Sunday, November 05, 2006  Sweetgrass Baskets  My favorite part
of our visit to Charleston was walking through the Market and
watching the ladies make sweetgrass baskets. Sweetgrass basket
making has existed in the South Carolina Lowcountry for more
than 300 years. This traditional art form was brought to this
area by the slaves who came from West Africa. Since then it has
been passed down from generation to generation, usually from
mother to daughter to granddaughter, though the whole family is
often involved. Traditionally the men gather the materials
(sweetgrass, longleaf pine needles, bulrush and palmetto leaves)
and the women "sew" the baskets.  It is fascinating to watch the
basketmaker "sew" her basket. The tools of the trade (other than
the natural materials) include a pair of scissors and a
"nailbone". A nailbone is used for piercing when making a
sweetgrass basket. In the old days a rib bone from a cow or pig
was filed down for this. Today most basketmakers use a filed
down silver spoon or fork or e