Sweetgrass Baskets 
During Maame Koranchee's first visit to the Sea Islands in May 2002, we were amazed at the commonality between the Western African culture and lifestyle on the Sea Islands. One is immediately struck by the unique and beautiful visual images that greet a traveler to the islands, such as Sweetgrass basket weaving and indigo dyeing. After searching to no avail for Gullah-inspired postcards at local museums, galleries and shops, Maame Koranchee's designed the cards above. The postcard series not only documents the Gullah culture in an informative and easily accessible medium, but also promotes the African American experience in the United States. These postcards demonstrate the links between the Gullah Islands and West Africa. |
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Red Sandal Tours work with local communities to design and retail products that promote tourism, such as the Gullah Postcards. The Gullah Islands, also referred to as the Sea Islands, are a group of islands stretching along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The African slaves, brought to the Gullah Islands to work on rice and indigo plantations, were able to retain their West African culture because they were separated from the United States mainland. In March 2003, we designed and launched the following postcards entitled "Remnants of West African Culture in the Gullah Islands"© to debut at the 2003 Gullah Festival.