When I started in my role as the restoration and
THE SEA ISLANDS SHOREBIRD FESTIVAL
enhancement specialist for the Conservancy in March of this year , Collie brought me up to speed on his efforts to grow sweetgrass seeds , and we began to investigate how and where we could plant the sweetgrass seedlings on a larger scale . But before we progressed , we wanted to ask other sweetgrass basket weavers about the tradition in the Lowcountry . I reached out to Marilyn Hemingway , the president and founder of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce and the Gullah development pressures have reduced the amount of land where sweetgrass grows naturally , making the native sweetgrass that basket weavers depend on more and more difficult to locate and harvest . What I didn ’ t know , until spending time harvesting sweetgrass with Corey , is that certain sweetgrass plants are more desirable to basket weavers than others .
Driving throughout the Charleston area in the fall , you have probably noticed the beautiful purple-pink plumes of sweetgrass blowing in the Geechee Chamber Foundation , who was well aware wind . Although sweetgrass is a plant native to coastal of the issues facing sweetgrass basket weavers .
South Carolina , over time it has been cultivated and
Marilyn explained , “ What we are facing now — grown commercially , causing slight variations . Corey because a lot of folks love being near the water — we explained that , more recently , “ grasses that we ’ ll find have a lot of development going on along the coast . here throughout our city , throughout our county , in This development , or overdevelopment , if you will , medians , in shopping centers , are more of a coarse has decreased access to the areas where our sweetgrass material .” He pulled out two bundles of grass held basket artisans can go get the raw form of sweetgrass … together by a black zip tie . One was long and thick , we ’ ve lost access to those areas , so that has become a and the other was shorter and finer . Corey told me challenge to maintaining this art form , and it ’ s also a that the larger bundle was harvested from a parking challenge because this art form reflects our culture , lot of a local store , and the smaller bundle was from who we are . So , if we don ’ t retain this art form , it ’ s sweetgrass that was harvested from one of the Kiawah a major blow to retaining the culture as we know it .” Conservancy ’ s preserved properties . Corey said the Marilyn was interested in the project we were working coarse grass can still be used by weavers , but “ soft on , and this was when she introduced Collie and me grass is actually what ’ s known to the older basket to fifth-generation sweetgrass artisan Corey Alston . makers more than anything because that ’ s what they
Over the last few months , I have had the pleasure grew up on , they grew up on that softer texture . We of getting to know Corey and learning about the Gullah still need the real stuff that ’ s soft , pliable , and easy to Geechee culture . I learned that sweetgrass baskets are work with our hands .” made from four materials : sweetgrass , black needle Both Corey and Marilyn understand the realities rush , longleaf pine needles , and palmetto leaves . I of an increasing population in the Lowcountry and knew that , as Marilyn noted , over the past few decades , how that will lead to continued development . Although
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