The Gullah term “Nyam” means to eat, but in some west African languages, it means to sustain. The Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies and The Athenaeum Press, sister research centers at Coastal Carolina University (CCU), will develop a student-community collaborative initiative that documents the complex history, culture, and practices of Gullah Geechee foodways. At the center of this initiative is a curriculum that centers active listening and other critical research methodologies in close collaboration with living Gullah makers and culture keepers. We view this project as a form of reconstruction, reclaiming the intellectual property and agricultural innovations of Gullah Geechee ancestors by centering and documenting living makers.

Timeline: June 2025 - 2026

This pilot project is supported with funding from the Mellon Foundation.