Respites
Festival Season — Food, Drink, and Roots Galore
Ivy F. DeShield, contributing editor
ivydeshield@gmail.com
University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia. A seemingly displaced, deep chestnut brown middle-aged Gullah woman sits regally among long stalks of sweetgrass at one of the last booths we visit. Patch (my mother) and I had been browsing vendors at Fairfax’s 35th Annual Fall Festival for more than a couple of hours and the heavy crowds, menagerie of confections and the final traces of midday heat had taken their toll. But a
delightful arrangement of handmade baskets ranging in size from a massive urn to that of a miniature pill box catch Patch’s eye, and she approaches the seated lady with a shy smile. My mother immediately recalls her visit in years past to a market in Charleston, South Carolina, where she first encountered and fell in love with the coiled sweetgrass basketry of West African origin. Well-constructed but exceedingly supple to the touch, the uncoiled sweetgrass and pine needles jut pointedly from several of the unfinished baskets, and my hand cannot resist the desire to caress them. I am captivated by the apparent steady, skillful hands of the woman behind the booth and wonder at the root of each piece. She lights up with pleasure when I express an interest in a basket that features highly intricate overlay coils that spiral around the basket’s circumference. This particular one is her pride and joy. “I’ve been making baskets since I was six years old...it’s a generational art in my family,” she remarks as she points to the over-sized posters of her Mother and Grandmother hanging like time-worn quilts behind her. She looks rather wistful as she speaks of them, waving a protective arm across her assortment of traditional wares and hovers a bit closer over them. The baskets speak to her family’s South Carolinian history and West African ancestry. Through her artistry, this Gullah woman has become a historian and a storyteller as she carries on her proud legacy. And despite the waning day and our tired feet, Patch and I settle in for a listen. Ebenin’.
The Gullah are a distinctive group of Black Americans from South Carolina and Georgia in the southeastern United States. They live in small farming and fishing communities along the Atlantic coastal plain and on the chain of Sea Islands which runs parallel to the coast. Because of their geographical isolation and strong community life, the Gullah have been able to preserve more of their African cultural heritage than any other group of Black Americans. They speak a creole language similar to Sierra Leone Krio, use African names, tell African folktales, make African-style handicrafts such as baskets and carved walking sticks, and enjoy a rich cuisine based primarily on rice. http://yale.edu/glc/gullah/index.htm
Fairfax’s 35th Annual Fall Festival was held on Saturday, October 8th. See your local newspapers and weekend guides for upcoming fall/winter festivals. Remember to check the weather beforehand; many festivals have rain dates listed. Also, prepare for the outdoors, i.e. jackets, hats, rain boots, umbrellas, etc. And if you’re bringing children along, you may want to pack extra water bottles and light snacks. Festival food is typically not expensive, but healthy options are not abundant. Last, but not least, bring cash. Enjoy!
