If you are asking about “Stokes,” we know of a family from the Walterboro area. Moncks Corner is in the Gullah/Geechee Nation for sure.
Peace and love to everyone. My name is Maryam Foye. My family is Foy(e) from The coast of North Carolina. We were land owners in and around Wilmington, NC and had land adjacent to Poplar Grove and beyond. My family’s death records have been published by the Poplar Grove museum and the Gullah Geechee Corridor and we have been told we are Gullah people. I am trying to reconnect with my ancestry and wonder where I can learn more about my family lineage as Gullah people. I am also a York and Quick. I spend a lot of time in Senegal and I have learned about the name Faye and am often told we are of the same. I am also a theater maker whose practice centers archiving oral histories, I would love to support any needs the community may have.
Where are the best places for me to do my own research? Thank you for your help and wisdom. May you be blessed for all you do to maintain our history.
Peace!
It appears that you have already done your research. If you obtain the documents from Popular Grove, you should continue tracing the migration after displacement from or sale of the land via the deeds and oral histories of older family members.
If you are seeking to connect with native Gullah/Geechees, we generally support at least one event in the Wilmington/Eagle Island area per year. You can also attend the annual “Gullah/Geechee Famlee Day” to see if you unite with anyone that you are kin to at that event.
Hi I just found out I have ancestry from johns island and the surname is Roberson is a that common name?
That’s not a common name. However, Johns Island is in the Gullah/Geechee Nation.
Hello,
Do you know of Wise or Tift in Georgia?
No.
Peace and thank you. I have ancestry from Barnwell South Carolina with the last names of Kearse,Gadson,Bishop,Collins are any of these found amongst the coast?
Gadson is a name that we recognize on the SC coast. Kearse is a bit further inland and is not common. Collins is on the GA coast.
Good evening, my grandparents are from Wadmalaw, SC there names are Regina and Rufus Peterson. My church in NJ doing a black history program and I’m trying to find videos of guallah songs to present can you help me with this
Peace!
You can go to YouTube and find what you are looking for. A number of things were recorded on Johns Island many years ago in fact.
I got a ?, With the lowcountry growing at a rapid rate and some areas busting at the seams with overdevelopment along with the influx of people at what point does any of these organizations here start taking actions to preserve land or prevent the loss of land that is crucial to Gullah folks? The beauty of this rural lowcountry is being gobble up by the rich and greedy, even our graveyards is being encroached on by development. Speeches without a firm plan of action is wasted words spoken to the deaf.Our culture comes from the land without it we are just renters with the lease expiring soon. It pains me that the only place that We can stand to view the beauty of the ocean or creeks is from a public place and not our own back yard? Hilton Head we are headed that way fast because all leaders elected or self appointed only have rhetoric for the cause.
Peace!
Apparently, you are new to our work. The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition has taken the lead on planning and educating regarding land retention. However, many in the areas that you have mentioned refused to take heed to the lessons and bought into the American practice of selling land and as they sought to avoid living Gullah/Geechee traditions which include owning land and using certain land patterns. So, the places that you hear about are those that can be dramatized in the news as places of “loss.” Stories of retaining land don’t get as much coverage. Nonetheless, our track record speaks for itself and folks that are part of the plan are holding onto and obtaining more land.
How about the name of Furtick from Moncks Corner?
Moncks Corner is in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. That surname is not very common but we’ve heard of it.
Good afternoon, i was wondering how far the gullah geechee culture spreaded inland, my family we are from florence, sc but i also have family that is from a town called eutawville in the bottom southeast corner of orangburg county sc
Peace!
35 miles inland is our boarder. Most of the Black folks in Florence are Gullah/Geechee too but not all of them. Orangeburg is not within the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Folks from the coast did migrate there and still do for the HBCUs primarily
Peace and power to whomever reading, are the surnames Bishop, Collins, Kearse, Gadson familiar along the coast?
Gadson is a familiar surname on the coast.
Peace and Power to whomever reads this, are the last names Bishop, Kearse, Collins or Gadson found amongst the nation?
Peace!
Yes, Gadson is a common name. Kearse we have heard in Colleton County, SC. Collins we have heard of in Glynn County, GA.
Hi, blessings
If Gullah Geechee is low country SC. How come you say Orangeburg isn’t Gullah Geechee, when it’s labeled as part of the low country on many maps and on the South Carolina Government website, Orangeburg is listed as being part of the low country
Peace!
The boundary of the Gullah/Geechee Nation ends 30-35 miles inland. We always state that.
Orangeburg is NOT in the Lowcountry. It is part of the Midlands. See this:
The Midlands area of South Carolina includes at least these eight counties:
Calhoun
Fairfield
Kershaw
Lexington
Orangeburg
Richland
Saluda
Sumter
Thank you for the rapid response which is much appreciated. I’m still in great hopes that you’re able to assist me with the following surnames of my family from different parts of South Carolina.
Paternal grandfather HUDSON
Paternal grandmother COHEN or COEN I was told that some couldn’t spell so there are two versions.
Maternal grandfather COLLIER
Maternal grandmother HELMS
Thank you
Kennice
There are some Cohens on the SC coast. However, your family is from Greenville, SC which is not in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. The culture is different.
How bout rawls or coley or Lehman
Not familiar with any of those surnames here.
Hello, I need help locating my long lost family in South Carolina. Apparently my great Grandma was full Gullah creole. She had 12 other siblings (I have all of their names as well). I was told that her ancestry is all documented on one of the islands in South Carolina. I’ve done as much family research as I can from talking to relatives and looking tracing back documents back to the late 1860s. All communication stopped after my grandpa passed. Someone please reach out to me.
Peace!
If you have spoken to family, they should have told you specifically where they were from. You should visit that particular island and speak to the family members there. That would be the best guidance for you to connect.
My relatives (grandpa and great aunt) who had direct contact with South Carolina family members have passed. However, my great grandma surname was McCray. Are you familiar with that surname in the Gullah community? Maybe that can give me some answers.
Good afternoon, I’m preparing my lineage with information about our ancestors migration from South Carolina to the Mississippi river in Tennessee for work picking cotton and loading bails on the barges. Are you familiar with the Shaw surname? Any information is greatly appreciated.
The name Shaw was that of a white Union general. We are not familiar with Gullah/Geechee people with that surname.
Peace,
I’ve done some research on my family roots and discovered that two of my ancestors lived on Johns Island. Is the surname Wright common in the Gullah/Geechee nation?
Peace!
We wouldn’t say it is “common.” However, there are some Wrights on the coast. The surname actually came with folks who moved to the coast in the case we are thinking of though.
My people are the Hiltons and Robinsons from Charleston SC, all the way back up to kingstree Williamsburg county. The greater amount of us live out side Savannah Georgia
Hello! I just visited American Beach and was shocked to see BOTH my parents surnames there ( Means and Cole). Means …my paternal line is from Whitmire, Newberry, Beaufort, SC. A long line of strong land owning men. My mother’s family, Cole, is from Virginia and I’ve traced my maternal DNA to Balanta people in Guinea-Bissau originally from Senegal. I’m pretty sure that the Gabriel Means from Franklintown and other folks there were some kin to my father. I’m heading back soon to dig the archives but I’m also going to SC to check out the will that my 3 times Great Grandfather, William Means was mentioned in of the SC Governor John Hugh Means. Where could I start in the Gullah archives to find family traces too?.
Peace!
Our archive is being digitized and is not open to the public for research due to this. We highly recommend checking on records at the SC Department of Archives and History in Columbia, SC for more info on your family.
Peace,
I’m looking to reconnect with my South Carolina family and there are clues in my research that have me wondering if we’re from the Gullah/Geechee Nation. My family was brought to Mississippi from Georgetown, South Carolina by theil enslavers, the Potts and Miller family. Is Miller a common Gullah/Geechee surname in Georgetown or Williamsburg County?
Miller is a common name throughout the SC coast actually.
Good evening, my Great Grandmother Clara Kearney was from Colleton County
Good ednin!
Is Venning a surname in the Gullah Geechee Nation? Are there any Vennings or Gadsdens on the island? My great grandmother was a Gadsden from St Helena Island.