Southern Culture and Identity

The first thing I think of when I hear the question "what offers a representation of the south," I immediately think of Sweet Grass Baskets.

The above image or artifact is taken on market street in Charleston. The picture shows a black lady weaving a sweet grass basket with the ones she has finished in front of her for sale. The art of making the baskets can be seen as a representative of the south, however it is also a representation of the strong black culture that is still prominent in today's society.

The above picture also conjures up the language spoken by many blacks in the area around Charleston, and the language being Gullah, which is based heavily on English and several West and South African dialects. The language is dieing off relatively quickly recently because of the expansion of public education. Most Charlestonians have heard of Gullah or have their own idea of what the language is to themselves.

The following is an excellent video done by etv that shows some of history of sweet grass basket making.

Another facet of the artifact is that it is a representation of how crucial tourism is to Charleston. The baskets are predominantly bought by tourists; however, that is not to say that locals in Charleston do not buy the baskets. If one walks down market street on a busy Saturday, you will see many baskets and several of them look the same from one vendor to the next. However, what most tourists and people don't realize is that basket weaving is still an artform in this modern day of machine made products. A hand made basket will differ from other local artisans and there is a reason why one basket that looks identical to another one might cost 25% more. Typically the craftsmanship is more ornate and better produced with the more expensive one. Each basket will reveal a unique difference as they are a form of art.

The sweet grass baskets are an accurate representation of the Gullah/Charleston identity and will contiue to be untill this artform is lost. Currently it is threatened by a generation that doesn't look well upon the past and the decrease in tourism. I have spoke to one of the basket weavers about what the future looks like for this cultural art, and she responded that the kids of the current generation for the most part are too involved in the new black identity of removing themselves from the past.

Overall sweet grass baskets are a representation of Southern/Gullah identity and of the tourism that is Charleston.

Jason Baron