Basketry

The Appalachian settlers made baskets out of split white oak to use much as we use paper bags today. They would carry produce, wood, small livestock, eggs, and other everyday items back and forth from home to market, placing the basket outside when they were finished using them. Although some baskets were dyed with berries or potato stamped, most were not decorative since they were strictly utilitarian. During this same period, the Cherokees were weaving more colorful baskets to trade with the settlers, more for decoration than use. The Cherokees used a plaited technique, shown by Jimmie Kent on the program, while the settlers used both plaited and ribbed techniques. Both techniques are an over- under weave. At the turn of the 19th century, the Shakers began selling their baskets, woven over a wooden mold, to make money for their religious sect. These baskets were decorative only in their simplicity of design and were devoid of color.

African American influence is evident in South Carolina baskets. Sweet grass baskets found in the Charleston market today evolved from generations of slaves weaving Gullah baskets on the coastal rice plantations. Since North Carolina did not house as many slaves or have as many plantations, the African American influence was not as prevalent in pioneer North Carolina. Their influence derived from Scotland, England, and Germany, but the techniques were adapted to utilize the materials at hand.

Basketry is the oldest craft form known to man. Early potters would weave a basket, smear the inside with clay, then burn the basket away to fire the pot. Centuries later, they realized they could simply fire the pot without first weaving the basket. Sometimes baskets would suffice as a coffin, and the Bible records that Moses floated down the Nile in a basket.

Although thousand of basket styles exist, most are based on four techniques: ribbed, plaited, twined, and coiled. Because of the extensive time and effort necessary to weave intricate basket designs, unlike other craft forms, basketry is still done entirely by hand. Many basketmakers today replicate these early basket designs, creating utilitarian objects, while others are creating more sculptural forms transcending the fine line from master craft to fine art. Although over 1500 basketmakers live in North Carolina, only a few are full-time professional basketmakers actually earning a living from their craft.

Sources:
Billie Ruth Sudduth, professional basketmaker in the Appalachian mountains, NC. See her Web site.

< Previous