Sweet grass basket, hand popular woven, colied basket, turtle, handmade, clay basket center start

Hand crafted basket of sweet grass with a center brown clay blue and green glazed turtle. I did not make the center for this one, it was purchased from another craftsperson here on etsy. I wove the basket. I grew, collected, dried and sorted the sweet grass and I used artificial sinew to make the grass basket. This is not a Charleston Gullah style basket, this basket was made the old way as the woodland people here in this part of the country made them in the 1800's and before. It's an art that is being lost and not many people make them these days. This basket is round and measures approximately 5.25” X 1” tall.
Sweet grass represents the hair of our Mother the Earth. Sweet grass is related to the North and the body, it is cleansing to the body and spirit.
This sweet grass has been grown organically in my popular yard, respectfully tended and harvested in the old way with the traditional offerings and prayers of thanksgiving to the Creator and plant spirit. .
Simple coiled baskets like these have been made by native peoples for generations. They used these fragrant baskets to keep clothing and everyday items fresh and clean and also to keep ceremonial items in when not in use. Baskets were made in different sizes for different purposes. Very small baskets were sometimes made to hold umbilical cords and some tribes made special shaped baskets to hold personal items such as scissors, awls and other sewing items. Mats were also made by weaving sweet grass together. When I make my braids I save these shorter pieces for baskets such as this. This is my 26th basket. Your basket will turn brown over time as the grass ages but the wonderful smell will remain true. Do not store in direct sunlight. This basket is not sprayed or coated with any preservatives; it is left in its natural state as intended. This is a beautiful little basket, what you choose to store in it is up to you.