"In-Out" Basket
date: label: Date made
content: 1970
notes: label: Description
content: The process of manufacturing such baskets is called "sewing," but it is actually a process of binding and coiling long strands of grass. In the wetlands, two kinds of grasses are used; "sweetgrass," and more recently, black rush, also known as "bullrush." Strips of oak wood, or palmetto fronds are used to bind together long bundles of grass, which are then coiled into a particular shape. Makeshift tools, such as broken-off spoons, flattened nails, or cow ribs are used for the coiling and binding process. Sometimes, colored grasses or pine needles are used in the show baskets, although the use of sweetgrass, bulrush, and palmetto is standard.
label: Description
content: Today, the role of the men and boys is to gather the materials, the women do the weaving and market the baskets. Until recently, baskets were sold from family-operated roadside stands, but increasingly, they are sold at county fairs and cultural festivals. Many of the older women regarded basketmaking as a carefully guarded community secret, but many of the younger women give basketmaking seminars to people from outside of the communities. The women of an earlier generation were not always comfortable with the term "gullah", younger women tend to recognize its historical and cultural value.
label: Description
content: Today, the baskets are for domestic and decorative purposes, rather than agricultural use, and there is a much wider variety of shapes than when baskets were used on the plantations. Some coil weaving produces wall decorations, ladies' hats, and men's caps. Although there are no fixed rules for terminology, certain shapes are often given specific names. Some of the named shapes are for placing utensils inside the baskets.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: South Carolina, Mount Pleasant
topic: label: Subject
content: Blacks
label: Subject
content: African American
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Ethnic
label: See more items in
content: Cultures & Communities
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Clary, Margie Willis. Sweet, Sweet Basket
label: Related Publication
content: sweetgrass-baskets.com
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CL.298252.18
label: collector/donor number
content: C.26.1
label: accession number
content: 298252
label: catalog number
content: 298252.18
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Basket
label: Object Name
content: in-out basket
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: grass, swamp (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leaf, palmetto (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: coiled (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 47 cm x 27.5 cm x 28 cm x 28.6 cm; 18 1/2 in x 10 13/16 in x 11 1/32 in x 11 1/4 in