“The last documented Catawba rivercane baskets were created in 1908, over a century ago. Reviving this tradition is one of the greatest challenges we face, as it requires not only reconnecting to cultural knowledge but also restoring the ecological systems that support it.”
Aaron Baumgardner, 29, is an educator and cultural knowledge keeper of the Catawba Indian Nation. Growing up in Ohio, away from his ancestral lands in South Carolina, Aaron initially found connection to his ancestry through his studies of plant ecology, and ecological stewardship. Through connecting to his lineage, Aaron has also found a deep connection to traditional arts, including pottery and basketry, and is dedicated to keeping those traditions alive.
As an early contact tribe, the Catawba people have faced centuries of forced displacement and cultural assimilation, leading to significant losses of land, language and cultural traditions. Harnessing his passions for ecological restoration, basketry, and teaching, Aaron aims to revitalize basketry tradition and cultivate cultural connection, to ensure those traditions are accessible for generations to come.
Aaron’s project, “Wąsa Wasáp KačachęɁ” will restore the reciprocal relationship between Catawba artists and rivercane. Through his partnership with the Nation Ford Land Trust, Aaron will develop a Rivercane Field Tool that will help catalogue, monitor and prioritize rivercane stands for conversation and stewardship to restore rivercane as a thriving resource for artists. Aaron will lead basketry workshops for his community, to rekindle interest in basketmaking, and cultivate a new generation of Catawba Basketmakers and rivercane stewards.
