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Islands in the Stream

A A A Comments By Kaitlin Ingram Thursday, Jul 23 2009

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When I think of the song "Kumbaya," I think of a nerdy guy with a guitar, trying to be all over-the-top fake nice. But the song actually has its roots in an important culture--Gullah. And I'm not talking about a fictional place that's home to giant yellow frogs named Binyah Binyah. I mean the real Gullah--the culture from the Sea Islands, off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, that blended West African roots with European-American and slave traditions. While slaves on the mainland were often forced to abandon their native cultures, Africans on the Sea Islands remained isolated and maintained much of their language and customs. Today, there are bridges connecting the islands to the mainland, so cultures have blended extensively. But the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, currently housed in the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, 1720 Gendy St., is giving kids a chance to travel back to the 1940s to learn about Gullah traditions. The exhibit is called Tales from the Land of Gullah, and it runs through September 7. For more information, call 817-255-9300 or visit fwmuseum.org.
July 27-Sept. 7, 2009

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