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A Saltwater Geechee
Talks About Life on Sapelo Island, Georgia
"God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man"
A New Book by Cornelia Walker Bailey
With Christena Bledsoe
In this beautiful cultural memoir, Sapelo Island native Cornelia Walker Bailey
tells the fascinating history of her remarkable and threatened Georgia homeland.
The keeper of cultural secrets and the sage of Sapelo, Ms. Bailey tells the story of her island
- including the Geechee belief in the equal power of God, "Dr. Buzzard", and the "Bolito Man" (luck).
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"Dayclean...My tale begins just before the rising of the sun, in that brief instant
of time when
the night clouds are being cleared away and the first rays of light are streaking across the sky. Dayclean, we call this, when the day
is new and the world is made fresh again.
"If you had been standing on the white sands of this island at dayclean in 1803, or a little later, you might have seen a tall,
dark-skinned man with narrow features, his head covered with a cap resembling a Turkish fez, unfold his prayer mat, kneel and pray to
the east while the sun rose. This was Bilali,
the most famous and powerful of all the Africans who lived on this island during slavery days, and the first of my ancestors I can name."
"Today, you would see children rising in the dark of winter or the light of spring so they can board a large, white ferry run
by the state of Georgia
that takes them to the mainland where they board a bus for school. Like myself, they are the descendants of Bilali. Some of
us are still here two hundred years later."
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And so begins your Sapelo sojourn with Cornelia, where all roads
lead to the heart of her island home... |
"When I tell you about the strength of our elders, our views on everything from birth to death and the hereafter,
and how I came to fear for my people, I am telling you about who we were and are as a people. I want to hold up our customs and traditions
for you to see one at a time, as if each is a
bright piece of fabric that I will stitch into a warm geechee quilt you can look at and say, 'Those Geechee people really did have a different
way of living and believing over there."
"I am a storyteller and my tale is of a people so private our story has never been told before. I tell it now for my people, in hopes it will create a new beginning on this island,
a shining dayclean, and for people everywhere: You can survive if you believe in yourself and your culture.
"This is how I remember it. Lean back and listen."
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BRUNSWICK SIGNING
THE BOOK SHOP INC 8/29/00 |
GETTING READY
FOR SAPELO SIGNING 8/26/00 |
THE AUTHOR
ON SAPELO 8/26/00 |
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REBECCA'S CAKE
SAPELO ISLAND PARTY |
JULIUS & CORNELIA
MAGNOLIA TEA ROOM |
MAGNOLIA TEA ROOM
DARIEN, GA 9/9/00 |
YOU CAN ORDER THIS BOOK NOW
DIRECT FROM THE AUTHOR ON SAPELO ISLAND |
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Cornelia Walker Bailey is now accepting special orders for her
book "God, Dr. Buzzard and the Bolito Man", her story of growing up on Sapelo Island, Georgia.
She will sign a book especially for you and ship it from her home on Sapelo Island.
For fastest service, call direct 912-485-2206, or Email
your inquiries and special instructions. Be sure to include your mailing address.
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