Gullah festival commemorates indigenous island culture By MELISSA FERGUSON Packet staff writer The people walking the streets looked like those Lowcountry resident Deborah Robertson knew well. The food -- black-eye peas and rice and okra -- tasted as good as usual. Robertson felt right at home, but she wasn't really. Instead she was across the ocean in Ghana. There, she discovered the people of West Africa and the Gullah in the Lowcountry share a similar culture -- one that will be commemorated during numerous events of the Native Islander Gullah Celebration 2000 held on Hilton Head Island in February. "I've eaten black-eye peas and rice all my life," Robertson, a Gullah descendant, said. "We call it Hopping John. "They eat it everyday and call it 'Waykee.'" In it's fourth year, the Gullah Celebration will begin with the National Freedom Day Celebration from noon to 5 p.m. Feb. 5 at Simmons' Fishing Camp. There, participants will commemorate President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which abolished slavery. Lincoln signed the amendment into law Feb. 1, 1865. In 1948, President Harry S Truman signed a bill designating Feb. 1 as National Freedom Day. Festivities will include crafts, food and music. The Gullah culture, a blend of West African, European and Native American cultures, became a way of life for West African slaves living on the Sea Islands off the coast of the South Carolina mainland. Gullah is also a dialect, a combination of various African languages and old English developed by Sea Island slaves. The celebration helps keep Gullah alive, said Mark Moore, celebration chairman. "What we're trying to do is make people aware of the Gullah Culture." The Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association organizes the celebration Robertson has seen blossom over the years. "The first year, it was indoors at the high school and maybe 500 people came through," she said. "Last year, at that particular event, (Arts, Crafts & Food Expo) we had almost 2,000 people come through in a two-day period." This year's celebration features events such as an art exhibit, "De Aarts Ob We People," III in the Walter Greer Gallery of the Self Family Arts Center Feb. 6 through Feb. 27. Featured artists include Diane Britton-Dunham, Arianne King-Comer, Jery D. Taylor, Brenda Singleton and Marci Tressel. On Feb. 5, the annual kickoff banquet and awards program will feature U.S. Rep. James Clyburn as the keynote speaker. Entertainment and a Lowcountry dinner will be included at the event set for 7 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hilton Head. Tickets are $30 for adults or $270 per table. Not limited to Lowcountry history, the celebration also will explore a broader range of black history with events such as "Evening with a Tuskegee Airman," scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Marriott Residence Inn. That's where Lt. Col. Charles W. Dryden will give a lecture and sign copies of his book, "A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman." Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 16. During the Historical Panel Discussion, panelists will speak on the way Hilton Head Island used to be, Robertson said. "The traditions are going by the wayside with development," she said. "We need something like the celebration to hold on to the history." The Arts, Crafts & Food Expo is the celebration's largest event. "The reputation of the celebration is going out, and now people are calling to participate in this event," Robertson said. Set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 19 and from noon to 5 p.m. Feb. 20., the expo will feature cultural cuisine, demonstrations and entertainment. A walk-a-thon, health screenings, a business lecture and several gospel concerts also will be included in the month-long celebration. "The celebration is about the culture and the history," said Tom Barnwell, chairman of the Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association. "It's about trying to bring people together." Event tickets are available at the association's office at 21 Cardinal Lane, Suite 105. Call 689-9314. Tickets also are available at the Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce. Call 785-3673. The celebration's Web site is at www.gullahcelebration.com. Staff writer Melissa Ferguson can be reached at 706-8125 or mferguson@islandpacket.com. Gullah Home Island Packet Homepage