African Art Blog

~ Every Grain Of Rice Tells A Story;
Every Weave Of The Basket – A Labor Of Love

African basket making is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation through the centuries.

Along with the art of basket making, the folklore surrounding it was also passed along from the elders to future generations during the many days and nights spent weaving baskets together. Unless you are a native African villager or are an African history enthusiast, the question of what African baskets and rice share in common may be a tough one to answer.

To learn the answer one must understand a little history of both African baskets as well as the history and evolution of African rice growing societies.

The Magnitude & Diversity of Basketry in Africa

Did You Know? There are approximately 800 separate and distinct ethnic groups in Africa.

Each of these groups has developed their own traditional designs for basket making determined in part by the use intended for the baskets, the materials available for weaving the baskets and the organic dyes available to decorate the baskets.

The huge diversity in shape, design, color and purpose of African baskets makes it almost impossible to pigeonhole African baskets into any one category.

African Baskets & Rice: The Connection

The history of African baskets and rice are forever intertwined. Africans basket makers originally made baskets to be functional. These baskets were used to fan rice and separate the grains from the dry, unusable chaff. They were also used to store the rice.

Every African tribe that raised rice developed their own distinctive methods and designs for making their rice baskets. African basket aficionados can take one look at an African basket and tell which area of Africa the basket came from and also, which ethnic group made it.

Check out the differences between these Zulu baskets and traditional Ghanaian nest baskets:

Rice & Baskets; Baskets & Rice

Rice has been grown is Africa for 3500 years around the Niger River delta and extending into modern day Senegal. When the Arabs came into Africa between 700-1100AD they brought with them some different species of rice that could be grown other areas of Africa, mainly in Southern Morocco. The Arabs are generally credited with bring rice to the whole region which stretches from Lake Chad to the White Nile.

As the cultivation of rice spread to various areas of Africa, so did the making of baskets to fan, store and market the rice. Originally designed for utilitarian purpose, the African basket became ornamental as well as functional as time passed. The basket makers took great pride in their work and made beautiful baskets to celebrate their heritage. This skill was passed from generation to generation both to assure an adequate supply of fanning and storage baskets as well as to celebrate one’s ethnic affiliation.

The Dark Side of African Basketry & Rice

A dark side to this rice and African basket relationship involves the American slave trade. With rice being the main cash crop of the state of South Carolina in the colonial period, Africans that were native to rice growing regions were the first targets of the slavers.

For Africans from West African rice regions (Senegal to the Ivory Coast) and the area surrounding the mouth of the Congo River (Angola, Gabon and Zaire) slavers received a premium price. A woman or man capable of making baskets was worth more than any other slave regardless of their age or strength. Enslaved Africans are credited with the success of the South Carolina rice industry since few South Carolinians knew anything about rice agronomy.

I guess you could say African basket making designs and techniques came to America in slave ships!

African Basketry Today

Today the making of African baskets has taken on a new role. The world-wide popularity of African baskets means traditional African basket weavers can earn a decent income and provide for their families.

African women face terrible economic disadvantage and uncertainty. Many African women have no education and no traditional marketable skills. However, they have found that they can retain their heritage and earn a fair wage at the same time by making baskets for the world market. With the assistance of many humanitarian groups, most of these women produce baskets sold through markets regulated by Fair Trade standards. Fair Trade dictates that any goods sold with the Fair Trade endorsement must be produced by workers who receive a fair wage for there work. African women have benefitted greatly from this endeavor; they can afford the basics for their family such as food, education and health care.

The past as well as the future of rice and the African basket are intrinsically intertwined.

The African basket, which originated as a necessary functional device for cleaning, storing and marketing rice has today come full circle and is being used as a means of livelihood and a way of acquiring rice to feed African families.

You can check out some of the beautiful “modern” Zulu Basket designs (baskets designs from plastic telephone wire) at UncommonGoods.

Or if you’d like to support the more traditional African baskets being made (still today by black artists and ordinary villagers), I found some interesting stuff while I was looking for images at Novica.com, which apparently is the National Geographic store. It’s a lot more professional than UncommonGoods. (Uncommon is a proper art/gift site – made by people who love their product and hate web design, sadly it shows though.)

Well that’s all for today folks. I’ll be back later in the week with a delicious piece on Authentic African Masks.

PS. Ok that’s not it. I was just searching for links. I found this brilliant and beautiful idea. I love the way you also get the artist’s take on the piece and where he comes from. It’s a recycled newspaper vase, called “Blossom Post”:

…Alright, now we’re done.