Introduction

Tobacco baskets are a unique part of the culture and heritage of the southeastern United States. These large, handwoven baskets were traditionally used to dry and store tobacco leaves after harvesting. While not as commonly used today, tobacco baskets remain an important symbol of the region’s agricultural past and a distinctive craft tradition.

In this extensive article, we will explore the history, styles, and artistry of southeastern tobacco baskets. We will look at how these baskets reflect the local color and traditions of the southeast, from their origins on early tobacco farms to their continued production by skilled basket weavers. Delving into the materials, patterns, and construction methods used to create these iconic receptacles, we will highlight the regional styles and artisans keeping the tradition alive.

Join us as we unpack tobacco baskets and all they represent about the captivating local color of the American southeast.

A Brief History of Tobacco Baskets in the Southeastern U.S.

Tobacco has been a major cash crop and economic driver in the southeastern United States since the colonial era. The humid climate and fertile soil of states like Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky proved ideal for growing tobacco. Enslaved Africans provided the bulk of the labor that made large-scale tobacco cultivation profitable on plantations throughout the region.

After tobacco plants were harvested in the fall, the leaves had to be carefully dried and stored for sale and shipment to manufacturers. Tobacco baskets offered a convenient way to hang harvested leaves for curing without taking up floor space in barns. These large, sturdy baskets allowed airflow around the drying leaves while also protecting them from dirt and pests.

The earliest tobacco baskets were likely crafted from whatever materials were available, such as tree branches, vines, and plant fibers. By the 19th century, a dedicated basket weaving craft had emerged in the southeast to supply the high demand from tobacco growers. Rivercane, white oak strips, and hickory strips became the preferred materials.

After tobacco production declined in the early 20th century, the profusion of tobacco baskets did as well. But basket weaving families sustained the tradition, and today tobacco baskets are still woven in several southeastern states. They represent an enduring legacy of the tobacco farming heritage.

Styles and Designs of Southeastern Tobacco Baskets

Tobacco basket styles varied across different parts of the southeast but often reflected the agricultural traditions and available plant materials in each region. Here are some of the most distinctive regional tobacco basket types:

Rivercane Tobacco Baskets

Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and other tribes in the southern Appalachians traditionally used rivercane for basket weaving. Rivercane tobacco baskets have a smooth, dignified look from the use of whole, unsplit canes. They have distinctive patterns like the diagonal or diamond designs seen on Cherokee rivercane baskets. These patterns are created by weaving the rivercane strips in different sequences.

White Oak Tobacco Baskets

In the Carolinas, white oak was a favorite material for crafting sturdy and handsome tobacco baskets. The splint oak tradition dates back centuries in North Carolina. White oak is split into thin strips that are woven into various patterns. Some of the most iconic patterns in Appalachian white oak baskets are the candy stripe, humble checker, and potato basket weaves. These patterns alternate between plain weave and blocks of over-under weaving.

Hickory Tobacco Baskets

Hickory strips tend to produce a coarser, more rustic look than white oak splints. Basket weavers in Kentucky and Tennessee often chose hickory for their tobacco baskets. Diamond and square shapes are common hickory tobacco basket patterns. Kentuckybasket weaver Rodney Leftwich is one of the few who still uses the challenging hickory material in his tobacco baskets.

Tobacco Stick Baskets

In some parts of the South, tobacco basket weavers incorporated dried tobacco sticks into their basket design. Tobacco plants were speared onto pointed wooden sticks for handing in barns. Weavers would cut the sticks in half lengthwise and weave them into baskets in attractive geometric patterns. The result is a highly decorative and sturdy tobacco basket.

Traditional Shapes and Sizes

While specific designs varied across the southeast, traditional tobacco baskets shared some common characteristics:

• Large and deep – Tobacco baskets were made in sizable dimensions to hold heaping piles of leaves. Common sizes range from 2 to 4 feet in diameter and 1 to 2 feet deep. The largest examples could hold over 200 pounds of tobacco.
• Cylindrical or slightly tapered – The overall form is a simple cylinder or slightly tapered cone. Though sizes varied, proportions remained relatively standard.
• Open tops – Baskets were left open at the top so tobacco leaves could be loaded in easily. Some utilitarian basket styles have no handles, while fancier baskets may have bentwood hoops or braided cords for handles at the rim.
• Peaked or domed lids – Many traditional tobacco baskets included a removable lid. These were dome- or cone-shaped and sat directly on top of the open basket.

While these traditional shapes and features unified tobacco basket styles across the region, the specific materials and decorative patterns made each regional style unique.

Typical Materials and Construction

Tobacco baskets showcased expert basket weaving techniques tailored to the plant materials available in different southeastern ecosystems. Here are some details on traditional materials and how baskets were made:

Rivercane

Rivercane grows abundantly along southern waterways. It was traditionally harvested, dried, and split along its length for weaving. Uncut lengths of cane could be bent into strong basket rims. Rivercane’s smooth, slender leaves make neat and elegant baskets.

White Oak

Basket oaks are straight, knot-free white oaks whose wood splits cleanly into long, narrow strips. The flexible strips can be woven while still green or after drying. White oak baskets have a tidy, refined look and great durability.

Hickory

Shagbark or shellbark hickory is the favored hickory species for baskets. The wood splits into strips but retains more texture than white oak. Hickory is harder to work with but produces handsome and long-lasting tobacco baskets.

Raffia, Reed, and Cane

In some modern baskets, reed, raffia, or commercial cane is substituted for traditional oak or hickory. These more processed materials have a more uniform look than natural splints.

Construction

Traditional basket weaving techniques are used with any of the above materials. Weavers start at the basket’s base and add rows working upward to the rim. Strips are woven in an over-under pattern, with each row securing the one below it. The basket’s shape depends on the angle and sequence in which strips are woven.

Keeping the Tradition Alive: Modern Makers

While mass-produced tobacco baskets have declined, several basket weavers keep the tradition alive in the southeast:

Rodney Leftwich learned his craft from fifth-generation basket maker Eldreth Cheek. He specializes in the challenging hickory tobacco baskets of his native eastern Kentucky. Leftwich harvests his own hickory from the forest and splits and weaves it into impeccable tobacco baskets.

Jennifer Angevine creates stunning rivercane tobacco baskets in the Cherokee and Iroquois traditions. She uses only rivercane she harvests herself in North Carolina. Her baskets can be seen in museums and private collections across the country.

Trudy Stirneman weaves gorgeous oak and poplar tobacco baskets in her South Carolina studio. She focuses on preserving and sharing the traditions of her native Appalachia through her functional basket creations.

There are also organizations like the Appalachian Basket Weaving Project working to cultivate interest in tobacco basket making and pass on weaving skills to new generations. Though few in number, these basket artists keep the lineage of southeastern tobacco baskets vibrantly alive.

The Artistry and Meaning of Tobacco Baskets Today

While tobacco farming has waned in the 21st century South, tobacco baskets remain full of vitality and meaning as traditional mountain crafts. They represent ingenuity perfected over centuries of use on small farms. Their variety reflects how diverse communities adapted designs to local ecology.

Modern tobacco baskets are cherished as heirloom crafts and objects of fine art. Museums like the Smithsonian Institution and the Southern Highlands Craft Guild collection preserve outstanding examples. Original antique baskets can fetch thousands of dollars among collectors.

Contemporary basket weavers also add their own innovations by incorporating new materials or decorative motifs. Their tobacco baskets are presented at major craft fairs and competitions like the Celebration of Traditional Craft held annually in western North Carolina.

Tobacco baskets endure as symbols of the South’s agricultural heritage and the mountain communities sustained by a rich craft tradition. For weavers and collectors alike, they still brim with the local color of the southeastern mountains.

Common Questions About Tobacco Baskets in the Southeastern U.S.

Tobacco baskets are a unique part of the culture of the American South. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about these traditional woven baskets:

Why were tobacco baskets used historically?

Tobacco farmers needed a way to dry and store large amounts of tobacco leaves after harvest time. The open, ventilated design of large baskets allowed tobacco to cure properly when hung in barns. The baskets kept leaves clean and contained.

What materials are traditional tobacco baskets made from?

Rivercane and white oak were most common, but hickory, reed, raffia, and other materials were also used. Weavers chose plant materials widely available in their region.

How long have tobacco baskets been made in the southeast?

By the 1800s, basket weaving was an established craft supplying tobacco farms. But Native Americans likely used woven baskets to store tobacco and other harvests long before European settlement.

Where were tobacco baskets traditionally crafted?

Weaving centers emerged where tobacco agriculture prevailed, like Kentucky, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and northern Georgia. Tribes throughout the South also crafted tobacco baskets.

How are traditional tobacco baskets constructed?

All styles use variations on traditional over-under basket weaving. Strips of plant material are woven vertically from the base up, with each row securing those below. The lip is often reinforced with a rim.

What makes different regional styles unique?

Weavers created distinctive patterns and styles using the plant materials in their area. So rivercane baskets look different from Carolinian oak ones, for example. But shapes and sizes remained similar.

Why are tobacco baskets still made today?

Contemporary weavers keep traditional mountain crafts alive both for artistry and by teaching new generations. Tobacco baskets remain symbols of the South’s culture even without widespread tobacco farming.

How do modern tobacco baskets differ from historical ones?

Today’s baskets may integrate innovative materials or designs while upholding tradition. Some basket artists also aim to sell their tobacco baskets as upscale art and craft objects rather than farm tools.

What is the appeal of collecting tobacco baskets?

From ethnographic museums to individual collectors, tobacco baskets are prized for their historic value and as examples of master folk craftsmanship. Their regional diversity also makes them fascinating representations of different basketry styles.

Key Takeaways on Tobacco Baskets in the Southeast

• Tobacco baskets with their open, ventilated design were vital tools for curing and storing tobacco on southeastern farms since the colonial era.
• Different materials produced distinctive regional styles, like rivercane tobacco baskets by Cherokee weavers or white oak baskets in the Carolinas.
• Basket weaving techniques were tailored to work with each material, whether hickory, reed, oak splints, or rivercane.
• Traditional shapes were large cylindrical containers or tapered forms, often with peaked lids.
• A once thriving craft declined with the tobacco industry but is preserved today by heritage weavers.
• Tobacco baskets remain important representations of the South’s agricultural heritage and diverse mountain craft traditions.
• Collectors and museums prize vintage tobacco baskets as parts of the material culture of southern Appalachia.

Conclusion

Tobacco baskets stand out as singular representations of the local color and handcrafting traditions of the southeastern United States. These impressive woven containers once filled tobacco barns and now fill regional museums and private collections. While their utilitarian role has passed, tobacco baskets remain icons of the South’s agricultural heritage and diverse mountain crafts.

From rivercane to white oak and beyond, the materials and weaving techniques used to create tobacco baskets reflected the ecology, economy, and culture of a region. Their history and continued production spotlight the ingenuity and skill of southeastern basket weavers. For these reasons, the tobacco basket packs in all the meaning and beauty of the southeast’s local color. Though tobacco cultivation has faded, the enduring artistry of the tobacco basket promises to fascinate for generations to come.