Class and Identity in Hilton Head: The Gullah v. Wealthy Landowners
When Galen Miller wants to visit the cemetery in the south of Southern Carolina where a large part of her ancestry is buried, he must obtain permission to penetrate the plantation of Hilton Head, a private and closed community at the northern end of Hilton Head Island, where the rich for times between trips to the beach and Gin and tonic sips.
During a recent morning in July, a goalkeeper motioned to Mr. Miller by the door. He served in front of houses of several million dollars and lush green fairways in the Talbird cemetery, now tight between a picturesque stream and a luxury condominium.
“To be able to come here and visit my family from time to time, it really touches your heart,” said Miller. “It also attributes you to see what is going on.”
Mr. Miller is Gullah Geechee, a community descending from the enslaved Africans who were forced to work on the Cotton and Rice plantations of Carolina Lowcountry. The Gullah Geechee is now struggling to preserve sacred traditions while the rich Nords engulfed a precious property by the water.
