AFRICAN BASKETS
Recent collecting trip in South Africa and Swaziland
We are pleased to present a collection of some of our favorite African baskets and these photos gathered on a recent trip to South Africa and Swaziland. Supporting basket weavers in Africa helps to keep their culture and tradition alive and well. The financial reward the weavers reap is of tremendous help to them and their families in the developing world.
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Zululand, South Africa
A weaver carries her basket to market. She said this basket took her about 4 months to complete. Primarily farmers, most Zulu weavers produce baskets as time permits - after doing their daily chores in the fields.
The "ukhamba" lidded baskets are traditionally used to hold water or ceremonial beer. They are woven from naturally dyed ilala palm fibers sewn around a coil of grass.
This coiled method of weaving provides for a tightly woven strong basket. The inside was rubbed with wet cornmeal and the baskets were traditionally filled with liquid. The bit of liquid that does leak out evaporates, creating a cooling effect for the remaining contents. |
Zululand, South Africa - A weaver's house far out in the countryside. |
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Zululand, South Africa
Proud of her masterfully woven basket with human figures.
The natural dying of the ilala palm to make these baskets is a very time consuming process. Berries, flowers, plants, dirt, charcoal and many other items are gathered to make the dyes.
The palm leaves are dried then split, then boiled in the dye - sometimes soaking and boiling in the dye for well over 24 hours. |
Zululand, South Africa - Baskets are collected by driving deep into Zululand, hundreds of miles on dirt roads going village to village and hut to hut. |
Zululand, South Africa - Skillful hands weave beautiful telephone wire baskets. This weaver is fond of the color combination as you can tell from the colors in her skirt. These wire baskets are done primarily by men because of the physical difficulty in weaving the wire. A very unusual feature of these baskets is that they are woven from the top down, around a form that is usually metal or sometimes plastic. As it is woven, the wire is pulled hard against the form to help shape the basket. |
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Zululand, South Africa
Weaving is often a social event, done in gatherings of chatty friends and family. These weavers were relaxing outside a mud and stone hut weaving large 16 inch diameter wire baskets.
You can see the hundreds of wires that must be kept track of during the weaving process. It's difficult to fathom how they can weave even a simple basket let alone calculate the complex patterns as they go along. |
Zululand, South Africa - Mother and daughters proudly display their finished wire baskets. |
Zululand, South Africa - The landscape is rugged. Existing here is difficult to say the least, so income earned from basket weaving makes a tremendous difference in the lives of thousands of weavers and their families. One of the most common things weavers spend their earnings on throughout Africa is school fees and uniforms for their children to attain an education. In Zululand, government programs pay for school for the children so weavers can spend their earnings on extra seed and fertilizer for their fields, additional chickens or livestock or even luxury goods such as a radio or furniture. |
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Swaziland
This weaver is ready to produce intricately woven baskets from 'lutindzi' grass.
'Lutindzi' grass is one of hundreds of types of grass in Swaziland. It grows only in the crevices of rocks and is held by a sort of sheath. The grass blades easily pull out without affecting the plant, which quickly grows back. |
Swaziland - Baskets in Swaziland are more commonly woven from Sisal fiber. Sisal is in the agave family and now grows as a weed in Swaziland. It is the second most commonly used fiber in teh world, behind cotton. It is used for making things like rope and even is used in automobile brake pads to add strength. A small Swazi sisal basket about 8 inches in diameter takes a weaver around 30-40 hours to produce. |
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