A champion for craft in the Low Country
- Andrea is a sixth-generation basket maker perpetuating Gullah-Geechee cultural heritage
- She works alongside her mother and daughter, and the other women of their community
- Her dedication to upholding Gullah traditions has led to her works being in exhibitions
Andrea Cayetano-Jefferson has been sewing sweetgrass baskets since she was six years old. “There are not many people who can say that they have been sewing baskets for 40 years at the age of 46!” she says. Sweetgrass basket weaving has been passed down the generations of Gullah-Geechee people for hundreds of years. Faithful to that tradition, Andrea makes her baskets from locally harvested materials, crafting objects in styles that were passed down, too. Many of the tools she uses were handed down. "This nail bone tool was given to me by my aunt who taught me the basics," explains Andrea. At her workshop, Andrea sews baskets with her mother, daughter and other family and community members. She perpetuates her ancestral craft as a teacher, and by helping older generations sell their baskets online.
INTERVIEW
In the beginning, I could only make mats, like a small coaster or trivet. That taught me how to keep my rows even and add material. When I could finally go up two-and-a-half rows on the sides, that was my first basket. I started selling them for three to five dollars, and when they went up to eight dollars – what a joy!
I truly enjoy harvesting my own materials. I go early, right before dawn. As the sun hits the dew, everything comes alive. If a cool breeze starts up, I thank my ancestors, knowing my people have been doing this on the same lands generation after generation.
Sometimes, when working with someone else, they can see the direction my basket should take, in a way that I cannot. I learned to make repairs working at the Charleston City Market. The older ladies there saw things in me before I could see them in myself. The baskets still keep us connected.
Harvesting is a challenge because it can be hard to recognise sweetgrass in the wild. When it comes to weaving, older styles, such as serving trays and missionary bags, are being lost. My mother is now teaching me how to make a purse, because she is 80. If I do not learn it from her, there are not many other who can teach me.
