You can find the basket makers on the downtown streets of Charleston or at the markets. They spread their baskets out on the sidewalk and are busy sewing more as they wait for tourists and locals to buy their wares. The baskets come in several shapes and sizes and the pleasant aroma of the sweet grass can be smelt as you pass by.
Sweet grass or Lowcountry coil baskets are only found in South Carolina. For over 300 years the women of Charleston have been making them. Patterns and techniques are passed down from generation to generation. The baskets have become an art form, and are considered “one of the oldest crafts of African origin in America.”
The tradition of basket making came to America with the slaves from West Africa. Originally men constructed the larger baskets used to fan rice and the women made baskets for domestic use. Today women make the baskets and men collect the sweet grass from the swamps and marshes.
Annie, a local basket maker, has been making sweet grass baskets since she was a little girl. She uses patterns passed down from her grandmother who got the patterns from previous generations. It can take her anywhere from 8 hours to two months to make a basket. Her baskets are works of art. Instead of weaving, the baskets are coiled and sewn together. She sells her baskets in Charleston at the local markets and hotels.
Many of the basket makers sell their baskets at stands outside of Mount Pleasant along Highway 17 North. They have been selling them there since the 1930’s. Due to the rapid development of the Mount Pleasant area and the difficultly in acquiring sweet grass because of urbanization, the art of basket making is in decline.
The sweet grass grows in coastal dunes from North Carolina to Texas and on the barrier islands along the South Carolina coast. It is a native, perennial warm season grass that grows in bands. It is harvested from June to September and takes about 3 days to dry. Then the basket makers work their magic and make their works of art.
No trip to Charleston would be complete without the purchase of a sweet grass basket. The baskets are not only beautiful and practical but they are also collector’s items prized by museums and art collectors around the world.
http://www.sweet-grassbaskets.com/history.htm
http://www.sweetgrassbaskets.com/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/150579/sweetgrass_baskets_a_history_of_the.HTML
http://sweetgrassbaskets.net/about.htm
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/V2-442.HTML
