Celebrating Gullah culture

Photo above: Margaret Polite, right, looks for some help while her daughter Melissa Hardin dishes out chicken wings and a barbecue dinner plate at Grandma’s Kitchen. Photos by Bob Sofaly.

Gullah ancestry and the legacy of Reconstruction were celebrated during the Lands End Woodland River Festival on Sept. 1-2 on St. Helena Island.

In the 1920s, 45 black families got together and bought 328 acres of land. They did this so that relatives and friends would have somewhere to hunt, fish and have community gatherings. The property is also used for weddings, parties, family reunions, etc. 

To maintain the property and support its use, the heirs have been holding the Lands End Woodland Festival for the last 12 years.

Right: Anita Prather, as Aunt Pearlie Sue, entertains the crowd while spinning a tale in traditional Gullah language during the annual Lands End Woodland River Festival.

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