Lynee Gaillet (Georgia State University)
lgai@****.com (Log-in to reveal)
Charlotte Gaillet (Independent Scholar)
cgai@****.com (Log-in to reveal)
In 2022 and 2024, Southern Living magazine featured articles advocating for haint blue as the quintessential color for painting the ceilings and exterior architecture of Southern porches. The articles glossed over the complicated history behind the color, stating “no matter [haint blue’s] origins or bug-zapping abilities, it is a gorgeous hue and a staple for Southern porches.”
This panel invites a more nuanced exploration of the history and properties of haint blue. The color derives from the oral traditions of the Gullah Geechee people, the enslaved descendants of West and Central Africans who were forcibly brought to the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. According to Gullah Geechee beliefs, this distinct hue possesses the power to protect from evil spirits, or “haints.” Obtained through indigo production, haint blue adorned Lowcountry ceilings and exterior architecture to deceive spirits into believing they had encountered impenetrable waters or barrier skies, which guided them away from the living.
This panel invites investigations into “seen and unseen” histories and longstanding traditions of the southern coastal regions and communities impacted by the transatlantic slave trade. Topics of interest may include, but are not limited to:
· Cultural identity
· History of indigo, rice, cotton production
· Contemporary adoption of haint blue traditions
· History of Gullah language
· Associated architecture
· Literary representations of Gullah spirituality
· Material culture investigations
· Artistic renderings of haint blue
· Preservation efforts and education initiatives spearheaded by heritage centers and historic sites
Send 350 word proposals and short bios by June 15 to Lynée Lewis Gaillet (lgaillet@gsu.edu) and Charlotte Gaillet (cgaillet@artbma.org).