Origin of the Gullah People

The largest group of enslaved Africans brought into Charleston, South Carolina came from the West African rice-growing region centered primarily in Sierra Leone. These people had cultivated African rice in this section of West Africa for possibly up to 3,000 years. Once it was discovered that rice would grow in the southern U.S. regions, it was assumed that enslaved Africans from rice-growing regions in Africa would be beneficial because of their knowledge of rice-growing techniques. The Gullah people of Charleston, SC are directly descended from these slaves who labored on rice plantations.