Hand Woven by the Women of Botswana, Africa

The most famous of all the craft products of Botswana is the hand woven basket. As an integral part of the Botswana agricultural culture, baskets have been made and used for thousands of years. Today, the baskets of Botswana are equal to the finest art forms found in the world and are considered to be collectors’ items.

Traditionally, closed baskets with lids are used for storing grain, seeds, and sometimes sorghum beer. Open bowl-shaped baskets are used by the women for carrying items on their heads and for winnowing grain after it has been threshed. Today, around the world the baskets are used as stylish home décor pieces, gracing coffee tables or creating distinctive wall art. There are many other beautiful African baskets, but none match the world-renowned quality of Botswana Baskets.

The main raw material utilized to produce Botswana baskets is the fiber of the "vegetable ivory" palm tree (Hyphaene petersiana ), called Mokola in Botswana. To create intricate designs, the natural cream-colored palm fiber is dyed shades of brown with the roots or bark of the Motlhakola (Euclea divinorun ) and Motsentsila (Berchemia discolor ) trees.

Botswana baskets are woven by using the coil method. Either a thin bundle of palm fiber, grass, or a single piece of vine is used for the interior of the coil. To make a basket, a small hole is pierced into the previously woven row with an awl, then a strip of palm is inserted into the hole and wrapped around the core. Designs are created by weaving in strips of dyed palm.

The main producers of baskets are the women of the Bayei and Hambukushu tribes in northwestern Botswana. The baskets displayed here are created by the 24 talented women of Etsha Weavers Group who have many years of weaving experience. This complicated form of art has been passed down from generation to generation. Although some of the weavers continue this tradition today, others have dreams of their children being educated to become doctors and teachers.