page_title: Gullah
section_title: Customs and traditions
hierarchical_section_title: Gullah / Customs and traditions
caption_attribution_description: English: Wooden mortar and pestle found in the rice loft on Briars Plantation, John's Island (Charleston County), South Carolina. From the personal collection of the (anonymous) owner. It is believed to have been used in husking and/or polishing rice which was grown on the plantation. The age is unknown. Photograph by the owner
context_page_description: The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. states of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, in both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. They developed a creole language, the Gullah language, and a culture rich in African influences that makes them distinctive among African Americans.
  Historically, the Gullah region extended from the Cape Fear area on North Carolina's coast south to the vicinity of Jacksonville on Florida's coast. Today, the Gullah area is confined to the Georgia and South Carolina Lowcountry. The Gullah people and their language are also called Geechee, which may be derived from the name of the Ogeechee River near Savannah, Georgia. Gullah is a term that was originally used to designate the creole dialect of English spoken by Gullah and Geechee people. Over time, its speakers have used this term to formally refer to their creole language and distinctive ethnic identity as a people. The Georgia communities are distinguished by identifying as either "Freshwater Geechee" or "Saltwater Geechee", depending on whether they live on the mainland or the Sea Islands.
caption: Wooden mortar and pestle from the rice loft of a South Carolina lowcountry plantation
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