| Baskets are among the
oldest things made by man. People who lived thousands of years
ago were just as skilled in basket-making as we are today. People
in Africa, who do not travel very much, will make a basket from the
materials they find growing around them. That is why the indigenous
people of Africa make them out of palm leaves.
All our African baskets, trivets and fans display the primitive
art of weaving that still exists in Africa, and are handcrafted
by talented craftsmen and women in countries including Ghana, Morocco,
Nigeria and Kenya. The trade has been handed down from their
very ancestors.
The Africans do beautiful work in the decorating of their baskets. Strips
of the leaves can be dyed, and a design is created by weaving in
the different colors. Sometimes the color is not changed, but
the weaving or coiling pattern is changed. Very often, the
designs have special meanings for the maker or for his/her whole
tribe. There may be certain religious or magical ideas attached
to the designs. |
