WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS BELOW
Descendants of enslaved islanders fight for history and heritage
by Gale Horton Gay
It’s not so much what one sees upon setting foot upon Sapelo Island that makes it an exceptional place. It’s what one doesn’t see—no high-rises, no subdivisions, no fast food restaurants or shopping malls, few paved roads and not even a multitude of people. This is a place of less than 100 residents—most of whom can trace back 12 generations to ancestors who arrived on the island as slaves.
Yes, there is a lighthouse here, a University of Georgia research facility and a restored plantation home where the wealthy lived, played and entertained presidents and captains of industry, though, locals aren’t much impressed with it. Locals live modestly in mainly small and unpretentious homes, almost hidden by the trees and vegetation. Natural beauty abounds here—from the long, flat stretch of deserted beach to the inlands shaded by dense mammoth live oak trees cloaked in Spanish moss.
It’s a simple place that has remained largely undeveloped and if islanders who share views with Reginald Hall and Maurice Bailey have their way, the land and the culture won’t change by leaps and bounds in the decades to come. They are fighting to preserve the lifestyle of the Gullah Saltwater Geechee people.
The indigenous people of the island are descendants of West Africans who were brought to America during the Mid-Atlantic slave trade. Today some 70 descendants inhabit the island, holding fast to storytelling, cuisine, music, folk beliefs, crafts, farming and fishing traditions linked to their ancestors. Their community is known as Hog Hammock (which some refer to as Hogg Hummock), land that was once a slave settlement.
Hall is the recently appointed spokesman for the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society (SICARS) and his passion for the work to preserve and promote the Gullah Geechee culture is apparent.
“Without the land or the people the culture is gone,” said Hall, speaking to a group of newspaper folks at SICAR’s office on the island. “That would be a catastrophe.”
In an interview with The Champion, Hall, an 11th generation descendant and vice president of SICARS, said he is particularly concerned about numerous “quality of life” issues as well as land reclamation to the tune of $1.2 billion. The majority of the island is now owned by the state of Georgia. Hall noted that there were once 13 communities such as Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island. He said 2,436 acres have been fraudulently taken from islanders over the year.
Hall said that among island residents’ chief concerns is keeping Hog Hammock and as much of the island as possible in a natural, mostly undeveloped state. He said he and others are trying to prevent overdevelopment and the building of residences not in keeping with those already in existence. One issue with this is that more upscale new development causes property values to inflate, resulting in higher taxes for all islanders—many of whom have low incomes.
In March, Hall wrote Chris Clark, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, about living conditions on the island:
Among a list of 24 concerns Hall cited were:
• Ransacking of a cemetery by tourists
• Creation of a ferry schedule that addresses the needs of residents
• Boat docking rights for residents
• Enforcement of trash collection regulations
• Encouraging the University of Georgia to have a formal relationship with island residents
• Improvements to water storage system, drainage system and fire safety equipment
Although he has appealed to local and state officials, Hall blames political pressure for preventing more action from taking place.
Hall said SICARS would like to see the development of a praise house, a movie theater, senior center, visitors center and a 10-acre nature trail.
“Our fight is mighty and our odds are long, but we press forward in the spirit of our ancestors,” Hall writes in an explanation of the island’s history.
Hall said that recently McIntosh County officials have begun making long overdue repairs on Sapelo roads and ditches and there have been talks with state officials about possibly returning 181 acres to island residents.
“We are not going to stop. We are going to be relentless,” said Hall.
For more information on Sapelo Island, visit www.sapeloislandgeorgia.org.
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