From Basket Weaving to Oyster Reef Conservation, Gullah Geechee Women Are Preserving a Living Heritage
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Gullah Geechee women are preserving their cultural heritage through traditional crafts like sweetgrass basket weaving and oyster reef conservation. These practices are rooted in a lineage that connects generations of women who pass down knowledge and skills. However, environmental changes and development threaten their access to the natural resources essential for these traditions.
- ▪Sweetgrass basket weaving is a significant cultural tradition among the Gullah Geechee people.
- ▪The Gullah Geechee culture developed from the blending of various West African traditions brought by enslaved Africans in the 1700s.
- ▪Women like Lynette D. Youson continue to teach their children the art of basket weaving, ensuring the survival of their heritage.
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From Basket Weaving to Oyster Reef Conservation, Gullah Geechee Women Are Preserving a Living Heritage Along America’s southeastern coast, descendants of enslaved Africans pass down traditions and knowledge of crafts, ecology and food through generations Sophia Michelen | Freelance writer May 19, 2026 1:02 p.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source Sweetgrass basket weaving is one of the most enduring cultural traditions of the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of Africans enslaved on the rice, indigo and cotton plantations of the southeastern United States. Sophia Michelen Lynette D. Youson slowly stitches a bundle of South Carolina sweetgrass into a coil.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.
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