Brief Overview of the Sierra Leone – Gullah Geechee Connection
The Sierra Leone-Gullah Geechee Connection is a rich embroidery of shared heritage sewn through the complex history of the transatlantic slave trade. On these pages, we will explore the historical roots, cultural ties, and contemporary significance of the relationship between the two sides.
For about thirty-five years now since President Momoh of Sierra Leone visited Penn Center in 1988 both Sierra Leoneans and their Gullah Geechee cousins have come to know about their strong family relationship. And both sides have been running with it as more and more the relationships deepen.
Our work emphasizes cultural preservation efforts, and ongoing initiatives fostering collaboration. Join us in unraveling the threads of this enduring bond that transcends time and continues to shape identities on both sides of the Atlantic.
The continuous exploration of shared heritage between Sierra Leone and the Gullah Geechee community holds profound significance. It goes beyond historical curiosity, delving into the roots of cultural identity and resilience. By understanding and acknowledging this shared heritage, both communities can reclaim and celebrate their common history, fostering a sense of unity and connection.
Exploring shared heritage provides a platform for cultural exchange, dialogue, and collaboration, promoting a deeper appreciation for the enduring spirit that has transcended the challenges of history. It serves as a foundation for building bridges between communities, promoting cultural preservation, and forging meaningful connections that contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of our collective past and present.
Slave Trade Routes and Impact on Sierra Leone
The transatlantic slave trade had a profound impact on Sierra Leone, as the region became one of the major hubs for slave trading. The trade routes involved the forcible capture and transportation of Africans from the interior to the coast, where they were loaded onto slave ships bound for the Americas. In Sierra Leone, Bunce Island stands out as a notorious slave fortress where thousands of Africans were held captive before being shipped across the Atlantic. The legacy of this dark period is deeply etched in the cultural memory of Sierra Leone.
Gullah Geechee Ancestry: The Journey from West Africa to the Americas
For the Gullah Geechee community, the journey from West Africa to the Americas was marked by the harrowing experience of the Middle Passage. Enslaved Africans endured unimaginable conditions on slave ships, facing overcrowded and unsanitary conditions that led to the loss of many lives. The Gullah Geechee people share ancestral ties with those who survived this traumatic journey, and their unique cultural heritage reflects the resilience and strength of those who persevered through the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.
This historical background lays the foundation for understanding the intertwined destinies of Sierra Leone and the Gullah Geechee community, highlighting the shared trauma and resilience that define their interconnected histories.
Gullah Language and Its African Influences:
The linguistic heritage of the Gullah language, emphasizing its African roots, is heavily influenced by languages found in the Sierra Leone Region. No one helps us with that better than Lorenzo Dow Turner. Who set out to prove that what the Africans on plantations and their descendants speak still, had an African tongue. By doing so, he was able to record words spoken by Gullahs here in the modern-day United States.
Later an English Linguist, Dr. Paul E. Hair was able to count and realized that for a small country in size and population, Sierra Leonean languages featured heavily in the Gullah language. In an article by Ian Hancock, a world-renowned linguist: “In 1965, the British historian P.E.H. Hair reviewed the linguistic data collected by Lorenzo Turner and found that a “remarkably large proportion” of the four thousand African loanwords in Gullah derives from languages of the “Sierra Leone region.”
He pointed especially to Mende, spoken almost exclusively in Sierra Leone, and Vai, spoken in Sierra Leone and neighboring Liberia.” Turner had identified African loans in three categories—personal names (ca. 3,500), words used in conversation (ca. 350 words), and terms found only in stories, songs, and prayers (85 words). Using the linguistic derivations advanced by Turner, Hair calculated those languages of the Sierra Leone region to account for 25 percent of the personal names (Mende 13 percent, Vai six percent), 20 percent of the words used in Gullah conversation (Mende nine percent, Vai eight percent), and 100 percent of the terms used in stories, etc. (Mende 75 percent, Vai 25 percent).
“In numerical terms, this means that on the basis of Turner’s data, more than one thousand of the roughly four thousand African lexical adoptions in Gullah are derived from languages spoken in Sierra Leone; and of the ca. one thousand Sierra Leonean adoptions, about eight hundred are either Mende or Vai,” Ian Hancock argues in his Krio and Gullah article. He had studied over two dozen creole languages and concluded that the two most similar of all were Sierra Leone’s Krio and Gullah Geechees’ Gullah.
Sierra Leone’s lingua franca, Krio, and Gullah have been in contention regarding where it all started among scholars and others. We will go into a bit more detail about these arguments in a new class that Fambul Tik will launch early next year so make sure you save your seat when you see it.
Rituals and Traditions
Here we will discuss specific cultural rituals and traditions within the Gullah Geechee community. Highlight their significance and the potential connections to similar practices in Sierra Leone. We will explore ceremonies, celebrations, or rites of passage that highlight shared cultural elements.Our Mission
We are honored to share the story of Fambul Tik, an organization deeply committed to preserving and celebrating the cultural connections between Gullah Geechee communities and the people of Sierra Leone. Our mission is rooted in the belief that by understanding and embracing our shared history, we can build bridges that transcend time and distance
Our Mission: Fambul Tik is dedicated to nurturing and fostering the links between Gullah Geechee and Sierra Leonean communities. Our mission revolves around three core pillars:
Our Approach
Fostering Cultural Kinship
Our mission is to create a platform that nurtures and strengthens the cross-cultural kinship between the Gullah Geechee community and Sierra Leoneans. We aim to celebrate shared histories, promote understanding, and build lasting connections rooted in cultural heritage
A United Cultural Curtain
Our vision is of a world where the Gullah Geechee people and Sierra Leoneans are intricately woven into a united cultural tapestry. We aspire to be a bridge that connects hearts, minds, and legacies, fostering a deep appreciation for shared roots and unique cultural expressions
Our Goals
- Cultural Exchange: Facilitate meaningful cultural exchanges between the Gullah Geechee community and Sierra Leone to promote mutual understanding and appreciation.
- Education and Awareness: Raise awareness about the historical ties between the Gullahs and Sierra Leone, fostering a sense of pride and identity among both communities.
- Genealogical Research: Support genealogical research initiatives that explore and document the familial connections between Gullah families and Sierra Leonean communities.
- Preservation of Heritage: Work towards preserving, promoting, and celebrating the rich cultural heritage shared between the Gullah Geechees and Sierra Leoneans.
- Community Empowerment: Empower both communities through educational programs, skill-sharing, and collaborative projects that enhance socio-economic development.
These four homecomings illustrate the connections between African Americans and Africans. Revealed in what Sierra Leoneans and Gullah Geechees now know as The Sierra Leone-Gullah Connection
The Four Sierra Leone - Gullah Homecomings
Why Fambul Tik Matters
Our work goes beyond the academic and historical realms. Fambul Tik matters because it encapsulates the spirit of resilience, survival, and interconnectedness. It is a living testament to the enduring bond between two communities that have weathered the storms of history together. We bring the past and present to life to the fore by employing practicality.
Get Involved: We extend an invitation to all who share an interest in exploring and contributing to the Sierra Leone-Gullah Geechee connection. Whether you are a scholar, community leader, or someone curious about your roots, there is a place for you in our Fambul Tik family.
Together, let us continue to explore, learn, and celebrate the vibrant tapestry of our shared heritage.
The Evolution of Fambul Tik: An Activities-Driven Milestone Recollection
Milestone Report: Fambul Tik
2006: Foundation and Initial Activities
A Skip Gates production on genealogy and Sierra Leone was mentioned among a few of the prominent African Americans being featured
- After the first visit by five Sierra Leoneans representing the organization, the Sierra Leone Network, we never looked back.
- Upon return we decided we would move forward with the formation of the SLGHA; the first such organization that was specifically set up to nurture the relationships between the Gullah Geechee people of the Low Country and Sierra Leoneans.
- We arranged for anthropologist and public historian, Joseph Opala, to give a talk to Sierra Leoneans on these connections with the Gullah Geechee people.
- It was captivating just as the first time we met the first Gullah Geechee on Hilton Head Island, SC. He was Dr. Emory Campbell who had already been to Sierra Leone 17 years prior. What a find!
2006 - 2008: Early Engagements
- We started work on the formation of the nonprofit organization we called Sierra Leone-Gullah Heritage Association. Here was no “Gullah Geechee” non-hyphenated title yet. Later in the years a former Commissioner cautioned the organization to use Gullah Geechee without its hyphenation.
- We held the first public lecture on the Sierra Leone-Gullah Connection and arranged for Joseph Opala to be there at the historic Frederick Douglas Building at historic Howard University. It was the launch right there and we have not stopped since.
- Newport, Rhode Island with Thomalind Polite.
- We were there to commemorate the story of a ten-year-old girl who was taken from Bunce Island, Sierra Leone in 1756 and sold into slavery in Charleston, SC of that same year. The ship called The Hare that sailed with that 10-year-old girl in 1756 was out of Newport, Rhode Island. So, we were there to stand for Sierra Leone along with Americans. It is interesting to note that
- Amadu Massally, poured libation and called out to the common ancestors at the wharf during that invitation-only event at the Wharf in Newport, RI.
- He met Thomalind Polite for the first time, and they have kept a brother-sister relationship since. Recently, he was with Mrs. Polite and her family when they visited the International African American Museum on Sunday, November 12, 2023.
- Her ancestor’s story can be found here in brief detail: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/slave-girls-story-revealed-through-rare- records
- Fambul Tik’s founding partner, and Executive Director, Amadu Massally, poured libation at the dock in Newport and called out to the common ancestors. They have not left him alone since. Those guiding ancestors.
- The Sierra Leone Gullah Heritage Association (SLGHA) led a visit to the historic Penn Center for the first time with about fifty to sixty Sierra Leoneans or so to attend the world-famous Heritage Days.
- This was the first time we knew that Sierra Leoneans in the United States were organizing themselves as a group for a formal visit to the Low Country. They had a blast! Some of the key moments included the Symposium which was based on the Sierra Leone-Gullah Connection.
- They hosted the first Transatlantic Red Rice Cookoff at the historic Frizzell Building at Penn Center. The final verdict has still not been given on who won in 2006.
- They won first prize in the Parade that year with a masquerade and drumming dancing ensemble. They also sang the national anthem in front of the judges. Saint Helena had not seen anything like it in 2006.
- And to crown it all that year, the organization got handed a Key to the City of Beaufort, SC. Recently, the current Mayor (in 2023) told us that they no longer give those keys and ours was the last time it was handed out by Mayor Bill Rausch. About seventy Sierra Leoneans were present.
- The SLGHA donated two thousand dollars to Joseph Opala as seed money for the creation of the Bunce Island Mobile Exhibition, which is found in a few universities in South Carolina (College of Charleston), Georgia (Kennesaw University), Texas (Texas Christian University), and others; and one at the Sierra Leone Museum in Freetown.
- With twenty panels, half illustrating the history of Bunce Island and the other half focused on the Sierra Leone Gullah Connection it is something to see, read, and appreciate.
- On the 200TH Anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave SLGHA hosted the first event by Sierra Leoneans in the United States for the Amistad Schooner story.
- 2008 marked the 200th year of the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the US. It happens that the Amistad Revolt, a historical legacy of Sierra Leone and the United States, is one of the most celebrated cases of slave rebellion in America.
- It is a story of FREEDOM: enslaved Africans were freed and shortly after repatriated back to their country of origin. Sierra Leone.
- The legacy of La Amistad is notable in American history as it eventually brought the abolitionist movement here in North America, together.
- The SLGHA, worked with South Carolina State in securing an opportunity for the Sierra Leonean Ambassador to the US., H.E. Bockarie Stevens arranged for an invitation for the Ambassador from Sierra Leone to America to give the keynote.
- An exhibit from Africa to Gullah in which Sierra Leone was featured was launched at the school grounds on that day