December 2022

Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope that you and yours are enjoying this holiday season. We hope that everyone is safe and warm. In this newsletter, we wanted to provide a recap of some of the past events that SISCA members have participated in and look ahead to some upcoming events that we are really excited about. Read on to find out!

The Four Sierra Leone-Gullah Homecomings
Beaufort, South Carolina
Friday, december 2 -december 4, 2022

On Friday, December 2, Corina Torralba Harrington (treasurer) and Windy Goodloe (secretary) traveled to Beaufort, South Carolina, to attend the Four Sierra Leone-Gullah Homecomings.

Ahead of the symposium, they attended a pre-Kwanzaa celebration at Georgia Southern University. The event was organized by Dr. Maxine Bryant. She is the Director of the Center for Africana Studies and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Center. Lillian Grant-Baptiste spoke eloquently and beautifully about Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa. (Wikipedia)

Following the pre-Kwanzaa presentation, they raced to Beaufort, hoping to catch Aunt Pearlie Sue and the Gullah Kinfolk's Christmas concert. They arrived in time to catch the tail-end of the performance, but just the short bit they saw was enough to know that the songs that are being sung in Mexico have origins in South Carolina. What was even more amazing was that Amadu Massally, the creator and host of the Sierra Leone-Gullah Geechee event, was called up to the stage by Aunt Pearlie Sue. He was recognized for all the work that he has done bringing the two groups togther.

Aunt Pearlie Sue is the creation of Anita Singleton-Prather, a native of the Sea Islands of Beaufort, South Carolina. Based on her grandmother, Aunt Pearlie Sue's character has entertained audiences with Gullah-flavored folktales for over 20 years from the schoolhouse to the White House.
In addition to being a renowned master storyteller, Prather is an educator, historian, business woman, writer, singer, actress, and director/producer.  She is the founder and artistic director of the musical performance group the Gullah Kinfolk. As a storyteller and singer, Prather has performed at many festivals, the Beaufort Gullah Festival, Penn Heritage Days Festival, Woodlands Festival, Spoleto USA  International Arts Festival in Charleston, SC and San Francisco Festival of the Sea, just to name a few. (from https://www.gullahkinfolktravelingtheater.org/aunt-pearlie-sue)

On Saturday, December 3, ahead of the symposium, there was an event that took place called Gullah Taste of Christmas. It featured numerous vendors and performances by the Gullah Kinfolk Traveling Theater. The highlight of the event (without question) was the rice cook-off.

The Four Sierra Leone-Gullah Homecomings was an event organized by Fambul Tik, which means "family tree" in the local Sierra Leonian Creole. The event, which was held at The Technical College of the Low Country brought together four groups that had traveled to Sierra Leone. The trips took place in 1989, 1997, 2005, and 2019. Members from each of the four groups told those in attendance about the experience of traveling to Sierra Leone, which is, for many, the area from which their ancestors were stolen into slavery.

The audience learned about a song that was sung in South Carolina that linguist Dr. Lorenzo Dow Turner discovered was a Mende song, originally from Sierra Leone. 
 
They also heard the story of Priscilla, who was taken into slavery in 1750, at just ten years old. Her seven-times granddaughter was able to return to Sierra Leone in 2005. 

Renowned linguist Joseph Opala gave a brief history about the Black Seminoles. After his speech, Corina and Windy spoke about the Gullah-Black Seminole connection and what life was like in Texas and Mexico.

Below are a few pictures from the event: 
1. The beautiful HUGE Christams tree that was the centerpiece of the Taste of Gullah event.
2. Windy Goodloe, Amadu Massally, Corina Torralba Harrington, and LeeJay Krueger
3. Gabriel Greaves (Black Seminole and scholar) and Corina Torralba
4. Amadu Massally and Corina Torralba Harrington
5. Windy Goodloe, Amadu Massally, and Corina Torralba Harrington
​6. The Sierra Leonian flag

The Florida Historical Black Research, iNC:
​Telling The Full History

Florida Historical Black Research Inc,, one of our sister organizations received a grant that will enable them to present their annual spiritual remembrance/family reunion for five days in January. Make plans to attend this important event. Click the link below for more information.

Florida Historical Black Research Inc

Fort Clark Days
March 3-4, 2023

SISCA will be participating in Fort Clark Days as both living historians and vendors. We are certainly looking forward to it. For more information, click the link below.

Fort Clark Days 2023

​Is it time to renew your membership? Our website makes it easy. Just click the button below to become a new member or to renew your membership. Or you can send us your check or money order by mail, if you prefer. Your membership is very important to us. There truly is strength in numbers. Become a member of the Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association today. Thank you!

Membership

Thank you for your support throughout the year. May the new year bring continue health, love, and properity.