Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

African Ethnobotany in the Americas pp 153–173Cite as

Gathering, Buying, and Growing Sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia sericea): Urbanization and Social Networking in the Sweetgrass Basket-Making Industry of Lowcountry South Carolina

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

Despite the visibility of natural resource use and access for indigenous and rural peoples elsewhere, less attention is paid to the ways that development patterns interrupt non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and gathering practices by people living in urbanizing landscapes of the United States. Using a case study from Lowcountry South Carolina, we examine how urbanization has altered the political-ecological relationships that characterize gathering practices in greater Mt. Pleasant, a rapidly urbanizing area within the Charleston-North Charleston Metropolitan area. We draw on grounded visualization—an analytical method that integrates qualitative and geographic information systems (GIS) data—to examine the ways that residential and commercial development has altered collecting sites and practices associated with sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia sericea [Michx.] P.M. Peterson) and three other plant materials used in basket-making. Our analysis focuses on the ecological changes and shifts in property regimes that result; we detail the strategies basket-makers have developed to maintain access to sweetgrass and other raw materials. This research highlights how land development patterns have disrupted historic gathering practices, namely, by changing the distribution of plants, altering the conditions of access to these species, and reconfiguring the social networking that takes place to ensure the survival of this distinctive art form.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Sweetgrass is from the perennial grass Muhlenbergia sericea Peterson [synonyms: Muhlenbergia filipes, Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes]. It occurs in sandy maritime habitats on barrier islands and coastal woodlands in the southeastern United States (see Gustafson and Peterson 2007 for an overview).

  2. 2.

    One of the ten communities in Fig. 6.3 was estimated by the researchers based on historical air photos.

References

  • Ballard R, Jones G (2011) Natural neighbors: indigenous landscapes and eco-estates in Durban, South Africa. Ann Assoc Am Geogr 101:131–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown BA, Marin-Hernandez A (2000) Voices from the forest: the Lives and experiences of nontimber forest workers (Voces de bosque adentro: Vidas y experiencias de trabajadores forestales no-maderables). The Jefferson Center for Education and Research, Wolf Creek

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler B, Leatherberry E, Williams M (2005) Design, implementation, and analysis methods for the national woodland owner survey. USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station, Newtown Square

    Google Scholar 

  • Carney J (2001) Black rice: The African origins of rice cultivation in the Americas. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass

    Google Scholar 

  • Coakley JV (2006, July–August) The flower ladies: mothers of invention. Charleston Magazine, pp 158–167

    Google Scholar 

  • Cope M, Elwood S (2009) Qualitative GIS: a mixed methods approach. Sage Publications, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Cordell K, Betz C, Green G, Mou S, Leeworthy V, Wiley P, Barry J, Hellerstein D (2004) Outdoor recreation for 21st century America. Venture Publishing, State College

    Google Scholar 

  • Derby D (1980) Black women basket-makers: a study of domestic economy in Charleston County, South Carolina. Dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery MR (1999) Social values of specialty forest products to rural communities. In: Josiah SJ (ed) Proceedings of the North American conference on enterprise development through agroforestry: farming the forest for specialty products. Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM). University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, pp 25–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery MR (2002) Space outside the market: implications of NTFP certification for subsistence use. In: Shanley P, Pierce A, Laird S, Guillen A (eds) Tapping the green market: management and certification of NTFPs. Earthscan, London, pp 302–312

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery MR, Pierce A (2005) Interrupting the telos: locating subsistence in contemporary U.S. forests. Environ Plan A 37:981–993

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emery MR, Ginger C, Doble S, Giammusso MRB (2003) Special forest products in context: ­gatherers and gathering in the Eastern United States. NE-GTR-306. USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, Newtown Square

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox J, Rindfuss R, Walsh S, Mishra V (2002) People and the environment: approaches to linking household and community surveys to remote sensing and GIS. Kluwer Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Freed J (2001) Non-timber forest products in local economies: the case of Mason County, Washington. In: Emery MR, McLain RJ (eds) Non-timber forest products: medicinal herbs, fungi, edible fruits and nuts, and other natural products from the forest. Food Products Press, Binghamton, pp 67–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel N (2006) Urban non-timber forest products in Philadelphia. Master’s thesis, Temple University, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginger C, Emery M, Baumfleck M, Putnam D (2011) Access to natural resources on private property: factors beyond right of entry. Soc Nat Resour. doi:0.1080/08941920.2011.633596

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginger C, Emery M, Baumfleck MJ, Putnam D (2012) Access to natural resources on private property: factors beyond right of entry. Soc Nat Resour. 25:700–715

    Google Scholar 

  • Grabbatin B (2008) Sweetgrass basketry: the political ecology of an African American art in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Master’s thesis, the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC

    Google Scholar 

  • Grabbatin B, Hurley P, Halfacre A (2011) “I still have the old tradition”: The co-production of sweetgrass basketry and coastal development. Geoforum 42:638–649

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafson DJ, Peterson PM (2007) Re-examination of Muhlenbergia capillaris, M. expansa, and M. sericea (Poaceae: Muhlenbergiinea). J Bot Res Inst Tex 1:85–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart Z (2003) Stakeholder participation in management of Lowcountry South Carolina sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia filipes) supplies. Master’s thesis, College of Charleston. Charleston

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart Z, Halfacre A, Burke M (2004) Community participation in preservation of lowcountry South Carolina sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia filipes [m. A. Curtis] J. Pinson and W. Batson) basketry. Econ Bot 58:161–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Head L, Muir P (2006) Suburban life and the boundaries of nature: resilience and rupture in Australian backyard gardens. Trans Inst Br Geogr 31:505–524

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Head L, Muir P (2007) Backyard: nature and culture in suburban Australia. University of Wollongong Press, Wollongong

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt S (2006, October) Save our sweetgrass. Charleston Magazine, pp 138–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurley PT, Halfacre A (2011) Dodging alligators, rattlesnakes, and backyard docks: a political ecology of sweetgrass basket-making and conservation in the South Carolina Lowcountry. GeoJournal. doi:10.1007/s10708-009-9276-7

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurley PT, Halfacre AC, Levine NS, Burke MK (2008) Finding a disappearing nontimber forest resource: using grounded visualization to explore urbanization impacts on sweetgrass basketmaking in greater Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Prof Geogr 60:556–578

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jahnige P (1999) Non-timber forest product uses and values in Baltimore, Maryland. Community Resources, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarosz L, Lawson V (2002) “Sophisticated people versus rednecks”: economic restructuring and class difference in America’s West. Antipode 34:8–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson EA, Klemens MW (2005) Nature in fragments: the legacy of sprawl. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones E, Mclain R, Weigand J (2002) Nontimber forest products in the United States. University of Kansas Press, Lawrence

    Google Scholar 

  • Knigge L, Cope M (2006) Grounded visualization: integrating analysis of qualitative and quantitative data through grounded theory and visualization. Environ Plan A 38:2021–2037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambin EF, Geist H (eds) (2006) Land-use and land-cover change: local processes and global impacts. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Liegel L, Pilz D, Love T (1998, September) The biological, socioeconomic, and managerial methods and results in the MAB mushroom study. Ambio special report number 9, pp 26–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Love T, Jones E (2001) Why is non-timber forest product harvesting an “issue”? Excluding local knowledge and the paradigm crisis of temperate forestry. J Sustain For 13:105–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch K, Mclain R (2003) Access, labor, and wild floral greens management in Western Washington’s forests. Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland

    Google Scholar 

  • Madsen LM, Adriansen HK (2004) Understanding the use of rural space: the need for multi-methods. J Rural Stud 20:485–497

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLain RJ (2002) Business as usual: the exclusion of mushroom pickers in wild mushroom ­management in Oregon’s national forests. In: Jones ET, McLain RJ, Weigand J (eds) Nontimber forest products in the United States. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, pp 375–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Molina R, O’Dell T, Luoma D, Amaranthu M, Castellano M, Russell K (1993) Biology, ecology, and social aspects of wild edible mushrooms in the forests of the Pacific Northwest: a preface to managing commercial harvest. Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland

    Google Scholar 

  • National Park Service (2005) Lowcountry Gullah culture special resource study and environmental impact statement. National Park Service Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon R (1993) Cultures in conflict: sea island communities are fighting for their survival: stirring new hopes along the coast of South Carolina. South Expo 21:53–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohlandt KF (1992) Where the sweetgrass grows: the restoration of a maritime wet grassland, incorporating harvesting of Muhlenbergia filipes. Master’s thesis, University of Georgia, Athens

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer J (2000) Recreational use of wetlands in Juneau, Alaska. USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, Newtown Square

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickett S, Burch W, Dalton S, Foresman T, Grove J, Rowntree R (2001) A conceptual framework for the study of human ecosystems in urban areas. Urban Ecosyst 1:185–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollitzer W (2003) The Gullah people and their African heritage. The University of Georgia Press, Athens

    Google Scholar 

  • Price DM, Kindscher K (2007) One hundred years of Echinacea angustifolia harvest in the smoky hills of Kansas, USA. Econ Bot 61:86–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards RT, Creasy M (1996) Ethnic diversity, resource values, and ecosystem management: Matsutake mushroom harvesting in the Klamath bioregion. Soc Nat Resour 9:359–374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P (2003) Political ecology: a critical introduction. Blackwell Publishing, Malden

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P, Birkenholz T (2003) Turfgrass revolution: measuring the expansion of the American lawn. Land Use Policy 20:181–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins P, Emery MR, Rice JL (2008) Gathering in Thoreau’s backyard: nontimber forest product harvesting as practice. Area 40:265–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosengarten D (1986) Row upon row, sea grass baskets of the South Carolina Lowcountry. McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, Columbia

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosengarten D (1992) Lowcountry basketry: folk arts in the marketplace. South Folk 49:240–255

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosengarten D (2008) Missions and markets sea island basketry and the sweetgrass revolution. In: Rosengarten T, Schildkrout E (eds) Grass roots: African origins of an American art. Museum for African Art, New York, pp 128–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosengarten D, Rosengarten T, Schildkrout E (eds) (2008) Grass roots: African origins of an American art. Museum for African Art, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Theobald D (2004) Placing exurban land-use change in a human modification framework. Front Ecol Environ 2:139–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Twining M (1978) Harvesting and heritage: a comparison of Afro-American and African Basketry. South Folk Q 42:159–174

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census Bureau (1990) Census fact finder. www.census.gov. Last accessed 16 Dec 2007

  • U.S. Census Bureau (2000) Census fact finder. www.census.gov. Last accessed 16 Dec 2007

  • U.S. Census Bureau (2006) 2006 American community survey: Charleston county, SC. Last accessed 10 Dec 2007

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census Bureau (2007) Historic census of housing and population: decennial censuses. www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/index.htm. Last accessed 16 Dec 2007

  • U.S. Census Bureau (2009) Census fact finder. www.census.gov. Last accessed 7 Oct 2007

  • Wehi PM, Wehi W (2010) Traditional plant harvesting in contemporary fragmented and urban landscapes. Conserv Biol 24:594–604

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerer KS, Bassett TJ (2003) Political ecology: an integrative approach to geography and environment-development studies. Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Studies Program, Ursinus College, 601 East Main Street, 1000, Collegeville, PA, 19426, USA

    Patrick T. Hurley Ph.D., M.S.

  2. Department of Geography, University of Kentucky, 1457 Patterson Office Tower, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    Brian Grabbatin Ph.D.

  3. College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia, 108 Denmark Hall, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Cari Goetcheus M.H.P., B.L.A.

  4. Department of Political Science and Sustainability Science, Furman University, 3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville, SC, 29613, USA

    Angela Halfacre Ph.D., M.A.

Authors
  1. Patrick T. Hurley Ph.D., M.S.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Brian Grabbatin Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cari Goetcheus M.H.P., B.L.A.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Angela Halfacre Ph.D., M.A.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick T. Hurley Ph.D., M.S. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Geography, California State University, 800 N. State College Blvd, Fullerton, 92834, California, USA

    Robert Voeks

  2. , Department of Sociology and, College of Charleston, 66 George St., Charleston, 29424, South Carolina, USA

    John Rashford

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hurley, P.T., Grabbatin, B., Goetcheus, C., Halfacre, A. (2013). Gathering, Buying, and Growing Sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia sericea): Urbanization and Social Networking in the Sweetgrass Basket-Making Industry of Lowcountry South Carolina. In: Voeks, R., Rashford, J. (eds) African Ethnobotany in the Americas. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0836-9_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation