Fannuh Baskets: Tracing Liberian Roots in Gullah Geechee Craft

In a personal essay featured in Hyperallergic, part of the 2025 Craft Archive Fellows series in partnership with the Center for Craft, the author examines the links between the weaving traditions of Liberia and the basket-making practices of the Gullah Geechee community in the US Lowcountry. Hailing from Liberia with Bassa heritage from Grand Bassa, Montserrado, and River Cess, the author first set foot on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, in 2021, where they instantly noticed similarities in Gullah language that echoed their Liberian roots. At the historic Penn Center, they encountered a photograph of women fanning rice, akin to scenes in Liberia. The baskets crafted from local grasses and palmetto are integral to Gullah Geechee culture. The essay also cites Saidiya Hartman's 'Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route' (2008) to address themes of cultural survival amidst the disruptions of slavery and includes insights from dancer and anthropologist Pearl Primus, who traced the origins of dances like the Charleston and Lindy Hop back to Liberia after her tenure at the Konoma Kende Performing Arts Center in Monrovia during the late 1950s to early '60s. The author contemplates the reverse tracing of lineages, aiming to uncover connections between African and African American cultures through various traditions.