The storyline of Raptors in the Ricelands is enriched with Gullah Geechee traditions and beliefs that I documented in my first book, Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage, Legacy of Freedmen on St. Helena Island in 1986. (Pre-order from www.belleislebooks.com, www.amazon.com, and www.bn.com).
I crafted the novel’s plot to revolve around the words of Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican activist and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Formed in Jamaica in July 1914, the UNIA aimed to achieve Black nationalism through the celebration of African history and culture.
In the twenty-first century fictional community of Georgetown, SC, a story unfolds revealing family secrets and conflicts that challenge cultural beliefs. With bighearted intention, newlyweds Florence and Chadwick Wineglass attempt to promote economic legacy, but their unconscious motives often ensnare those they assist. The Wineglasses become raptor-like in their generosity at a moment when other community members’ intentions also prove to be menacing.
Gullah Geechee spirituality, beliefs, language, music, and heritage unwind throughout the storyline, which portrays connections with communities of the African Diaspora around the globe. At the story’s conclusion, I was amazed to note the literary applications I’d made to information that I’d researched and written as a newspaper reporter and cultural interpreter nearly 40 years ago. I’d laid them out in Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage as oral histories and captions to historical photographs as seen below:
Are you familiar with any of these beliefs or practices from my Gullah Geechee homeland?
Geechee Literature Series Books 1 and 2 are available at www.amazon.com in Kindle and Paperback. For autographed copies, visit www.Etsy.com/shop/GeecheeLiterature. We Wear the Mask, Unraveled Truths in a Pre-Gullah Community also is available at www.audible.com, with me as narrator.
A republication of Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage, Freedmen on St. Helena Island is available in Paperback at www.Etsy.com/shop/GeecheeLiterature.
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