Basket "Tonga" - 55cm

These baskets are the pinnacle of the art of basket making by the Bathonga people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia. The baskets, which are made from the leaves of the Ilala palm, start out as a woven square and end up almost perfectly round.
The baskets are perfect as wall decorations
The pattern on the edge is called a "snake's belly" because the pattern resembles the scales of a snake. Palm fibres are dyed using tree bark to produce fibres in different colours. The design is very functional, as the baskets are still used today to throw out grain. The baskets are sometimes called "grandmother's baskets" as only a few younger women make them.
Note: The baskets vary slightly in design, but all the images listed are the ones we have in stock. You will therefore receive one of the baskets listed.