An ancient African art, sweetgrass basket making utilizes sweetgrass, bullrush, pine needles, and palm leaves to create unique, handmade pieces. Traditionally, artisans use a piece of the rib bone of a cow and a pair of scissors as their only tools for construction. When English settlers founded Christ Church Parish in the late 1600s, they saw a place rich in natural beauty and ideal for harvesting rice, cotton, and indigo. Skilled agricultural laborers were needed, and consequently, South Carolina became the top importer of enslaved West Africans. Finding a landscape similar to their homeland, those who came kept many of their traditional practices. Today, the richness of the West African presence can be seen in Charleston's architecture, basketry, and ironworks.
An ancient African art, sweetgrass basket making utilizes sweetgrass, bullrush, pine needles, and palm leaves to create unique, handmade pieces. Traditionally, artisans use a piece of the rib bone of a cow and a pair of scissors as their only tools for construction. When English settlers founded Christ Church Parish in the late 1600s, they saw a place rich in natural beauty and ideal for harvesting rice, cotton, and indigo. Skilled agricultural laborers were needed, and consequently, South Carolina became the top importer of enslaved West Africans. Finding a landscape similar to their homeland, those who came kept many of their traditional practices. Today, the richness of the West African presence can be seen in Charleston's architecture, basketry, and ironworks.
![Sweetgrass Baskets and the Gullah Tradition](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Sweetgrass Baskets and the Gullah Tradition
128![Sweetgrass Baskets and the Gullah Tradition](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Sweetgrass Baskets and the Gullah Tradition
128Paperback
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780738518305 |
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Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing SC |
Publication date: | 01/11/2006 |
Series: | Images of America Series |
Pages: | 128 |
Sales rank: | 1,055,314 |
Product dimensions: | 6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d) |