Gullah-Geechee Part 1: Day 5 cont.

American flag on display at Pin Point Heritage Museum after years of continuous service. 

Gullah-Geechee Part 1

Description: Pin Point Heritage Museum is just a few miles south of historic Savannah, GA. At Pin Point, a culture, only found in a couple places on the East Coast, lives on the grounds and has for nearly a millennium and a half called the Gullah-Geechee. The Gullah-Geechee is a group of people that can trace their roots back to the Gullah people of East Africa and the language the Gullah people spoke which was called Geechee; so, that’s how you get the term Gullah-Geechee. At Pin Point, the people who lived there worked for A.S. Varn & Son oyster and crab factory to provide for their family. The oysters and crabs came from the Moon River at the edge of Pin Point. Both men and women worked for the A.S. Varn & Son company. The women cleaned and got the meat from the oysters and crabs and the men caught the oysters and crabs.

Reflection: While touring the Pin Point Heritage Museum, I learned that the men and women who worked in the oyster and crab factories were and possibly still are stronger and more determined than I am today. The men and women had no other choice but to work for A.S. Varn & Son unless they chose to go to college after finishing school. Most of the Gullah-Geechee people at Pin Point have lived at Pin Point their entire lives with a few exceptions. For example, Supreme Court Justice Clearance Thomas was born and raised at Pin Point but he decided to attend college and pursue a career as a federal judge. Even though Supreme Court Justice Clearance Thomas is famous and wealthy today, he stated in the video the group saw before the tour that if it wasn't for Pin Point, he wouldn't be where he is today.

Analysis: The Pin Point Heritage Museum is important to the Low country and Sea Islands because the people and culture of the Gullah-Geechee have been preserved due to Pin Point. Without Pin Point, the Gullah-Geechee community south of Savannah, GA may not exist today. Our tour guide told us that Pin Point is one of a few Gullah-Geechee communities that have survived since the American Civil War ended. The culture of Pin Point is unique because the people of Pin Point have their own language that they speak to each other but they also know American English as well. The language that the residents of Pin Point speak is Gullah which is a derivative of English but incorporates different pronunciations and sounds for certain words. Because of Pin Point Heritage Museum, the preservation of one of the few Gullah-Geechee communities is possible. The museum is a perfect tool to display and teach people like our group about the Gullah-Geechee community, their culture, and their rich history. Overall, if you ever want to learn about the Gullah-Geechee community in the Low Country and Sea Islands, Pin Point Heritage Museum is the place you have to go.