In 2019 Kisha and Charles Kinard relocated from North Carolina after Hurricane Florence and moved onto 12 acres of land in Walterboro, SC to pursue their dream of preserving Kisha’s Gullah Geechee heritage of sweetgrass basket making and other crafts. SweetgrassRoots, a learning farm, focuses on cultivating sweetgrass and the preservation of traditional local folk art and currently grows sweetgrass, long leaf pine trees and palm trees. The Kindards have plans to expand to grow indigo, Sea Island cotton, gourds and other plants used in folk art crafts. Onsite tours and camping for individuals and groups will begin in Spring 2022.
The Kinards – Kisha Kinard and her siblings grew up along the coast of South Carolina in Mt. Pleasant, immersed in their Gullah Geechee heritage. At the early age of 8, she started learning how to make sweetgrass baskets, a tradition practiced by her mother’s family for many generations. She learned the craft from the matriarchs of the family – her grandmother, grand aunt, and mother.
History of Sweetgrass – Sweetgrass basketry is an art form brought to America by enslaved Africans from mostly western Africa. Over 300 years ago enslaved Africans with the skill of basketry adopted local coastal plant life and used them in their making of baskets. For enslaved Africans working on Lowcountry plantations, the baskets served many agricultural purposes such as winnowing of rice and storage. Thankfully, the tradition of sweetgrass basketry continues in the hands of descendants of enslaved Africans, whose ancestors, like Kisha’s taught them the art form. The craft is practiced primarily in Mt. Pleasant and Charleston, South Carolina and other coastal cities.
Sweetgrass baskets reflect symmetry, strong construction and a unique beauty that proudly displays the local Gullah culture. Each basket is made to represent a family member’s unique style of basket weaving. Many of the exquisite baskets made by SweetgrassRoots are named to honor the legacy of the matriarchs of her family that taught her and her siblings the craft.
Threat of Scarce Materials – Sweetgrass and bulrush are used along with long leaf pine needles. Strips of Palmetto leaves fasten the grasses as they are being sewn together. Sweetgrass and bulrush grow along the coast in marshy areas from the Carolinas to Texas. In recent years, however, residential and commercial development along the coastal areas of the Carolinas has threatened the natural habitat of the sweetgrass and bulrush leaving basket makers with limited access to many areas where they would typically harvest materials needed in basket weaving. Many are forced to travel long distances to procure the necessary materials needed to make the baskets.
For More Information – To learn more about SweetgrassRoots, schedule a tour of the learning farm or to purchase one of their beautifully hand-crafted sweetgrass baskets, visit their Facebook page.
