Who_Is_the_South_Carolinian

Summer breezes in the winter time, lovely festivals, and good ole Southern Hospitality, this is what makes South Carolina what it is. But what really make South Carolina special is the people. South Carolina is one big melting pot where people from different counties have learned to live and work together. Were like one big tossed salad. We have so many groups of people that have been thrown together in one big bowl and tossed together to make us what we are, South Carolinians. Each person, however, has its own unique ability, like each ingredient in a salad. Carolinians live in Blue Ridges, Sand Hills, Piedmonts, and the Low Countries. Whether the residents are from the cities or small towns, we have kept that small town feeling. Our brochures show people smiling, perfect scenery, and the true warm Southern Hospitality. Most South Carolinians believe that the small places are the best to live and raise a family. Low Country Carolinians are known for living at the beautiful beaches. Either they live on Edisto Island, which the people and their language are also known as Geechee. The Gullahs are known for more of the African heritage and culture. The Gullahs of the Carolinas love storytelling, music, folk beliefs, farming and fishing. On the website Edisto Island, South Carolina, Another element of the past that the Gullah people are known for is their language. It is English- based Creole language with roots in the Krio language used in West Africa, specifically Sierra Lionel. It is thought that this language began as a result of the interaction with the whites of the land and was integrated with the native tongue of the slaves. Over the years, the Gullah language further developed into a strongly-accented form of modern English with select West African words or word-forms blended together. The Gullah language was able to survive from generation to generation through the use of storytelling. This art form was done as a way to preserve their cultural past and impart that culture onto new generations. Gullah stories are available in many gift shops throughout the Gullah/Geechee corridor featuring traditional tales and the language of the people (along with translations in many cases). On Hilton Head Island which was named after Captain William Hilton in 1663, is known for their beachfront of the Atlantic. It is the the home of many Native Islanders. Islanders who enjoy several public beaches and many festivals. If you like playing golf, swatting away at mosquitoes and being around a lot of republicans, the Hilton Head is for you. On the website about Hilton Head they said that people can enjoy the history and culture of Hilton Head. It also said that Hilton, however, was not the first European to visit the Island. In 1521, the Spanish were the first confirmed Island visitors, but many historians speculate that English explorer Sebastion Cabot may have sighted its shores during his expedition to the New World in 1497. In the 1560's, French Huguenot colonists sought refuge on Hilton Head Island, fleeing persecution in their own Catholic homeland. The Huguenots christened Port Royale Harbour, now known as Port Royal Sound, and charted the Island on French maps as "Ile de la Riviere Grande" - Island of the Broad River. Soon they moved to more protected water, settling in an area that today is known as Beaufort, South Carolina. Going up some you got the Sand Hills. The Sand Hills is sand left from the oceans during the Miocene Epoch. The people are known as “sand lappers”. My granddad is a true known sandlapper from Marion County in the heart of South Carolinas Coastal plains. This place is known for its big leaf tobacco and long legged mosquitoes surrounding its rivers and creeks. It was said that the school children of the SandHills sing a song canned “SandLappers” written by Nelle3 McMaster from Winnsboro which is right in the heart of the SandHills. It goes like this: “We are good sandlappers, Yes, were good sandlappers, And were mighty proud to say, That we live, Yes we live. In the very best state in the USA”. The piedmont region or the Up Country covers about one third of the State. It comes from the term “foothills” meaning foot of the mountains. And what better way to talk about the people of the Piedmont is to talk about myself. Born and raised in the piedmont of South Carolina, Lancaster County became my home. A South Carolinian like me can enjoy the outskirts of so much in the foothills. Many of us have never been or seen any of the Low Countries or Sand Hills. Many Piedmontians (lol) enjoy the hot summer days and traveling to our neighbors the North Carolinians. Our slang is not as distinct as the Low Country but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to hear “you” turn into “yall” or hearing the word “aint”. Yes, aint is a word if you’re a South Carolinian. Our “about to go’s” really mean “fixing to” or “finna,” and we love to change up by adding the oh so country “ayne” sound at the end of words. Our “seventeens” turn into “seventayne”. Many people from the piedmont enjoy their cigarettes while sitting on the porch gossiping about who did what because believe me, if you’re from a small county wherever in South Carolina, everybody knows everybody. If you want to live in a small town near many services, transportation networks, and near larger cities, then the piedmont is the best place to be. Carolinians of the Blue Ridge region love the outdoors. It is rich in nature and history. The locals can explore lakes, battlefields, small towns, and more. People can enjoy the look of the mountains and they are very close to North Carolina. Tourist can enjoy going on hiking trips and enjoy the beautiful forest and attractions. In the website Blue Ridge, The Blue Ridge Mountain province dominates the northwestern corner of the state, covering about 2 percent of the state's area; the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain, rises on a crest in this region to an elevation of 3,560 feet (1,085 metres).The worn, undulating relief of the Piedmont province, with an elevation ranging from about 300 to about 1,200 feet (90 to 365 metres), stretches from the mountains southeastward to the midlands around Columbia; it constitutes nearly one-third of the state. At the edge of the Piedmont lie the Sandhills, which run diagonally across the centre of the state from northeast to southwest. The Coastal Plain province comprises the southern and eastern thirds of the state, and its elevation varies from sea level to about 300 feet (90 metres). The region is slightly rolling near the midlands and flat toward the coast. Its 187-mile (300-km) coastline consists of the Grand Strand, an unbroken beach stretching from the North Carolina border southward for more than 100 miles (160 km) before giving way to the tidal and freshwater marshes of the Sea Islands, which extend into Georgia. (South Carolina Naturally!, 2011) We are in a class of its own. No one can top South Carolina. I cant believe Im saying that because I really didn’t like this state. I always thought that there was nothing to do, its was so boring full of water and trees. To me South Carolina had no life. But things have changed and I have learned to love my state even more. We love our sweet tea and turnip greens. We no that a shopping cart is really called a buggy. Regardless of what part you’re from in South Carolina, if someone says their going to the “red dot” store, then it’s obvious that someone is trying to get wasted. Everyone has gotten hit by a deer and we all have those large ant piles in our yard. We have so many famous people who live or have lived in South Carolina. From Mary Mcleod Bethune, Sen. Strom Thurmond, great authors like Mammie Garvin Fields and Walter B. Edgar, and even a president, Andrew Jackson. I am proud to be a South Carolinian for the simple fact that this is my home. I was born and raised here and that is something to be proud of. I would love to live in another state but it will not be the same. We know the struggle we had gone though and what we had to do to make it better. Ben Robertson explained it best when he said “It was not the goal that really concerned us, the journey were the thing. Whoever reaches any goal' From what journey can we return' We know of the poverty about us, of the work and worry, but we know of a degree of freedom, of a stunted beauty. We have warm open days and sunshine in Carolina. Much is denied us. But we have, we have. And an attitude is more powerful than any circumstance.” (Robertson, 1991) And Miss Mammie knew that South Carolina was her home. She may have moved to another state but she came back to South Carolina because she was a South Carolinian. “While I breathe, I hope Ready in soul and resource"; we are South Carolinians, home of smiling faces and beautiful faces!! Works Cited Robertson, B. (1991). Red Hills and Cotton. South carolina Blue Ridge: Up Country. (2011, December 05). Retrieved December 03, 2011, from http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/see-do/explore-the-state/falls-whitewater/upcountry/default.aspx South Carolina Naturally! (2011, December 05). Retrieved December 03, 2011, from http://sciway2.net/2001/sc-geology/sandhills.htm