Weaving

Weaving History

The beautiful Rwandan handcrafted baskets have been a part of the Rwanda culture for centuries. Woven from natural fibers and grasses, Rwanda’s women learned to weave these beautiful baskets at the hand of their mothers and grandmothers, carrying on a tradition that had been passed down from generation to generation. Much like the quilting tradition of America’s pioneer days, Rwanda’s baskets symbolized a coming together of Rwanda’s women to provide for the needs of their families while also instilling a love and respect in their children for their country and their culture.

Multi purpose baskets
These intricately-woven baskets serve many functions in Rwandan society – they are used as containers for grain and food products, as packages for small gifts, as markers for such new beginnings as weddings and baby christenings. In times past Rwandan women used the smallest of these baskets to exchange secret greetings or messages with one another. Today the baskets of Rwanda hold much more than simple greetings between friends – today these baskets symbolize a fresh start for a country that is moving beyond it’s painful past. The new Rwandan coat of arms has at its center one of these beautiful handcrafted baskets symbolizing a future filled with hope – the weaving together of a formerly divided nation into a new and unified Rwanda.

Weaving Process

How the Baskets are Made
Weaving these beautiful one-of-a-kind baskets is an intricate and time-consuming process that requires much attention to detail on the part of each weaver. These baskets are made from natural raw materials that all can be found growing in Rwanda – sisal fibers, sweet grass, banana leaves and raffia. Dyed with either natural plant pigments or tea leaves as well as with commercial dyes, these baskets represent designs that have been woven in many cases for centuries.

Sisal Leaves
The sisal fibers come from the leaves of the sisal plant. These leaves are often sold at local markets but can also be harvested by the weavers themselves. Weavers make sure that the sisal leaves they choose have not been damaged or bruised in any way to ensure a high quality sisal fiber.

Extracting the fibers
The sisal fibers are taken from inside the sisal leaves – extracted with a combination of the machete blade and water poured over the leaf to help loosen the fibers. Once extracted, sisal fibers are washed again and again to ensure that they are clean and white.

Preparing the sisal fibers
The extracted fibers are then hung outside to dry. The weaver then can choose to dye the fibers in a hot dye bath or leave them white to be used naturally. Once the fibers are dyed, they are again hung to dry completely.

Weaving
Now the weaving process can begin. Weavers use several strands of fibers grouped together to sew each coil of their basket – or in the case of the fruit bowl these fibers are coiled around a small bunch of sweet grass to give the stiffness that is needed in the fruit bowl production. Weavers continue with their coiling, making ever larger circles as they expand their baskets outward and upward – changing needles and thread with every color change.