Low Country Gullah Culture National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Special Resource Study and Southeast Regional Office Final Environmental Impact Statement Atlanta, Georgia Low Country Gullah Culture Special Resource Study and Final Environmental Impact Statement July 2005 National Park Service Southeast Regional Office Planning and Compliance Division 100 Alabama Street, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30303 www.nps.gov This document may be cited as: National Park Service. Low Country Gullah Culture Special Resource Study and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Atlanta, GA: NPS Southeast Regional Office, 2005. ii Low Country Gullah Culture Special Resource Study Table of Contents 1 Purpose and Need for the Study Introduction.................................................................................................................................................... 1 Management Alternatives.............................................................................................................................. 2 Public and Community Involvement........................................................................................................... 3 Meeting Transcripts................................................................................................................................ 4 Transcript Analysis.................................................................................................................................. 4 Small Meetings in Key Counties............................................................................................................ 6 Preliminary Alternatives......................................................................................................................... 8 Community Meetings: Round Two ...................................................................................................... 8 Writing the Report .................................................................................................................................. 9 Scholarly Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 9 2 Affected People and Environment Gullah and Geechee Peoples: History, Language, Society, Culture, and Change ................................. 13 Historical Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 14 Development of the Plantation Economy................................................................................................... 21 The Quest for Freedom ................................................................................................................................. 23 Tidal Irrigation Methods Improve Efficiency of Rice Production .......................................................... 27 The Role of Gullah/Geechee People in the Plantation Economy............................................................ 33 The Task System: How it Fostered Gullah/Geechee Culture .................................................................. 37 The Impact of Gullah/Geechee Ancestors on the Coastal Landscape.................................................... 41 From Slavery to Freedom to Gated Resorts: Gullah/Geechee Communities from the Civil War to the Present................................................................................................................. 43 Demographic History .................................................................................................................................... 51 Gullah/Geechee Language ............................................................................................................................ 55 Gullah/Geechee Traditions, Crafts, and Arts ............................................................................................. 59 Literature and Art.................................................................................................................................... 59 Crafts, Arts, and Foods ........................................................................................................................... 61 Sweetgrass Baskets: A Blessing from God, a Proud Tradition, and a Valuable Investment .......... 67 Performing Arts ....................................................................................................................................... 69 African Cultural Survival in Gullah/Geechee Culture: A Dramatic Case Study .................................... 73 Gullah/Geechee Institutions......................................................................................................................... 74 The Impact of Coastal Development on Gullah/Geechee People........................................................... 81 Phillips Community: A Case Study............................................................................................................... 90 Gullah/Geechee Revitalization..................................................................................................................... 93 3 National Park Service Standards for National Significance, Suitability, and Feasibility Relating the NPS to Gullah/Geechee Peoples and Culture ...................................................................... 99 NPS Standards for National Significance, Suitability, and Feasibility..................................................... 99 National Significance of the Gullah/Geechee Culture.............................................................................. 100 Gullah Culture Special Resource Study Statement of National Historical and Cultural Significance - Professor Richard A. Long, Emory University.................................... 101 Suitability of the Gullah/Geechee Culture.................................................................................................. 104 Feasibility of the Gullah/Geechee Culture.................................................................................................. 104 National Park Service iii 4 Alternatives Alternative A: Gullah/Geechee Coastal Heritage Centers ........................................................................ 107 Alternative A, Site I: Three Sites Combined in Partnership to Form the Northern Anchor ......... 110 Alternative A, Site I- A: Tibwin Plantation.................................................................................... 111 Alternative A, Site I- B: Hampton Plantation State Historic Site................................................ 113 Alternative A, Site I- C: Charles Pinckney National Historic Site.............................................. 116 Alternative A, Site II: Museum and Research Center Penn Center, Penn Historic District, St. Helena Island, South Carolina.......................................................................................................... 118 Alternative A, Site III: New Coastal Heritage Center, McIntosh County, Georgia........................ 121 Alternative A Area Map .......................................................................................................................... 124 Alternative B: Expanding the Gullah/Geechee Story ................................................................................ 125 South Carolina ......................................................................................................................................... 126 Georgia...................................................................................................................................................... 126 Florida....................................................................................................................................................... 126 Alternative B Area Map........................................................................................................................... 128 Alternative C: Gullah/Geechee National Heritage Area ........................................................................... 129 Alternative C Area Map .......................................................................................................................... 131 Alternative D: Alternatives A and C in Combination................................................................................. 132 Alternative E: No Action................................................................................................................................ 133 Cost Estimates of Alternatives A – E ............................................................................................................ 134 Alternative A: Gullah/Geechee Coastal Heritage Centers ................................................................. 134 Development Cost............................................................................................................................ 134 Operations and Maintenance Cost ................................................................................................ 134 Alternative B: Expanding Gullah/Geechee Story................................................................................ 134 Development Cost............................................................................................................................ 134 Operations and Maintenance Cost ...............................................................................................