Monstrum

Currently Playing: Why Gullah Geechee Folklore Created a Unique Monster | Monstrum

Ever wake up exhausted, like something drained the life out of you? The Boo Hag—a terrifying figure from Gullah Geechee folklore—might be to blame. This episode explores how a skinless monster became a powerful symbol of cultural memory, survival, and the legacy of oral storytelling in the African diaspora. For audio descriptions, go to Settings - Audio Track - English Descriptive. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateStoried ***** Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka Creative Director: David Schulte Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka Producer: Thomas Fernandes Editor/Animator: P.W. Shelton Illustrator: Samuel Allan Consultant: Damon L. Fordham, M.A. Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing Additional Footage: Shutterstock Music: APM Music Descriptive Audio & Captions provided by The Described and Captioned Media Program Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monstrumpbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bibliography Bennett, John. The Doctor to the Dead: Grotesque Legends and Folk Tales of Old Charleston. Ed. Julia Eichelberger. University of South Carolina Press, 2020. Coming Through: Voices of a South Carolina Gullah Community from WPA Oral Histories. Eds. Kincaid Mills, Genevieve C. Peterkin, Aaron McCollough. University of South Carolina Press, 2008. Cooper, Melissa L. Making Gullah: A History of Sapelo Islanders, Race, and the American Imagination. 1st ed., University of North Carolina Press, 2017. Gonzales, Ambrose Elliott, and Alexander Street Press. The Black Border Gullah Stories of the Carolina Coast : (With a Glossary). The State Company, 1922. Green, Gardenella Teresa. “The Unique Culture of Gullah/Geechee Families on the Southern Coast of the United States.” Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, vol. 23, no. 5, 2013, pp. 573–78. Jones-Jackson, Patricia. When Roots Die, University of Georgia Press, 2011. Joyner, Charles. Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community. University of Illinois Press, 2009. Manigault, LeRhonda S. Talking to the Dead: Religion, Music, and Lived Memory among Gullah-Geechee Women. Duke University Press, 2014. McCarthy, William Bernard. Cinderella in America: A Book of Folk and Fairy Tales. University Press of Mississippi, 2007. Moore, Janie Gilliard. “Africanisms Among Blacks of the Sea Islands.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 10, no. 4, 1980, pp. 467–80. Twining, Mary A., and Keith E. Baird. “Introduction to Sea Island Folklife.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 10, no. 4, 1980, pp. 387–416.