Charleston welcomed us with Sweet Grass Baskets.
On highway 17 north of the city were miles of
vendors at wooden stalls selling their homemade baskets.
This is the site of the stalls where the road improvements were made.
At Mount Pleasant across the bridge from Charleston, we learned
the history of the Sweet Grass Baskets.
Marilyn at the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Center
told us the history of the basket making.
The Gullah People are direct descendants of Africans brought
to the United States and enslaved for generations.
This culture expressed themselves through many crafts
including basket making.
Marilyn proudly showed her collection of newspaper articles
about her crafted baskets.
One of her baskets is on display
at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC.
It is the basket in the top center with a pointed lid.
Coiled basketry is one of the African crafts in America appearing
in South Carolina in the late 17th century.
The craft has been handed down for generations.
The early baskets were used to gather rice crops. They were
also used to plant seeds for rice, cotton and other crops.
Marilyn said this is an elephant ear design.
Baskets are made from bulrush, sweet grass, palm,
split oak and pine needles for color. The grasses grow
everywhere in the lowlands.
I love this post! I could almost smell those sweet grass baskets! They are so pretty and Marilyn who shared with you about the history about the baskets looks like a nice, sweet lady to talk to. : )
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