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Social studies activity

South Carolina's Story: Gullah Culture, Fort Sumter & the Sea Islands

On South Carolina's Sea Islands, people speak a language called Gullah — and it has been spoken there for over 300 years! Gullah mixes English with words from West African languages. 'Oonuh' means 'you all.' 'Bidibidi' means 'small bird.' About 250,000 people still speak Gullah today. Let's learn a Gullah word and draw the beautiful Sea Islands!

Hands OnAbout 25 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

On South Carolina's Sea Islands, people speak a language called Gullah — and it has been spoken there for over 300 years! Gullah mixes English with words from West African languages. 'Oonuh' means 'you all.' 'Bidibidi' means 'small bird.' About 250,000 people still speak Gullah today. Let's learn a Gullah word and draw the beautiful Sea Islands!

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Find South Carolina on a map and point to the Sea Islands along the coast — little islands in the ocean.
  2. Learn two Gullah words together: 'oonuh' (YOO-nuh) means 'you all' — like 'y'all.' 'Buckra' means 'white person / outsider.'
  3. Practice using 'oonuh' in a sentence: 'Oonuh ready to draw?'
  4. Draw the ocean and a beautiful Sea Island with palm trees, fishing boats, and a family sitting together.
  5. Say: 'The Gullah people kept African words and traditions alive for over 300 years!'

Learning objectives

  • Wonder at the fact that a language from West Africa has survived in South Carolina for over 300 years
  • Learn and use two actual Gullah words
  • Ask why a community might work hard to preserve its language

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

The Gullah people of South Carolina's Sea Islands preserved West African languages, foods, and traditions for over 300 years — largely because the Sea Islands were isolated enough that outsiders rarely visited. About 250,000 people still speak Gullah Geechee today. It's one of the most intact African cultural survivals anywhere in the Americas. Did you know South Carolina is also where golf was first played in America? Charleston held its first golf games in 1786, and the Charleston dance — one of the most famous dances in history — was born in South Carolina too! Draw the Sea Islands' living culture.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Draw the Sea Islands with Gullah families: women weaving sweetgrass baskets, children playing near the water, elders telling stories.
  2. Add the ocean surrounding the islands — the same water that kept the islands beautifully isolated for centuries.
  3. Draw a sweetgrass basket in the corner — one of the most famous Gullah crafts, woven from grasses found only in the Lowcountry.
  4. Write or dictate one sentence about Gullah culture. Then write: 'The Sea Islands helped Gullah culture survive because _____.'
  5. Ask: 'Why might being on an island help a culture stay the same for a very long time?'

Learning objectives

  • Retell that Gullah Geechee is a living language still spoken by about 250,000 people today
  • Explain that geographic isolation helped Gullah culture survive for 300+ years
  • Identify sweetgrass basket weaving as a famous Gullah tradition

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

The Gullah Geechee people of South Carolina's Sea Islands created and preserved one of the most remarkable cultural survivals in the Western Hemisphere. Gullah Geechee is a Creole language that blends English with Wolof, Mende, and other West African languages — and approximately 250,000 people still speak it today. The Sea Islands were so isolated that this rich culture stayed intact for over 300 years. South Carolina is also the state where the Civil War began: the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861. And South Carolina was the first place golf was played in America (Charleston, 1786)! Map South Carolina's history and write about Gullah culture's remarkable survival.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Draw a South Carolina map. Label Charleston (historic port), the Sea Islands (along the coast), and Columbia (capital).
  2. Mark Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor: 'April 12, 1861 — Civil War begins here.'
  3. Create a timeline: West African cultural traditions brought to SC (1700s), Sea Islands isolated by geography, Civil War begins at Fort Sumter (1861), Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor established by US Congress (2006).
  4. Draw a Gullah sweetgrass basket in the corner — one of the most famous Gullah crafts, made from grasses found only in the Lowcountry.
  5. Write 2–3 sentences: What made it possible for Gullah language and culture to survive 300+ years? Use the words 'because' and 'isolation' in your answer.

Learning objectives

  • Explain the geographic reason why Gullah culture survived: Sea Island isolation
  • Identify Gullah Geechee as a Creole language with West African roots, still spoken by 250,000 people
  • Locate Fort Sumter and the Sea Islands on a South Carolina map
  • Write evidence-based sentences using 'because' and 'isolation' to explain cultural survival

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Here's what's remarkable about Gullah Geechee culture: it survived for over 300 years largely because the Sea Islands were so isolated that outside visitors rarely came, leaving Gullah communities unusual autonomy to preserve their West African languages, music, food, and traditions. After the Civil War, Gullah communities owned their Sea Island land — until developers discovered the islands in the 1960s and rising property taxes drove many families out. The same isolation that preserved the culture for 300 years became a target when the islands became desirable real estate. Gullah Geechee — a Creole language still spoken by approximately 250,000 people — preserves West African words, ring shout spirituals, sweetgrass basket weaving, and food traditions like red rice and okra soup. How do you protect a 300-year-old living culture in the 21st century?

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Research Gullah Geechee culture specifically: the West African languages it preserves (Wolof, Mende, Fula), specific traditions still practiced (sweetgrass basket weaving, ring shout spirituals, food like red rice and okra soup), and the current challenge of gentrification on the Sea Islands.
  2. Research the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, established by the US Congress in 2006: what it protects, which communities it includes, and what challenges it faces.
  3. Create a timeline from 1700 to 2010 showing how Gullah Geechee culture was preserved, the threats it faced, and the efforts to protect it.
  4. Write a 4-paragraph essay on the theme of cultural survival: paragraph 1 defines what makes Gullah Geechee culture unique and why it matters, paragraph 2 examines how geographic isolation protected it for 300 years, paragraph 3 examines the modern threat of gentrification and land loss, paragraph 4 argues what should be done to protect living cultures that face economic pressure.
  5. Include at least two specific Gullah Geechee words or traditions in your essay as examples.
  6. Final question: The Gullah Geechee kept a language and culture alive for 300 years through isolation. Now the outside world has found them. What does a community owe to its own history — and what does the outside world owe to communities it discovers?
  7. Charleston rice planters in the 1700s grew 'Carolina Gold' rice that sold for premium prices in Europe. One acre produced about 1,500 pounds. If rice sold for 3 cents/lb in 1750 (roughly $1 today, estimate) and a farm had 40 acres, calculate annual revenue in today's dollars. Invent a modern premium food brand and name it.
  8. Gullah artisans on the Sea Islands still weave sweetgrass baskets — a craft over 300 years old. Weave your own small basket using long grass, raffia, or paper strips in a coil pattern. Time how long one basket takes, then set a fair price based on $15/hour of work. Sketch your basket and its price tag.

Learning objectives

  • Research specific Gullah Geechee cultural practices and identify their West African origins
  • Analyze how geographic isolation functioned as cultural protection — and how that same isolation became a vulnerability
  • Evaluate the threat of gentrification as a challenge to cultural preservation
  • Write a thematic essay arguing what obligations communities and governments have toward living cultural heritage

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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