The beginning of the weaving process |
My name is Brianna , or ka Setswana, “Lorato.” I live in a village called Etsha 13 in northern Botswana, near the Okavango Delta. The Etsha villages (there are 13 of them in succession) produce some of the most beautiful baskets and woven crafts in Botswana.
The Basket Weavers
Palm fronds dyed and ready to use |
How the Baskets are Made
My friend Katenya standing with one her beautiful baskets |
Basket Styles
There are a few different types of baskets woven by women in Ngamiland. Flat baskets were traditionally used to sift grain products, while round, open baskets were more commonly used to carry things. Closed baskets were used for storage purposes. The patterns used in the baskets are often inspired by those found in nature. Patterns like “forehead of the zebra,” “guinea fowl,” and “running ostrich” are my favorites.
Closed Baskets |
Open baskets- patterns include forehead of the zebra, running ostrich, and ribs of the giraffe |
Dear Brianna and Claire, Wow! Well written and worth waiting for the photos. The baskets are so beautiful and functional! I'll share this post with the class later this week and hope to see you soon on Skype again. rob
ReplyDeleteDear Briana and Claire
ReplyDeleteI thought your blog about baskets was fantastic! You are obviously a talented writer. Those baskets are really cool! I also thought that the names were really cool to. I really learned a lot about how the baskets were made. Well I hope to see and you Briana and see Claire again on Skype! Meredith
Dear Briana and Claire
ReplyDeleteI thought that your blog was great! Can I ask you some questions? How Yong were you when you started weaving baskets? What got you in to weaving baskets?
From your friend in robs class Haley
Dear Brianna & Claire,
ReplyDeleteI have ALWAYS loved basket weaving! I really love the basket patterns- I don't think I could choose one! I was wondering, have you ever weaved a basket before? I really want to! Your blog is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
From, Gomez :)
Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know I'm not ignoring your comments. I am going to see Brianna this weekend and we will go through and answer all your questions! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi all- Sorry for the delay! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the blog. To respond to your comments-
ReplyDelete@Rob- Thanks for sharing! Working with the basket weavers in my village has been a wonderful part of my service. The ladies were excited to hear that their crafts were shared with students in the US.
@Merideth- I’m glad you learned a lot about the process! It has been very fun for me to watch the women weave and enjoy their beautiful products. It was fun for me to learn about how the designs are inspired by nature too- and lots of fun to share!
@Haley- For some girls, their mothers and grandmothers teach them to weave pretty young, around age 10 or so. But many women in the village have picked up the skills later in life, or maybe they knew the basics from childhood but have since learned how to weave more intricate designs. Women want their daughters to learn the skills because it is something distinctive about their culture that they brought with them when fleeing violence in Angola, plus there are many functional and economical uses for the baskets.
@Gomez- My mother came out to visit a few weeks back, and while she was here my friend Katenya (pictured) taught us both to basket weave. It’s very difficult! I think it would take me years of practice to weave like the women in my village.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I really enjoyed sharing a beautiful part of the Hambukushu culture.
-Brianna