07/15/08

AFRICAN BASKETS BY MASTER ZULU WEAVERS

South Africa is famous for its tightly woven Zulu baskets.  These hand woven African baskets are a true art form and are functional, beautiful and decorative as well as a testament to fine weaving skills.  Zulu baskets are considered some of the most collectable baskets in the world.  Master Zulu weavers are published and collected worldwide.

For information about our bi-annual African Zulu Basket show, click here0

_____________________________________________

Want to print a simplified, informative brochure about Zulu African Baskets?  Click here (requires Adobe PDF)

the above has the same general (shortened slightly) information presented below; you may also wish to scroll down to "commonly asked questions"

_____________________________________________

R.I.P.

Rueben Ndwandwe

1941 - 2007

The world's #1 Zulu basket weaver - a revolutionist who created an ENTIRELY NEW way of weaving baskets that no one else could duplicate!  He passed away in the middle of June, 2007 from complications of Tuberculosis.  Immediately following his death, his baskets have increased in value 10 fold.  He was a good friend and a talented artisan.  We will miss you... in Zululand, one does not die, they simply "go to another country...".  We wish you well on your journey.

_____________________________________________

Zanzibar Tribal Art, in conjunction with a self-funded non-profit group is pleased to be able to offer our clients a range of Zulu baskets including the highest museum grade baskets crafted by Master Weavers.  We always have a fine selection in our retail gallery and twice each year we do a large sale, show and fundraiser where we display hundreds of baskets!  If you're interested, as we only put a very select few baskets online, contact us with your price range, size, color or specific artist and we'll email you photos of what baskets are available.   Click on this link to view SMALL selection of our  African baskets on our website. 

Among the rolling hills of South Africa in the northeastern coastal province of  KwaZulu-Natal (“Place of Heaven”), Zulu women work at the art of basket weaving. With the advent of the men moving off to seek work in the cities, the women have taken over what was once a dying craft, and turned it into an art form of international acclaim, and a major source of income for many families.  Zulu artistry has been somewhat overshadowed by their unprecedented proclivity in the creation of weaponry; shields, clubs and spears. Nevertheless, Zulu basketry is considered some of the most desirable and collectable baskets available and will soon rival Native American baskets for rarity and value. 

The women work from their homes, where they can assimilate basket making into their normal routine - giving themselves time to raise their children, work in the fields, collect water and do other daily chores.   Each basket will be unique in size, shape, pattern, weave and color and is a true collector’s item.  All basket colors are natural and obtained from boiling roots, leaves, berries and bark or other organic material of indigenous flora.

Thank you for helping to support the Zulu women craftspeople and children of South Africa by purchasing this basket.  You are helping  the poor rural women of South Africa in earning decent incomes from the fruits of their labors, in order to care for their children.

move your mouse over the pictures for a description or click on them to enlarge

1400 - 1900

Descendants of the Nguni peoples of southeast Africa, the Zulu trace their history back to the 14th and 15th centuries when they migrated southward and settled into modern day South Africa. During the 1800’s, under Chief Shaka, the Zulus established themselves as a very powerful people and were feared throughout southern Africa.  During this time it was the men who wove Zulu baskets, however as the British took the men to work in the mines, women found it necessary to learn to weave the traditional African Zulu Baskets.  Zulu baskets served as functional utilitarian containers and were typically devoid of any designs or patterns (they were essentially plain, however the beer basket covers, called Imbenge were often highly decorated and colorful).  Today many patterns, both based on traditional Zulu or Ndebele beadwork designs as well as contemporary motifs based on other South African tribes or original ideas have appeared.  The development (and continued elaboration) of natural pigments and dyes as well as the weavers struggles to differentiate their unique styles has led to many and varied designs not previously known.  

1900 - present day

Around the turn of the 20th century, traded tin and iron replaced the baskets and by the 1940’s the skill of weaving was all but lost.  Starting with a Missionary, Rev Tjell Lofroth of the Lutheran Church, who wanted to convert the Zulus in the late 60’s, a workshop (called Vukani) was created and three very old zulu women were found that still remembered how to dye the materials and weave the baskets (one of these women is still living, and is currently still weaving:  Laurentia Dlamini.  From this the baskets refined through the 70’s, 80's and 90's until we have the pinnacle of quality and refinement today.  Regrettably, the techniques and skills may soon again be lost again due to migration to the cities and AIDS. 

Today most of the Zulu population lives in a 10,000 square mile Zululand reserve along the Indian Ocean. Once self sufficient, many  must now rely on employment outside of their reserve in nearby towns to survive.  Members of the more than 300 Zulu-speaking peoples reside in KwaZulu (“Place of Heaven”), an area approximately the size of New Jersey. Their economy is based on the cultivation of crops, tended by the women, and the raising of cattle, for which the men and boys are responsible.  The weaving of traditional African Zulu Baskets is also a small industry.  Most Zulus still live in their traditional Kraals, an area fenced in by thickets of spiny shrubs that contain their traditional huts and gardens.  Often a homestead will have an extended family living in close proximity to each other, often far removed from other clans.  Today, as during Apartied, older generations had little or no education, the South African Government provides a stipend or retirement to Zulus over the age of 58 (40 is a more common life expectancy) which averages around $120 US $ a month (enough to live off of, if humbly). 

Wealth, Children, and Turn-ons!

As wealth for a Zulu man is determined by how many wives, children and cattle he has, and thus it is not uncommon for a man to have multiple wives.  Of interesting note is that monogamy is not treated with the same emphasis that it is in many Western cultures.  A man will not usually marry a woman until she has proved her fertility by bearing at least one or more children (with by her future husband or another man).  Fertility is of paramount versus paternity.  Most Zulu women bear 10 - 14 children in their lifetime and the survival rate can vary widely, but is typically 75% - 80%.  Rape, regrettably, is extremely common, even today.  Also of interest is that bare breasts on a woman are NOT attractive or a turn-on to Zulu men - they are attracted to women's calves (the back area of the women's legs below their knees!)  Lecherous Zulu men will sneak a peak and even pinch a Zulu woman's normally covered calves if he gets a chance!  Men would NEVER consider separating or divorcing a wife, as this is part of his esteem and wealth. 

Marriage & Bride Price

Zulu men still pay a bride price to marry a Zulu woman (typically and traditionally it is paid in COWS and calves and occasionally bulls (as few as 2 - 4 for a rural woman and as many as dozens or hundreds for a princess), however in metropolitan centers and cities cash and other valuable are also exchanged.  The cows and any calves are the property of the woman and can be taken by her if she leaves her husband.   The men don't have to pay all the dowry at once.  He can marry the woman and pay the dowry over time - however until the full dowry is paid, the man cannot visit his in-laws compound and she cannot visit his family's compound.  Any children born can visit both grandparents. 

Traditionally women wove a "wedding basket" that included a design that graphically stated the number of cows that she would accept as a bride price, whether she would take calves (two calves equal one cow) or whether she would accept a bull or bulls (usually cows are preferred because they can produce milk and calves. .while bulls are... well, just bulls).  The basket was delivered to the man.  However it wasn't empty.  It contained beer.  Since the wedding design is very complex (very very few weavers know how to do this design and do it well today), it showed the man that the woman could weave complex baskets and if she can weave a complex basket she can also weave bowls, mats and other items - and she could make beer, too!.

Divorce

Don't consider that a Zulu doesn't have an option if her marriage is not a happy one:  if a Zulu woman's husband is not treating her well or refuses to get tested for HIV for example, she has the right to shave her head.  This is in essence putting her husband on notice that he needs to "get a clue".  If a woman keeps her head shaved for a full year, she is considered divorced from her husband and she keeps the kids, the cows - everything! 

Making a Living today

As there is no means for most men to make more than a subsistence living, most men do not live with their families - they often work in the coal, aluminum, diamond, gold and platinum mines far from their traditional homes.  Often the men will only return several times a year, for a few days at a time (Christmas, Easter and sometimes around harvest time to help with the harvest).  Thus many men are away from their wives, children and families up to 360 days a year!  As is acceptable, the men often hire prostitutes, and they incidentally contract HIV (and eventually pass it onto their unsuspecting wives and children) and eventually die of AIDS or an opportunistic disease.  Some men (and women) also work in the townships or cities such as Durban as cooks, gardeners or laborers.

While these working conditions are often dangerous, they are not known for paying very much - and the men rarely have any money left after paying their rent and upkeep (and prostitutes).  Take for example the diamond mines:  miners often work 7 days a week, 12 hour shifts in dark, deep mines.  After a long shift, the miners are subjected to a search and must report to the "glycerin shacks" - where they drink up to two quarts of glycerin so that their systems will FLUSH out any diamonds they may have ingested!  Amputations, injuries, pneumonia, Tuberculosis and so many other diseases (not least of which is contracting HIV/AIDS) are so common, that most Zulu men have very short life spans.  There IS hope for the men, as we also participate in a cooperative that gives rural men the opportunity to help support their families by weaving Telephone wire baskets. 

If a woman needs money to purchase foods in drought years, buy modern essentials like medicines, coffee, flour or sugar (and the occasional treat of candy or a soda) or even take the difficult route shopping to a major township or even large city such as Durban, she must make it on her own - THAT is where our cooperative comes in!  By buying women's baskets NEAR their homes, paying them FAIR, LIVING WAGES and encouraging quality and sustainability, we are IMPROVING the lives of these rural Zulu basket weavers.  Unfortunately, many younger Zulu women are leaving their traditional homes and migrating to the city centers and towns where they eek out an existence living as maids, cooks or clerks. 

Zulu Baskets

 The products of grass and ilala palm weaving (such things as sleeping mats) and basketry are associated with the widest possible range of activities throughout a Zulu’s lifetime, touching virtually every domestic, social, and religious function.  These baskets are evidence of the expertise of these artisans and their ingenuity for using indigenous plants.  Traditionally Zulu women weave the African Zulu baskets using age-old, time-honored methods that are passed on from mother to child.  The patterns, each with their own meaning, vary from decorative bands to intricate triangles, diamonds, zig-zags, and checkerboard motifs. 

. 

While there are approximately 2,000 +/- Zulu women (and a very few men) weaving baskets (inconsistently), our cooperative (a non-profit organization) works with about 270-600 weavers (+/-), (over half of these are junior or apprentice weavers, so only about 200 standard weavers); about 100 collector quality and only about 38 (as of early 2007) are considered “Master Weavers” and of these, only about 15-22 of these master weavers are weaving currently/consistently.  There are about ten weavers capable of producing a museum quality basket, however there are currently only four museum World class grand master weavers.

Skill levels of Weavers

When first starting to learn, a weaver is an "apprentice".  From apprentice a weaver becomes a "junior weaver".  Most experienced weavers are considered “Standard Weavers” while a few are "Superior Standard" and only a few become “Collector Quality.” or “Masters.”  VERY few become "World Class Masters" or "Museum Grade Masters" or "Grand Master Weavers" (there are four today).   A “Master Weaver” is recognized by the overall quality of the basket, especially the tightness of weave and the intricacy, as well as size (only master weavers can accomplish larger baskets) and shapes she is capable of producing and consistency of her work, pattern and design, as well as her ability to pull consistently when making a basket, creating an even basket.  Consistency (being able to consistently and repeatedly produce high quality baskets) is also of great importance.  There are many standard or collector quality weavers that have produced one fine quality basket, but their next baskets are not good at all!  Master weavers also produce all the products (dyed materials, etc.) for their baskets and are typically champions in their communities - encouraging other weavers to excel and weave better quality baskets through example. 

Master Weavers

To be considered a Master Zulu Basket Weaver, a title that is given by fellow weavers, a woman (or man in rare instances) must show that they have an overall grasp and skill in ALL aspects of basket production. These aspects include: Preparing and dying of the materials (palm fibers), tight weaving, good proportion, smooth transitions and shapes, even design spacing and overall quality of weave, shape and design. They must also be consistent, able to produce good baskets in a variety of styles and with consistent weave (applying the same pressure/pounds per square inch of pressure each time they pull a thread of Ilala palm.  Master weavers are also the only ones who will undertake the making of larger baskets - as without skill and a very tight weave, large baskets (over three feet) simply collapse under their own weight. CONSISTENCY of quality is also a factor. Some standard weavers can produce a beautiful, master-quality basket one time - and the next basket is just horrible.

Standard & Superior Standard Weavers

There are also standard weavers who can consistently weave a very tight, well formed basket with even spaced designs, however they may not for example, do their own preparation or dying of materials - thus they are not given the title of Master Weaver. Some women excel at one step or another but very few master all the steps in weaving a basket. While there are about 38 master weavers within our cooperative, only about 20 some are currently weaving consistently.

Learning to Weave

Young women start out learning basket making from their grandmothers or mothers or aunts. They often start out assisting with preparing the materials or weaving odds and ends left over. This is very much a volunteer apprentice-type program and a girl has to want to learn basket making to undertake the training that is required. While many young girls show an interest in weaving, very few keep at it for more than a short period. Weavers are first APPRENTICE weavers, then JUNIOR weavers, then STANDARD weavers, and finally SUPERIOR STANDARD weavers prior to them becoming a MASTER weaver. Very few (less than a dozen) Master weavers go onto being a WORLD CLASS MASTER weaver.

While there is no specific age when someone becomes a master weaver (and baskets that are not master weavers are often nearly as fine) it often takes decades of weaving for a woman to perfect her skills. When eyesight or upper body strength begins to fade, master weavers often weave smaller "herb" baskets that do not require the meticulous work of the larger pieces. How can you tell the difference between the various grades of weavers? Well, with a little practice and common sense and a few examples, most people can begin to distinguish between the graduations.

World Class Museum Quality Grand Master Weavers

There are only several (four to be exact) published, "World Class" weavers (including Reuben Ndwandwe (deceased as of June 2007), Beauty Ngxongo, Laurentia Dlamini (sometimes misspelled Laurencia Dlamini) and Vina Ndwandwe.  Bettina Mlotshwa is usually also considered among this group, albeit not officially)  These four weavers are considered the finest Zulu weavers in the world and are published, in many museum collections, highly collectable and known for their individual styles.  To be considered for this honor, they must be approached by several South African museums (and banks) and have baskets commissioned by them, then they must have a one person show at one of these museums, be published in a book(s) and lastly, must win the coveted "Artist of the Year" Award in South Africa.  Of the museums of note, there is the Vukni Museum (the premier museum of Zulu collections and artwork), the Durban Art Gallery, the South African Arts Center, The Louvre (Paris), The Met (NYC), The Smithsonian (Washington DC), Bonn (Germany), Stockholm (Sweden), as well as several large bank collections including the Standard Bank and the First National Banks of South Africa. 

Unfortunately, with the spread of HIV and AIDS and the tendency of Zulu youth to move to cities and seek work, there is a lack of interest of younger women in learning the traditional skills necessary to weave fine quality baskets and this unique art form may soon be lost.  These baskets are an incredibly value and a solid investment.  ALL of our master weave baskets come with a color photograph of the weaver along with a brief description of the basket and a brief weaver's biography.  Standard baskets have a tag with the artists name.

Although baskets are being replaced with plastic and tin/aluminum containers in many Zulu homes now, these woven baskets continue to hold great cultural significance for the Zulu people and many have once again begun using baskets for storage of grains, herbs and other items. 

Sawubona! (a traditional greeting in Zulu, which roughly translates as "I see you").  Zanzibar and the non-profit group Tribal Home support the rural Zulu Weavers of KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.  Although Tribal Home is non-profit organization, the purpose is a joint venture with the Zulu weavers in the rural communities for economic empowerment. 

move your mouse over the pictures for a description or click on them to enlarge

The cooperative that we work with, Tribal home, is unique in that the cooperative members work with the weavers month-to-month, year-to-year and get to know them.  Members keep track of weavers, their relations, accomplishments and call many of them friends.  EVERY COLLECTOR AND MASTER woven basket comes with a photo of the weaver and a brief biography. 

The cooperative currently helps to support approximately 600 weavers.   In recent years Tribal Home has grown from sourcing baskets from 5 to 15 villages, spread out over a very large area with Hlabisa (pronounced SH-la-bi-sa) being the major location. The Hlabisa district encompass 552 square miles alone. The 15 villages are sprawled out over this area, with the furthest being an 8 hour ride on a toll road from Durban, then 6 hours drive by 4 wheel drive on a rutted dirt road each way, and the nearest 1 hour from the main highway that goes up to the north to Mozambique from Durban.  From Durban it takes about six-eight hours to get to the turn off of the dirt road, and again, the closest village is about 1 hour on this ROUGH dirt road.  

Many of the cooperative's best  weavers are “Master Weavers” and we regularly source from these women, buying finished baskets as well as commissioning baskets.  Weavers are first APPRENTICE weavers, then JUNIOR weavers, then STANDARD weavers, and finally SUPERIOR STANDARD weavers and COLLECTOR quality weavers prior to them becoming a MASTER weaver.  Very few (currently there are three) Master weavers go onto being a WORLD CLASS GRAND MASTER weavers.  These weavers are internationally known, collected and published.  These include Beauty Ngxongo, Rueben Ndwandwe (died June 2007) and Bettina Mlotshwa, and Vina Ndwandwe.   

Most of our weavers are married, with their husbands working away from their homesteads (villages/Kraals).  While the men work away in the gold,  platinum and diamond mines for most of the year (only returning for a week or two at Easter, Christmas and occasionally to help with the harvest), they often do not contribute any monies to their families.  It is up to women to grow most or all of the food that the family needs and to provide for the children. 

HIV & AIDS

The sad part about this venture is that 2 out of 3 black South Africans in the rural communities where we work have HIV and AIDS and its opportunistic diseases affect almost everyone, and Hlabisa has the highest ratio in the world.  It is always maddening and with sadness to lose a weaver and a friend as well as a human being, but it is the way of things and the reality for now in South Africa. One can only aspire to that the world community at large, as well as the South African government itself, acknowledge the epidemic and crisis, without which, little progress will follow.   By purchasing an African Zulu basket, you are helping to make a difference in these women’s lives.  Often women use the money they earn to supplement their children’s education or medication.  The very best Master weavers who are HIV positive (such as Beauty) may also be able to afford the Cocktail such as AZT (at a cost of about $8-$10 per day).  This is a HUGE amount of money to most Zulu weavers, however.  There are numerous programs in place, however the SINGLE BEST THING we can do to help is to purchase these women's baskets at FAIR prices!

 As many of the weavers are HIV positive, the sale of their baskets also help them purchase anti-viral drugs.  HIV positive pregnant women can take an anti-viral pill each day (at a cost of about $1 per pill) to prevent her fetus from becoming HIV positive.  Women MUST take this drug for the entire length of the pregnancy and while nursing - every day.  Regrettably, without a consistent income, women often miss doses or take only half a pill or don't complete the program and thus their children are born HIV positive or become so through breast feeding. 

Schooling & Education

The Zulu government covers the cost of tuition to school for Zulu children, one pair of shoes and one school uniform per year, however as a child grows he/she must purchase new uniforms and or shoes. Children walk up to 20 miles each way to and from school!  Many children drop out by the equivalent of grade five.

How weavers are paid for their work/baskets

Weavers are paid by the centimeter on a pay scale determined by the quality of their work and skill level (up to Grand masters - who can charge by the piece whatever they want!)  Raw materials and bonuses (such as raw ilala palm fronts, flour and sugar) are also provided and factor into the cost of the baskets.  The pricing structure for our African Zulu baskets is based on the total costs of goods sold and these include the price that we pay the weaver (always a fair wage, however it varies by class of weaver), the shipping costs, the warehousing costs, and the insurance costs.  The cooperative has a zero overhead budget currently (i.e. no payrolls, no stipends, no travel allowances and no bonuses).  Essentially, everyone that works for the cooperative is a volunteer.   A variety of programs are in place to assist women and children of Zulu weavers.  Your purchase of a Zulu basket helps to fund these programs.  We will also accept donations of cash, clothing, coats and shoes that we distribute to the weavers.  Zanzibar also sells AIDS memorial pins where 100% of the proceeds goes to a variety of educational programs for Zulu youth and women. 

move your mouse over the pictures for a description or click on them to enlarge

The photos above are of Tholi Mlotshwa, one of our very best master weavers.  Her family (sister and daughter) wove the largest Zulu baskets.  The basket she is holding is less than half finished - the final size was just over 7 feet tall by 19 feet around.  The completed basket is probably the largest woven in Zulu basket history.  Tholi is no longer with us. She died of AIDS in December of 2003. This huge basket took 16 months to weave and was completed in November 2002.  Since it took more than a year, Tholi had to move the basket to her hut to continue her progress and to keep it out of the elements, rain and sun (fading).  But when completed, we couldn’t get it out of the front door so we had to dismantle a portion of her thatch roof to get it out. There were a lot of supervisors that day providing countless suggestions and comments.  Some suggestions even had merit like why did we not make a lean-to hut if we knew we were going to make something that big.  And of course, the typical comments such as we were crazy to make something this big.  “Can’t be used for anything...too tall, too wide and too heavy.”  Since it was a marriage pattern (i.e. a wedding basket), the number of cows requested as dowry for this basket was 160.  Nobody gets that many cows now.  And the list went on.  Tholi was a good friend, a wonderful artist and she will be missed.  She has a daughter that is a master weaver, however she is currently ill with AIDS.  The picture of her on the left, with John, shows how much weight she lost.  The basket she had started was never finished, and her sister finished it as a large bowl.  Her sister, who made the second largest Zulu basket (six feet tall) died of AIDS in 2004. 

move your mouse over the pictures for a description or click on them to enlarge

Every Zulu basket is made by hand, using indigenous raw materials. The fronds of the iLala Palm (Hyphaene Coriacea) (prounounced EYE-LA-LA), which grows along the North-Eastern Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal Province is commonly used to weave the fine, watertight baskets. Coils of marsh reeds and grasses are covered by either a figure-eight or wrapped stitch of the iLala palm fronds, many of which are dyed colors.  ilala palm fronds when dried have a natural cream color.  All basket colors are natural and obtained from boiling roots, leaves, berries and bark of indigenous flora. 

Learning to Weave

Following in the footsteps of their mothers and grandmothers, young Zulu girls are taught to weave using scraps left over from their mother’s or grandmother’s basketry work.  They entertain themselves and play, learning the various designs and methods of basket making.  By the time they reach their teens, they are fully conversant in the age-old art of Zulu Basket weaving.  When a village has a master weaver, she is a champion - passing on her knowledge, skill and example to younger less experienced weavers.  Often we see the finest baskets coming from villages with Master weavers.  When a village lacks a champion or Master weaver, the baskets are often inconsistent, of poorer quality and refinement. 

Collecting the Materials

The raw materials must be collected, dried and prepared or dyed.  Sourcing the raw materials is a lengthy process and these preparations can equal the time it takes to actually weave a basket.  For more information on the raw materials and dyes used, scroll down.  A basket is started from the bottom.  The coils of water grasses are wrapped by split iLala palm fronds.   

Some types of Zulu baskets can hold liquid because of the tightness of the coil/weave and the material used.  When liquids (traditionally home brewed beer of about 1% alcohol) are kept in the baskets, the material  swells, making the basket watertight, while the outside sweats.  This keeps the liquid cool by means of evaporation much like an evaporative (swamp) cooler. 

The form and function of Zulu basketry are closely related. While baskets usually fall into several basic categories, each weaver has her own style and actual shapes can vary quite a bit.  Occasionally completely unique shapes are created.  There are five basic shapes of woven artifacts that are constructed for domestic utilitarian purposes (and several minor styles which are actually variations on the other shapes/functions):

Other related African Zulu items:  Zulu Shields, Zulu weapons, Zulu spears, Zulu beadwork, Zulu knobkerries, Zulu Love Letters, Zulu Matron hats, Zulu Olivewood spoons (COMING SOON) 

Buying an African Basket is more than merely buying a handicraft, but acquiring for yourself an artistic interpretation of African culture while helping a woman gain independence.  Our weavers and their families thank you!

The Zulu craftspeople favor symmetry, precision and organization in the designs of their baskets — the qualities that seem to appear in their social patterns.   Traditionally, Zulu baskets were plain (the color of dried palm fronds) and only the Imbenge tops were decorated.  Today, baskets are highly sophisticated and have both traditional Zulu and other South African tribe (such as Ndebele) designs, typically from beadworks.  Many people and weavers believe each design has a specific meaning.  Some of the more popular meanings are below: 

move your mouse over the pictures for a description or click on them to enlarge

The ilala Palm

A variety of sustainably harvested plant materials are used to create different types of Zulu baskets.  These include:  ilala (pronounced EYE-LA-LA) palm fronds, Isikonko (a grass, however some five different grasses and reeds are used), Noebe (the bark of the wild banana tress) and Imizi (a water grass).  Ilala palm fronds are collected, pulled into strips, naturally dyed and then hung to dry as the traditional Zulu women prepare their other materials for basket-weaving. The palm fronds have a waxy coating which makes them ideal for the weaving of watertight baskets. 

The Ilala palm is, regrettably, no longer found in much of the Zulu's traditional home areas and where it is, the soil conditions are inferior and produce a very weak frond, unsuitable for the best baskets.   This is due to over collecting of the palm along with its purposeful destruction by Europeans (attempting to subjugate the Zulus). It was probably never common on the interior, as it is more of a low coastal palm.  With this in mind, one can assume that there was an extensive trade network set up to bring the material inland.  The palms grow to the west, near the coast, however the vast majority of the raw Ilala palm fibers that are used by our weavers is sustainably grown and harvested to the north, near the Mozambique border (many hours drive away).  The ilala palms that grow in this area grow in rich, fertile soils and produce the strongest, waxiest and best quality palm fronds - and thus the best for weaving superior quality, water tight baskets.

Sustainable Materials

While SOME poor quality ilala palm still grow in the region where the weavers live, good quality ilala palm is found farther north and must be either traded for or provided by the cooperative to the weavers. 

One family sustainably grows the palm fibers and our cooperative makes twice yearly collecting trips (often making multiple trips) to collect the dried and prepared materials that the cooperative provides (advances) to the weavers.  The palm trees are no longer killed, but the fronds are selectively harvested so that the tree continues to grow and live.  The leaves are robust, thick, costapalmate, up to 4 1/2 feet in diameter on a long petiole, the latter armed with thick, black, recurved thorns along its margins. The foliage is attractively grey-green with a whitish bloom on the leaf undersurfaces.  When we purchase a bundle (currently about $15-20 US $), we provide these FREE to the weavers.  This ilala palm is of SUPERIOR QUALITY, with strong, shiny leaves as compared to other ilala that is locally harvested.  It produces a superior basket and is worth the investment.  While we provide this palm fiber for the weavers, we only receive a fraction of it back - the weavers use it to produce their own baskets, mats, roofs as well as trade or sell it to other weavers!

Other uses for the ilala palm

The iLala palm is also used to create a wide range of other items besides just baskets, including:  sandals and mats and thatching of roofs.  But perhaps the most interesting economic use is in the vigorous local industry in the manufacture of palm brews: tapped stems and inflorescences produce a sugary sap which is fermented by natural yeasts into a kind palm wine or beer called ubuSulu or iNjemane which, when fresh, tastes rather like gingerbeer, however most westerners think it is quite awful and compare it to drinking, well... urine.

Even though, our non-profit Tribal home essentially purchases and provides the materials and commission the baskets, the cooperative does not receive a large percentage of the raw material back in the form of baskets (because the iLala is also used for other purposes and some of it is used to create baskets other than for our cooperative (sneaky, but true), the weavers will make mats and baskets and even dye and sell the fronds to other weavers!.   Some weavers try to pass off inferior baskets using local iLaLa palm fibers, however we turn these down and they are often sold to tourists or runners who sell them to the galleries and stores in South African towns.

Grasses

The other materials, including the various grasses or reeds and dyes are all sustainably harvested near the weaver's homes.  The grasses which typically forms the coils (and is covered by either a figure eight stitch or simply wrapped with split iLala palm fronds) are river/swamp grasses from about 15 species, including six primary grasses (most common:  Imizi, Nceme, Itkhantla among others).  These grasses grow in swampy areas or along the streams and rivers.  Different grasses are used either individually or mixed for different types of baskets or by different weavers.  The march and water grasses are used for watertight baskets because they a