When slavery was abolished in 1863, the Gullah Geechee people of the Sea Islands settled in the lands they once worked as slaves when plantation owners abandoned their property. They continued their traditions – making sea grass baskets, burying their dead by the shore, farming vegetables and fruits and living life simply. They created their own communities steeped in religion and African traditions. The Gullah Geechee are believed to be one of the most authentic African American communities in the United States.
