These unique handwoven Binga Baskets with Hwange border are fairtrade from Zimbabwe. The one-of-a-kind baskets look great as wall art, especially when you hang a few of them together in a group and combine different sizes. We also have a 38-41 cm Binga basket for example.
The Binga basket is woven by hand in the traditional way. Each Binga basket has a unique colour pattern. The leaves of the Ilala palm make the base of the baskets. Traditionally, the baskets are used for winnowing (separating the wheat from the chaff). It takes an average of two weeks to produce a basket of 35 centimeters in diameter! This craftsmanship is passed on from mother to daughter. The women harvest the leaves and chop them to a usable length. Natural dyes from the bark and roots of trees are used to colour the palm. The patterns vary from birds, love symbols, lightning bolts to zebra skins.
Binga, a village in the north of Zimbabwe, is located on Lake Kariba. The BaTonga population, a minority that makes up about five percent of the Zimbabwean population, lives in this area. The BaTonga were evicted from their traditional settlements in 1957 to make way for a dam and Lake Kariba. Now they live split up in a large area that is dry and poor. Buying these striking baskets is a great way to support them.
Make sure to check out these garlic baskets too!
