Beenyahs BEEN Magic: Re-imagining the South Carolina Lowcountry as a Portal for Africana and Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Event Type
Presentation
Location
EHFA 137
Start Date
6-3-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
6-3-2020 10:30 AM
Description
How might we re-imagine the South Carolina Lowcountry as an entry point or energy portal for the fusion of Africana (Gullah Geechee) and Indigenous identity, spirituality, and ways of knowing? An estimated 40-60% of enslaved Africans entered America through the Charleston, SC port. Their descendants' cultural continuity resulted in the evolution of Gullah Geechee culture. Prior to the violent colonization of North America, at least 29 distinct indigenous tribes lived and thrived in present-day South Carolina. The state currently recognizes eight tribes and three groups. As Barbara Holmes writes, "We accent the reality that we can access, but there are worlds beyond our reach. Today we need to reclaim the mystical legacy of Africana and indigenous people all over the world, whose intuitive ways of knowing inspire a broader spectrum of spiritual power." What wealth of knowledge can we uncover when we consider South Carolina—the second richest slave state in the nation, and the birthplace of the Secession- as a portal and convergence point of Africana and Indigenous knowledge, ways of being, magic, and possibility? In "Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements," Charlene Carruthers calls historians, activists, and organizers to center the stories of the most marginalized. In this case, interpreting the lived experiences of Africana and Indigenous people in South Carolina, through a Womanist/Black Feminist lens transforms ideas about The South and its capabilities
Recommended Citation
Daise, Sara Makeba, "Beenyahs BEEN Magic: Re-imagining the South Carolina Lowcountry as a Portal for Africana and Indigenous Ways of Knowing" (2020). International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora Conference. 21.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/iggad/2020/fullconference/21
Beenyahs BEEN Magic: Re-imagining the South Carolina Lowcountry as a Portal for Africana and Indigenous Ways of Knowing
EHFA 137
How might we re-imagine the South Carolina Lowcountry as an entry point or energy portal for the fusion of Africana (Gullah Geechee) and Indigenous identity, spirituality, and ways of knowing? An estimated 40-60% of enslaved Africans entered America through the Charleston, SC port. Their descendants' cultural continuity resulted in the evolution of Gullah Geechee culture. Prior to the violent colonization of North America, at least 29 distinct indigenous tribes lived and thrived in present-day South Carolina. The state currently recognizes eight tribes and three groups. As Barbara Holmes writes, "We accent the reality that we can access, but there are worlds beyond our reach. Today we need to reclaim the mystical legacy of Africana and indigenous people all over the world, whose intuitive ways of knowing inspire a broader spectrum of spiritual power." What wealth of knowledge can we uncover when we consider South Carolina—the second richest slave state in the nation, and the birthplace of the Secession- as a portal and convergence point of Africana and Indigenous knowledge, ways of being, magic, and possibility? In "Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements," Charlene Carruthers calls historians, activists, and organizers to center the stories of the most marginalized. In this case, interpreting the lived experiences of Africana and Indigenous people in South Carolina, through a Womanist/Black Feminist lens transforms ideas about The South and its capabilities
Comments
Theme: Magic, Mysticism, Afrofuturism, and Ways of Knowing; Moderator: Shari Orisich, Coastal Carolina University