A forgotten culture.

“We were hidden right in front of the whole world. People did not know that these people exist, that this island exists.”‘

Who are these Gullah/Geechee people?

Queen Quet Marquetta L. Goodwine spoke Tuesday about the cultural oppression and human rights violations exacted on her people by the U.S. government in the island nation of the Gulla/Geechee people off the coast of the American Atlantic southeast.

Goodwine began her lecture speaking in the native language of the Gulla/Geechee people, called Gullah, after a slideshow and music showcasing the people and cuisine.

Although many people including journalists and filmmakers have taken an interest in the Gullah/Geechee culture, Goodwine described the deplorable efforts by the media to portray their culture and way of life.

She also discussed her people’s interaction with American culture from slavery through missionaries and finally to their contemporary struggles with displacement, miseducation and disenfranchisement.

After winning their freedom and purchasing heir own land, the Gullah/Geechee had their land taken away and were then robbed of their lands via land auctions and taxation.

She also was critical of the missionary efforts in the area by people who did not invest time to learn about the Gullah people. The missionaries also introduced corporal punishment as a deterrent for speaking and maintaining Gullah culture to teach them what Goodwine called “the right way.”

“It was supposedly civilizing us, making us assimilated to society,” Goodwine said. “The same people who said that some people were nay three-fifths of a human being.”

Despite their conditions, the U.S. has not allocated funds to help her people preserve their culture. Goodwine, however, is optimistic and just wants to keep her culture through living it and speaking the language.

“When we feed one another, we don’t just do it with food but with spiritual food, or what you call intellectual food.  We are here to share about our community and our culture,” she said.

Goodwine also has a YouTube channel called Gullah/Geechee TV.