The 90s was a joyful time of creativity, musicality, and full of timeless entertainment that also educated us. I loved watching shows like Ren & Stimpy, and Dexter’s Laboratory but there was something special about the sites and sounds of the show Gullah Gullah Island. Here’s the amazing story of Ron Daise.
Ron Daise was born on January 29, 1956, in St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Rob is best known for his fatherly role on the hit Nickelodeon series Gullah Gullah Island. Gullah Gullah Island premiered and ran from 1994 up until 1999. This show was packed full of fun Caribbean vibes and lessons taught by Ron Daise himself and his wife Natalie Daise about the Gullah culture. My favorite character was the big, yellow frog character Binyah Binyah.
Before Ron’s success with Gullah Gullah Island, he produced and recorded a lot of artifacts about the Gullah culture. Ron later published his first book, Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage, in 1986. Over the years Ron has developed some tours, exhibits, and events to name a few like the Brookgeen Gardens to promote the cultural heritage of the Gullah Geechee heritage. Since 2004, Ron has been serving as the Vice President for Creative Education at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC, which earned him the 2019 SC Governor’s Distinctive Achievement Award. In 2016, Ron also authored the “Gullah Geechee Wisdom Cards Guidebook” for the set of spirit cards produced by him and his wife who also was the illustrator. The project earned the 2017 SC African American Heritage Commission’s Project Award. Both Ron and Natalie have two beautiful children Simeon and Sara that have often made appearances on the Gullah Gullah Island show and now have matured into some amazing young adults. In a time such as this, it’s important to have a family like the Dasie’s in your corner which is a huge blessing that will continue to inspire generations to come!
