Basket weaving (alsobasketry orbasket making) is the process ofweaving orsewing pliable materials into objects, such asbaskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets may be known asbasket makers andbasket weavers. Basket weaving is also arural craft. It is also widely known in Middle Eastern regions such asCyprus.
Basketry is made from a variety offibrous or pliable materials—anything that will bend and form a shape. Examples includepine,straw,willow (esp.osier),oak,wisteria,forsythia,vines,stems,fur,hide,grasses, thread, and fine wooden splints. There are many applications for basketry, from simple mats tohot air balloon gondolas.
ManyIndigenous peoples are renowned for their basket-weaving techniques.
While basket weaving is one of the most widespread crafts in the history of any humancivilization, it is hard to say just how old the craft is, because natural materials like wood, grass, and animal remains decay naturally and constantly. Techniques used in basket weaving have been indistinguishable from rope-making and evidenced throughout the world since the beginning of recorded hominin presence inSouth Africa with the repeat discovery ofperforated batons. Due to the degradation of natural materials over the millennia, any attempts at preservation for the majority of basket weaving methods have not allowed modern analysis of actual specimen, such as the use of water-proofing or hardening with additional materials likeclay orbitumen. Instead, assumptions of ancient basket weaving methods rely on the study (and assumed usage) of ancient tools combined with observations of modern and protomodern basket weaving in civilizations that still rely on sustainable methods culturally passed down since those ancient times.[1]
The earliest reliable evidence for basket weaving technology in the Middle East comes from thePre-Pottery Neolithic phases ofTell Sabi Abyad II[2] andÇatalhöyük.[3] Although no actual basketry remains were recovered, impressions on floor surfaces and on fragments of bitumen suggest that basketry objects were used for storage and architectural purposes. The extremely well-preserved Early Neolithic ritual cave site ofNahal Hemar yielded thousands of intact perishable artefacts, including basketry containers, fabrics, and various types of cordage.[4] Additional Neolithic basketry impressions have been uncovered atTell es-Sultan (Jericho),[5]Netiv HaGdud,[4]Beidha,[6] Shir,[7]Tell Sabi Abyad III,[8]Domuztepe,[9] Umm Dabaghiyah,[10]Tell Maghzaliyah,[9]Tepe Sarab,[11]Jarmo,[12] andAli Kosh.[13]
The oldest known baskets were discovered inFaiyum in upperEgypt[14] and have beencarbon dated to between 10,000 and 12,000 years old, earlier than any established dates forarchaeological evidence ofpottery vessels, which were too heavy and fragile to suit far-ranging hunter-gatherers.[15] The oldest and largest complete basket, discovered in theNegev in the Middle East, dates to 10,500 years old.[16] However, baskets seldom survive, as they are made from perishable materials. The most common evidence of a knowledge of basketry is an imprint of the weave on fragments ofclay pots, formed by packing clay on the walls of the basket andfiring.
During theIndustrial Revolution, baskets were used infactories and for packing and deliveries.Wicker furniture became fashionable inVictorian society.[citation needed]
During the World Wars, some pannier baskets were used for dropping supplies of ammunition and food to thetroops.[17]
Basketry may be classified into four types:[14]
Weaving withrattan core (also known as reed) is one of the more popular techniques being practiced, because it is easily available.[14] It is pliable, and when woven correctly, it is very sturdy. Also, while traditional materials like oak,hickory, and willow might be hard to come by, reed is plentiful and can be cut into any size or shape that might be needed for a pattern. This includes flat reed, which is used for most square baskets;oval reed, which is used for many round baskets; and round reed, which is used to twine. Another advantage is that reed can also be dyed easily to look like oak or hickory.[citation needed]
Many types of plants can be used to create baskets, including dog rose, honeysuckle, blackberry briars with the thorns scraped off and many other creeping plants. Willow was used for its flexibility and the ease with which it could be grown and harvested. Willow baskets were commonly referred to as wickerwork in England.[18]
Water hyacinth is used as a base material in some areas where the plant has become a serious pest. For example, a group inIbadan led byAchenyo Idachaba have been creating handicrafts in Nigeria.[19]
Other materials used in basketry include cedar bark, cedar root, spruce root, cattail leaves and tule. Some elements that may be used for decoration include maidenhair fern stems, horsetail root, red cherry bark and a variety of grasses. These materials vary widely in color and appearance.[20]
Because vines have always been readily accessible and plentiful for weavers, they have been a common choice for basketry purposes. Therunners are preferable to the vine stems because they tend to be straighter. Pliable materials like kudzu vine to more rigid, woody vines like bittersweet, grapevine, honeysuckle, wisteria and smokevine are good basket weaving materials. Although many vines are not uniform in shape and size, they can be manipulated and prepared in a way that makes them easily used in traditional and contemporary basketry. Most vines can be split and dried to store until use. Once vines are ready to be used, they can be soaked or boiled to increase pliability.[citation needed]
The type of baskets that reed is used for are most often referred to as "wicker" baskets. A popular type of weaving known as "twining" is a technique used in most wicker baskets.[citation needed]
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The parts of a basket are the base, the side walls, and the rim. A basket may also have a lid, handle, or embellishments.
Most baskets begin with a base. The base can either be woven with reed or wooden. A wooden base can come in many shapes to make a wide variety of shapes of baskets. The "static" pieces of the work are laid down first. In a round basket, they are referred to as "spokes"; in other shapes, they are called "stakes" or "staves". Then the "weavers" are used to fill in the sides of a basket.
A wide variety of patterns can be made by changing the size, colour, or placement of a certain style of weave. To achieve a multi-coloured effect, aboriginal artists firstdye thetwine and then weave the twines together in complex patterns.
Basketry exists throughout the Indian subcontinent. Since palms are found in the south, basket weaving with this material has a long tradition inTamil Nadu and surrounding states.[citation needed]
Chinese bamboo weaving,Taiwanese bamboo weaving,Japanese bamboo weaving and Korean bamboo weaving go back centuries. Bamboo is the prime material for making all sorts of baskets, since it is the main material that is available and suitable for basketry. Other materials that may be used are ratan and hemp palm.[citation needed]
In Japan, bamboo weaving is registered as a traditionalJapanese craft (工芸,kōgei) with a range of fine and decorative arts.[citation needed]
Southeast Asia has thousands of sophisticated forms of indigenous basketry produce, many of which use ethnic-endemic techniques. Materials used vary considerably, depending on the ethnic group and the basket art intended to be made. Bamboo, grass, banana, reeds, and trees are common mediums.[21][22][23]
Basketry is a traditional practice across the Pacific islands ofPolynesia. It uses natural materials likepandanus,coconut fibre,hibiscus fibre, andNew Zealand flax according to local custom. Baskets are used for food and general storage, carrying personal goods, and fishing.[citation needed]
Basketry has been traditionally practised by the women of manyAboriginal Australian peoples across the continent for centuries.[24][25][26]
TheNgarrindjeri women of southernSouth Australia have a tradition of coiled basketry, using thesedge grasses growing near the lakes and mouth of theMurray River.[27]
Thefibre basketry of theGunditjmara people is noted as a cultural tradition, in theWorld Heritage Listing of theBudj Bim Cultural Landscape in westernVictoria, Australia, used for carrying theshort-finned eels that were farmed by the people in an extensiveaquaculture system.[28]
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Native Americans traditionally make their baskets from the materials available locally.
Arctic andSubarctic tribes use sea grasses for basketry. At the dawn of the 20th century,Inupiaq men began weavingbaskets frombaleen, a substance derived fromwhale jaws, and incorporatingwalrus ivory andwhale bone in basketry.
InMi'kma'ki (composed of nowNova Scotia,New Brunswick and easternQuebec,Canada), the Mi’kmaq used plants and animals for their fibre and dye sources in their basketry. Two archaeological sites revealed traditional materials of moose-tendon fibres, cattail plant (Typha latifolia), true rush (Scirpus lacustris), sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata), American beach grass (Amophilia brevingulata), birch tree (Betula papyrifera), white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), basswood (Tilia Americana), black ash (Fraxinus nigra), white ash (Fraxinus americana), poplar (Populus tremuloides), and red maple (Acer rubrum). Black ash, or wosqoq, basketry is a vital part of Mi'kmaw culture and art. Baskets were functional, used in agriculture, and also decorative. Mi'kmaw basket makers were renowned for their intricate patterns woven in bright colours.[29]
InNew England, traditional baskets are woven fromSwamp Ash. The wood is peeled off a felledlog in strips, following thegrowth rings of the tree. InMaine and theGreat Lakes regions, traditional baskets are woven fromblack ash splints.Pack baskets from theAdirondack region have traditionally been woven from black ash orwillow. Baskets are also woven fromsweet grass, as is traditionally done byCanadian indigenous peoples.Birchbark is used throughout theSubarctic, by a wide range of peoples from theDene toOjibwa toMi'kmaq.Birchbark baskets are often embellished with dyedporcupine quills. Some of the more notable styles areNantucket Baskets andWilliamsburg Baskets. Nantucket Baskets are large and bulky,[citation needed] while Williamsburg Baskets can be any size, so long as the two sides of the basket bow out slightly and get larger as it is woven up.
Southeastern peoples, such as theAtakapa,Cherokee,Choctaw, andChitimacha, traditionally use splitriver cane for basketry. A particularly difficult technique for which these peoples are known is double-weave or double-wall basketry, in which each basketry is formed by an interior and exterior wall seamlessly woven together. Doubleweave, although rare, is still practiced today, for instance byMike Dart (Cherokee Nation).[30]
Northwestern peoples use spruce root, cedar bark, and swampgrass. Ceremonial basketry hats are particularly valued by Northwest peoples and are worn today atpotlatches. Traditionally, women wove basketry hats, and men painted designs on them.Delores Churchill is aHaida fromAlaska who began weaving in a time when Haida basketry was in decline, but she and others have ensured it will continue by teaching the next generation.
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Indigenous peoples of California andGreat Basin are known for their basketry skills. Coiled baskets are particularly common, woven fromsumac,yucca,willow, andbasket rush. The works byCalifornian basket makers include many pieces in museums.
In northwesternMexico, theSeri people continue to "sew" baskets using splints of the limberbush plant,Jatropha cuneata.[citation needed]
In Greece, basket weaving is practiced by theanchorite monks ofMount Athos.[citation needed]
Wolof baskets are a coil basket created by the Wolof tribe ofSenegal.[36] These baskets is considered a women's craft, which have been passed across generations.[37] The Wolof baskets were traditionally made by using thin cuts of palm frond and a thick grass called njodax; however contemporary Wolof baskets often incorporate plastic as a replacement for the palm fronds and/or re-use of discarded prayer mat materials.[37] These baskets are strong and used for laundry hampers, planters, bowls, rugs, and more.[37]
Zulu baskets are a traditional craft in theKwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa and were used for utilitarian purposes including holding water, beer, or food; the baskets can take many months to weave.[38][39] Starting in the late 1960s, Zulu basketry was a dying art form due to the introduction of tin and plastic water containers.[39] Kjell Lofroth, a Swedish minister living in South Africa, noticed a decline in the local crafts, and after a drought in the KwaZulu-Natal province and he formed the Vukani Arts Association (English: wake up and get going) to financially support single women and their families.[39] In this time period of the late 1960s, only three elderly women knew the craft of Zulu basket weaving but because of the Vukani Arts Association they taught others and revived the art.[39]Beauty Ngxongo is the most renowned living Zulu basket weaver.[40][39]
Zulu telephone wire baskets are a contemporary craft.[41] These are often brightly colored baskets and made with telephone wire (sometimes from a recycled source), which is a substitute for native grasses.[41]
Nomadic hunter-gatherers are limited to technology that can be carried....You can't be burdened with pottery and printing presses as you shift camp....For example, the earliest attested precursors of ceramics are fired clay figurines made in the area of modern Czechoslovakia 27,000 years ago, long before the oldest known fired clay vessels (from Japan 14,000 years ago)....the oldest known basket appears around 13,000 years ago
