"The Gullah/Geechee Art-ivist"
Marquetta L. Goodwine/"Queen Quet"
Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation
Gullah/Geechee people live in the Sea Islands of South Carolina/Georgia.
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Marquetta L. Goodwine is a writer, lecturer, historian, and "The Art-ivist."
She has not only provided histo-musical presentations throughout the world, but was also the first Gullah/Geechee person to speak on behalf of her people before the United Nations in Genevé, Switzerland. Goodwine was also selected
and enstooled by her people to be the first queen mother of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. As a result, she is respectfully referred to as "Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation."
Goodwine states: "I learned the art of transmitting stories and folklore from the elders of my family as I grew up on St. Helena Island in Beaufort, SC. At the time that I was learning these stories and would relay them to others, I did not realize that I was being 'taught' anything. The stories and the spirituals that are the center points of survival in my community came to me naturally as did the movements as I began to choreograph my own dances without an instructor of any kind.
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"In my community we say, Hunnuh ain gwine kno wey hunnuh duh gwine ef hunnuh ain kno wey hunnuh dey frum." This amounts to: 'You won't know where you are going, if you do not know where you are from.' This for me is the epitome of what my traditions mean to my community, I want the world to realize the existence of these traditions and to help us continue to have
them be practiced at home on the Sea Islands. We have no community if we do not have our land, our family, our songs, our arts, our crafts, our skills, and most of all, our connection to the Creator." |
Queen Quet works daily throughout the Lowcountry Sea Islands from North Carolina down to Amelia Island, FL on the United States eastern seaboard to make people aware of her people and the need for continuation of their traditions. She places a major focus on preservation of their historic homeland and their unique language which evolved from the combining of the
various African languages and dialects of her ancestors which had been enslaved and became known as "the Gullah people." Gullah and its derivative "Geechee" also included the use of Elizabethan English in order to create a rhythm that is a "code of the spirit." The spiritual traditions of the Gullah/Geechee has this same rhythm which resonates connection, freedom, and survival. This is seen by people around the world when she comes as the liasion for her people to insure that others are aware of their "TRUE" story..
As a result of her interaction with many communities of all ethnicities around the world, many academics, families, youth groups, etc. have made trips to the Sea Islands of South Carolina. They have then found not just a treasure in the Gullah/Geechee community, but something in themselves that hey continued to cherish-the connection of all people to the earth. Queen
Quet brings brings people together through her focus on the common bonds that people have that they often take for granted just as many have taken for granted the things that evolved from the Sea Islands.
Queen Quet has been featured in many magazines, radio, and television programs throughout the world. Her undying commitment to community work is known in many arenas. When she was on a National Public Radio broadcast, a caller stated, "I feel Ms. Goodwine is a national treasure." However, what she treasures most is being able to take peace filled walks through her field or by the water at her landing. She awakens each day to give her heart, soul, and expertise to her family, community, and the various organizations that she does volunteer work for and with.
Queen Quet's writings on the history of her people have received variousawards and are being utilized in educational facilities across the country. Among her many writings are a thirty volume series on Gullah/Geechee culture that she has released three volumes of to-date (the fourth will be released in November 2002) and a Gullah anthology, "The Legacy of Ibo Landing: Gullah
Roots of African American Culture." She has also personally been awarded the Harriet Tubman Women of Distinction Award and the BeautySpirit Award for being the embodiment of Harriet Tubman's spirit in New York City. In South Carolina she has received, the Girl Scouts of the SC Lowcountry Woman of Distinction Award as well as the Community Service Award from Carae's
Lowcountry Modeling which is an organization focused on youth leadership building. She has been previously listed in Who's Who and many other journals for her academic scholarship. The South Carolina State Legislature called a special joint session in 2001 in order to award Queen Quet with the Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award for Advocacy of the Gullah culture. Subsequently, she was awarded the "Citizens Building Community Award" by the University of South Carolina for "Changing the Face of SC." In 2002, the South Carolina World Trade Center gave her a certificate of appreciation for her contributions to world trade also. She also holds a key to the City of
Ironton, OH which was presented to her by the Mayor and April 10 has been proclaimed "Gullah/Geechee People Day" there as well.
Queen Quet continues to be called upon to consult on films (as she did for Mel Gibson's, "The Patriot)," documentaries (such as the soon to be aired PBS specials, "This Far by Faith: The African American Religious Experience", "American Experience: Reconstruction," and "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow"), and books. She continues to share her spirit and the stories, songs, language, and the soul of her people because she believes, "Hunnuh mus tek cyare de root fuh heal de tree."
