Weaving a Tale of Two Cultures

African Baskets go back, way back, even pre-dating pottery. But so do Mexican baskets – to pre-Hispanic times. However, the general consensus is that the first basket was likely made 10,000 – 12,000 years ago, originating in Kenya. But it’s difficult to say with any certainty because they are biodegradable. Any evidence of their first creation has long gone back to the earth (and this is one of the reasons why we love our baskets so much).

Sustainable Homewares for Intentional Living

Obakki’s hand-woven baskets are one of the cleanest and most sustainable homewares around – they come from all-natural materials, and if they are dyed, natural dyes are used. At the end of a basket’s life, it breaks down to compost in very little time. Our baskets are a true example of Cradle-to-Cradle. (If you are interested in the Cradle to Cradle – or C2C – movement, have a look at our Obakki journal story, The Case For Zero Waste.)

When baskets were created, humans were “hunters and gatherers,” and we needed something to carry our nuts and berries. As humans evolved, our needs became more complex – and baskets evolved with us. Necessity is, indeed, the mother of invention. Now, we use baskets for everything from holding our towels in the guest room to acting as a container for plants or decorating our walls.

It’s All Material

The raw materials used to make baskets vary from continent to content, country to country, and region to region. For example, common sources of material in Mexico include palm fronds, rushes, reeds, and willow branches. In African countries like Kenya and Uganda, common plant sources include palm fronds, sisal leaves, banana leaves, papyrus and raffia (from the stem of the raffia palm, also known as the African Bamboo). 

The basic process of basket weaving involves weaving strands of fibres over and under each other to create the basket. Different techniques are used, such as coiling, plaiting, and twining.

The materials depend on the region (think: soil composition, elevation, climate). And in turn, the technique is tied to the material. For example, it takes two different kinds of fibre to make coiled baskets – one for the inner coil and one for the wrapping of the coil. In Uganda, coiled baskets are generally made from palm and banana leaves. In Mexico, it is more common to use palm and rushes for coiled baskets.

The Women Behind the Baskets

Basketweaving is often a village’s only source of income in remote rural areas. It’s how they feed their families and send their children to school. It’s a process, and it moves in time with nature. Women harvest the grasses and fibres in season and then prepare them for weaving. A fibre like sisal can take up to 16 hours to strip, clean and spin by hand for a medium-sized basket. Then the dyeing is yet another stage. Natural dyes include sources like roots, bark, fruit and berries, leaves, clay and dung. It must be collected and processed. Only then can they begin the task of actually weaving the baskets.

These are sustainable wares. Every season, the raw material grows again. And by the seasons, the women weave their baskets.

These are women who learned their weaving techniques on the knees of their mothers and grandmothers. Who learned their craft on the knees of their own mothers and grandmothers. From generation to generation, the designs, the colourings, and the meanings are all woven into the stories of the culture.

When you look at your basket, think of the thousands of years of knowledge, of trial and error, and of family connections that have been woven into the strands. Baskets around the world are made of many materials, many designs, and many ancestors.

Obakki works with basket-weaving partners in Kenya, Uganda, and Mexico to assist them in developing their businesses in a sustainable fashion. With our impact artisans like these, our profits are sent back into their communities so they may develop long-term, viable businesses.

Please purchase your baskets from organizations and companies that engage in fair trade and transparency. You should know where your basket comes from and who made it. And you should be confident that the artisans are compensated fairly before you reach for your wallet.