Gullah heritage could become a growth industry in South Carolina if the recommendations of a National Park Service study are allowed to blossom, according to U.S. Rep. James Clyburn.

Gullah culture encompasses the language, crafts and lifestyles begun by enslaved Africans and maintained in the 1900s on remote coastal islands from central Florida through southern North Carolina.

Clyburn, D-S.C., requested the cultural study to determine whether the National Park Service should work to preserve Gullah heritage.

“There is this opportunity to try and get a better understanding of that language and at the same time get a better understanding of the culture and the people, and make that part of South Carolina’s forte,” he said.

It’s also an opportunity to boost the S.C. economy.

“Heritage tourism is the fastest growing industry in the country,” Clyburn said. “South Carolina spends so much money to raise the Hunley, and here we’ve got a culture that’s as important to the overall scheme of things as Gullah, and we’re not doing anything to save that.”

A draft of the National Park Service study is set to be released for public comment next month. It recommends establishing three Gullah cultural centers, two in South Carolina and one in Georgia, and/or creating a Gullah National Heritage Area, a recognition designed to preserve and celebrate America’s defining landscapes. Both would be designed to enlighten tourists and local residents about the history and impact of the Gullah people.

MAINSTREAM ABSORBS PARTS OF CULTURE

During the plantation era, the economic might of the South was built on the backs of enslaved Gullah workers. Through the years, many of the words and customs that the Gullah brought from Africa have melded into mainstream U.S. culture. For instance, seafood gumbo, rice perlo and hoe cakes have Gullah origins.

But some facts about the Gullah remain elusive.

It’s impossible to come up with a Gullah population count, for example.

About 215,000 African-Americans live in the six S.C. counties that border the ocean, and many of them share a Gullah heritage.

But Gullah’s links to the culture diminish only slightly as you move inland to the 1.2 million blacks in South Carolina. Add Georgia, northern Florida and southern North Carolina, and the numbers increase.

Veronica Gerald, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, said many coastal residents don’t think they can speak the Gullah language, but their conversations are peppered with Gullah terms. The same goes for their food and family traditions.

In fact, many Gullah traditions seeped into mainstream culture. Okra is an African word for an African plant. “Kumbaya” is a Gullah spiritual that translates to “Come by Here” in traditional English.

Aspects of the culture seem certain to survive. The National Park Service study aims to come up with ways to make sure the cultural memory has some depth.

The first draft of the report came out in 2002. The major update in the report emphasizes that cultural centers and a heritage corridor can be combined, and that Gullah people should play a large role in developing them.

The recommendations will be presented to the public for a 60-day review before going to Congress for consideration. Congress can do anything from ignoring the report to approving all of its alternatives.

‘PROFOUNDLY PROUD OF THEIR ... ROOTS’

The alternatives were created with a tight budget in mind. No new buildings would be necessary at two of the three recommended cultural center hubs.

The northern hub would be shared by Hampton Plantation State Park, the Tibwin Plantation site on U.S. Forest Service land and the Thomas Pinckney National Historic Site, all in northern Charleston County.

The central hub would be at the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, a hotbed of Gullah culture in Beaufort County. Born as a school for freed slaves in the 1860s, Penn Center has evolved into a cultural resource center. One of its existing buildings would be renovated to serve as a Gullah museum.

The third cultural site would be on unspecified public land in McIntosh County, Ga. A new building would be needed there.

Over the past 10 years, Gullah and other coastal residents have fueled a resurgence in preserving the culture, which faded in the second half of the 20th century as bridges brought resort developments and mainstream culture to the coastal islands.

Very few Gullah people maintain the simple farming and fishing lifestyles that supported them for generations. Most work at mainstream jobs, ranging from cleaning the rooms at resort hotels to managing government agencies.

“It’s evolving and moving into the 21st century,” said Michael Allen, a National Park Service employee who helped put together the report. “It’s not something that’s standing still. They’re trying to maintain a 21st-century lifestyle while staying profoundly proud of their ancestral roots.”

Clyburn grew up in Sumter, but he got an early taste of coastal Gullah culture when his father became pastor of a church in the Summerville area. He enjoyed learning bits and pieces about the culture on those Sunday trips to the Lowcountry. Now, he would like to see others learn about it.

“It’s kind of simple to me,” Clyburn said. “I’m just a great believer in historic restoration and preservation.

“It’s not just about preserving historic sites. It’s also about preserving heritage and culture.”

Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366 or jholleman@thestate.com.