Charleston is a city for savoring. The charm, sophistication—and drawl—just sticks to travelers like syrup spread across the cobblestone streets stretching to the City Market. Grand Georgian architecture rises from the sidewalks and hospitality is inside every colorful doorway. And though one could choose a multitude of intoxicating paths to embrace this American treasure, a surefire way to get elbow deep in its culture is to spend an afternoon with a sweetgrass basket weaver. This traditional, Gullah-Gheechee art form has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. On many days, several generations still work together on their baskets while critiquing one another’s designs and technical skills.
The Gullah-Gheechee Cultural Heritage Corridor extends from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. Gullah inhabitants throughout the lowcountry region are primarily native to the Krio and Mende populations—today’s Sierra Leone—of West Africa. This community created a Creole culture in an effort to preserve their identity through African languages, community life, and trades such as basket-weaving.
Nearly 400 years old, the art form is still important to the tight-knit families and communities that practice it. Originally bringing skills in rice farming to the coastal region, Gullahs created one of the most successful industries in early America. Shallow sweetgrass baskets were used as winnowing sieves or “fanners” to separate rice seed from the chaff. Today sweetgrass baskets are highly sought after by Charleston visitors, avid collectors, and institutions such as the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
The process leading up to sowing the basket itself is very simple. Bulrush is a supple but strong grass that thrives in sandy coastal soil. While bulrush is used for larger baskets, Muhlenbergia filipes, or sweetgrass, is used in smaller baskets. Though not as strong—why these baskets were used for separating seed from the chaff rather than collecting and storing vegetables—the appeal in using sweetgrass is its fragrance similar to fresh hay. Traditionally men of all ages gathered supplies. After drying—usually three to five days—the grass changes to a beige color and shrinks. Although the materials are free, the end product is labor intensive.
This is when the women step in to the shared tradition.