Task

As rising sea levels begin to displace the Gullah communities in the low country, the culture will need to be preserved. By providing a space for intergenerational and personal skillset development, traditional lessons can be taken to new places as this one is swallowed by the sea. Overtime, as this happens, these structures take on a new life to eventually allow future generations a place to return and come home. In recent years Members of the Gullah Geechee community have begun to retrace their lineage and make connections back to west Africa where their ancestors had been take and forced into slavery. On voyages back to west Africa, coined homecomings, many recount the traditions that have endured over an ocean, throughout bondage, and across time. In many cases these uncanny cultural similarities can be seen through the craft and skills that have been preserved on from generation to generation. However given the inevitable effects of sea level rise, the Gullah Geechee community of St. Helena will need to preserve its culture yet again. Our project aims to provide a space for multi-generational learning, through blending traditional ways of making and contemporary skill sets. By making, teaching and archiving both physical and digitally this space will assist in the cultural empowerment of the next generation and provide a place to return.