Encyclopedia of African American History

Sweetgrass Baskets  263

Sweetgrass Baskets

Sweetgrass baskets, coil form—or sewn—baskets, are

named for the materials used in their construction. Sweet-

grass (Muhlenbergia fi lipes) is a perennial grass that grows

from underground runners in nutrient-poor, sandy soil,

oft en near the edge of tidal marshlands of the mainland,

barrier islands, and sea islands of Lowcountry, South Caro-

lina. Th e plants, which produce distinctive, ornamental

mauve fl owers in the autumn, prefer full to partial sun and

are made up of long, smooth grass blades that are strong, yet

supple enough to be woven into functional baskets. A thin,

continuous bundle of the dried sweetgrass is woven around

itself and tied—or sewn—down by a second medium, such

community with which the food is associated. Oft en served
at churches, family gatherings, and neighborhood events,
soul food has become fundamentally linked to the African
American experience.
See also: Africanisms; Black Folk Culture; Rice Cultivation;
Slave Culture; Slave Diet

Chishamiso Rowley

Bibliography
Liburd, Leandris C. “Food, Identity, and African-American
Women with Type 2 Diabetes: An Anthropological Perspec-
tive.” Diabetes Spectrum 16 (2003):160–65.
Whitehead, Tony Larry. “In Search of Soul Food.” In African
Ameri cans in the South, ed. H. Baer and Y. Jones. Athens:
University of Georgia Press, 1992.

Weavers in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, make sweetgrass baskets. (AP Photo/Evan Berland)