Gullah Heritage, black history events celebrated

Pinckney site showcases Lowcountry skills

Storyteller Carolyn "Jabulile" White often goes by her Zulu name that translates to "happiness."

And she said that's exactly what she hopes to bring to the Lowcountry on Saturday as the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site kicks off its Gullah Heritage Series.

The series will showcase various aspects of the Gullah-Geechee culture every Saturday through March, including the weaving of sweetgrass baskets, African drumming and dance, cooking and quilting and tales told by storytellers such as White.

White said she first heard many of her stories as a child while listening to her father and grandfather.

"I try to give a little brief history about our ancestors when I'm doing my storytelling. Even though sometimes I'm doing it in a humorous way, you can believe me at the end of my stories it always has a meaning," White said.

"When I was coming up, that's what happened. We'd sit around and listen to the older people tell stories, but they don't do that a whole lot now," she said. "I love the heritage and I love the culture. I want people to come out and hear. Even though there's a lot of history with it, they'll enjoy it."

The National Park Service partners with the town of Mount Pleasant in sponsoring the annual event, which is free to the public.

"The goal is for people to leave with an understanding that these individuals that possess the DNA of Gullah culture today represent the same heritage that was here 300 years ago," said Michael Allen, series creator and community partnership specialist with the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.

"You can sit and actually see the cadence of (a basketweaver's) fingers moving as she's making a sweetgrass basket and know that it's representative of the same baskets that were used for their functionality in the rice industry. ... One thing about the NPS is we are an educational organization but also an organization that wants Americans to understand American history. What better way to do that than being able to interact firsthand?"

For more information, visit www.nps.gov/chpi or www.gullahgeecheecorridor.org regarding a Web series that will be held on Sundays.

Reach Christina Elmore at 937-5908.