Yesterday's Legacy......Today's Treasure
Yesterday's Legacy......Today's Treasure
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CULTURE & PRESERVATION "Art in the hands of God", so goes the description of the Sweetgrass baskets that have been preserved by descendants of freed Africans in Charleston County, South Carolina since the 1700's. For more than three hundred years these baskets have been crafted for personal and commercial use. Their aesthetic beauty has graced homes, museums, private collections, and public buildings throughout the world. Charleston was founded in 1670 and named for King Charles II of England. The establishment of this colony connected diverse people, languages, traditions and talents. Many were skilled in ironworks, brick masonry, agriculture, astronomy and basketry. The Africans who brought the skill of crafting baskets were later to use them to ease the burdens of everyday plantation life. A variety of containers were used to "tote" objects, winnow rice, and store treasured belongings. The year 1863 marked the long beginning of the exodus of freed Africans from plantations to small nearby communities. The newly freed slaves had to rely on nature, experience and instinct to survive. Out of this effort they were able to preserve African architecture, remedies, recipes, religious traditions, crafts and folklore. Hamlin Beach, Phillip, and Liberty Hill residents are credited with preserving the art of Sweetgrass basket making. PIONEER BASKET CRAFTSMAN By the early 1900's tourism was rapidly increasing in the Charleston area. Basket makers then looked to commercializing the craft as a source of income. Visitors coming to Boone Hall Plantation often bought a variety of baskets from children who were paid to sing, dance, and display their talents. The 1930 construction of the Cooper River Bridge and the paving of Coastal Highway 17 (which now extends from Florida to Canada) encouraged basket makers to create new styles and explore other means of selling the craft. Vendors, such as, Ida Wilson constructed "basket stands" along the highway as automobile traffic increased. *By the 1960's, the number of basket makers had diminished significantly. The rural community was rapidly developing into suburbia, the materials were becoming scarce, and children were seeking careers and college degrees in other communities. Since that time, the community has launched an effort to preserve the craft by teaching classes, encouraging research, and establishing a preservation organization. |
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