#CC104-Sweetgrass Basket Scarf

This intricate design is absolutely unique and one of a kind. The artisan scarf pays tribute to the sweetgrass baskets and those who handcraft these historical treasures throughout Charleston and the Lowcountry. The coiled Sweetgrass basket is a historically significant African art that was brought to America by enslaved Africans from the Windward and Rice Coasts of West Africa in the 17th century. These slaves were particularly sought after in the Atlantic slave trade to the Lowcountry because of their knowledge and experience in the cultivation of rice.  The first known baskets in the Lowcountry were fanner baskets, used in winnowing rice. These baskets were originally designed as a tool used in the production and processing of rice. The money crops of the time were rice, cotton, and indigo.