It’s more than a craft, it’s the story of our lives.
Our Mission
The unique skill sets of the entrepreneurial women who produce Botanique art wares have their genesis in the talents and creative minds of the Africans who were the forefathers of modern Antigua and Barbuda.
While the Caribbean became their home by force rather than by choice, they tenaciously and ingeniously brought meaning to their lives by adapting their cultural practices and lifestyle to the Caribbean environment in which they found themselves. This vital ability to adapt has produced some uniquely Afro Caribbean cultures. Seedwork is an integral part of this inventory of the island’s and, by extension, the Caribbean’s black history and culture.
Botanique allows the consumer to explore and celebrate African history, albeit under the jurisdiction of the diaspora. The painstaking process of creating these crafts represents the stamina of the people and the traditions who made the journey from the African Continent. This craft is of such value that its preservation and development should be an essential element of efforts to enliven African culture among the diaspora.
What is Seedwork?
Since slavery, wild tamarind and jumbie bead seeds have been gathered and sewn by hand into intricate necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts, and household items such as coasters and placemats. These pieces held a talismanic value, as enslaved women spent hours making the pieces and saying prayers over the work to garner strength, protection from the Gods, and resilience to get them through difficult times.
The entirely organic work has miraculously survived for centuries and has a power and beauty that speaks for itself.
Today, seed work is threatened as a dying art. Only five women on the island of Antigua are master seed workers. To save this art form before it vanishes forever, there is now an educational program to preserve the tradition of seed work, with full scholarships for young candidates.
