Botswana Baskets - Botswana

There are 2 Botswana Baskets pieces, belonging to a private collection of African tribal art. The 2 pieces have different diameters of 28 cm and a depth of 4 cm. Each basket takes about four to six weeks to complete, working every day. The total weight will be approximately 1 kg.

Baskets

The most famous handmade product of Botswana is the basket. As an integral part of Botswana’s agricultural culture, Botswana baskets have been made and used traditionally for thousands of years.

There are two general types of handmade baskets. Closed-lidded baskets are used to store grain, seeds, and sometimes sorghum beer. Large, open, bowl-shaped baskets are used by women to carry items on the head and to thresh grain after harvest. Smaller, flat, plate-shaped baskets are used to thresh grain after pounding.

The main basket makers are the women of the Bayei and Hambukushu tribes, in northwestern Botswana.

Although baskets are still very common in rural areas of Botswana, more and more are now being produced for the commercial market.

The expansion and diversity of weaving techniques, designs, and color use are encouraged through skill-building courses, annual competitions, and exhibitions.

Today, Botswana baskets are the equivalent of the finest forms of art found in the world.

Creating a Basket
The main raw material used to produce Botswana baskets is the fiber of the ivory palm tree (vegetal ivory) (Hyphaene petersiana), called Mokola in Botswana.

To create intricate designs, the natural cream-colored palm fiber is dyed in brown tones using the roots or bark of Motlhakola trees (Euclea divinorum) and Motsentsila (Berchemia discolor).

More recently, leaves from the shrub Indigoferus sp. are being used to produce a mauve color, and sorghum husks, with a fungus, will create a lovely pink tone.

Botswana baskets are woven using a spiral method. A fine bundle of palm fiber, grass, or a single piece of vine can be used for the spiral interior.

To make a basket, a small hole is pierced in the previously woven row with a needle, then a strip of palm is inserted into the hole and wound around the core. Designs are created by interlacing strips of dyed palm in the appropriate places.

Each basket takes about four to six weeks to complete, working every day.

Basket Designs Initially, most handmade baskets in Botswana did not have designs; they were all cream in color, the natural color of the palm fiber. Gradually, more designs were incorporated for identification and beautification; the result of improved and modern basket-weaving techniques. In the image, only four of the most famous designs are shown. Many other traditional designs – listed below – are woven into Botswana baskets, ensuring collectors have a wide selection. Additionally, unique, exclusive designs are being created by true artists, blending the art of basket weaving with the world of abstract art.