Yes indeed Nazheek, Gullah folklore held that ghosts—known as “haints” (and pronounced “haunts”) in the Creole dialect—could not cross water, and because blue resembles water, ceilings were painted this color to repel evil spirits.
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the low country region of the U.S. states of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, in both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. They developed a creole language, also called Gullah, and a culture with some African influence.
Gullah descendants continue to lead a spiritual life in 2021 that influences every part of their lives. They believe in the dual nature of the soul and spirit. In death, a soul is returned to God but the spirit remains on earth to live among the deceased’s descendants. It is common for funerals to be ornate and for mourners to decorate graves using items that belonged to the newly passed away. The Gullah people believe the spirit of their ancestors participates in their daily affairs and protects and guides them using spiritual forces.
Other traditions practiced by Christian Gullahs include Praise Houses (Pray’s Houses) and Shouting or Ring Shouts. Praise houses are small wooden buildings located away from the community where worshipers could freely express their faith and emotions. They were used to strengthen one’s faith, examine new members, and provide spiritual guidance for the community. Shouting or Ring Shouts are an integral part of the Praise House. In a Ring Shout, men and women form a circle and sing, clap their hands, and shuffle or stomp their feet in a fast paced, rhythmic beat. They often move in a counter-clockwise direction. Ring Shouts are thought to be the remnants of African ceremonial dances that were a part of African religious traditions. The word “shout” is thought to be derived from “saut,” a West African word of Arabic origin that describes an Islamic religious movement performed to exhaustion. Islam’s legacy continues in the Gullah community. It began in early colonial North America where the low country hosted the largest community of African Muslims. These Muslims were primarily in the Sea Islands of Sapelo, Saint Simon’s and Saint Helena.
While many people in the low country turned to religion to alleviate their oppression, other people used conjuring to protect against the evils of slavery. Conjuring in the low country is a practice from West and West Central Africa. The Gullah community perceived this “magic art” to be very powerful. Yet there are subtle differences in how the Gullahs/Geechees practiced conjuring and how West Africans practiced it. There the community had men called fetish priests. The priests were sacred figures in the community because they had the ability to create powerful fetishes to protect the people of the community. These fetishes were made of wood, horn of goat, hoof of antelope, piece of metal or ivory, hair of someone’s head and fingernail clippings. They were placed along the coastal line as “outsiders” entered the region. Also, they were placed along paths, at the gate of every village, door of every house, crossing place of streams and around the neck of everyone. Before the fetishes were positioned in their respective places, they received supernatural powers from the hands of the fetish priests.
Kind Regards Redbeck
Some voodoo aspects of the David Denison starship:-
