When holding a basket in your hand, admiring the artistry and tapestry of color, you may likely wonder how it came to be. Can something so intricate, so unique, so detailed, so striking to the eye, and so durable, really be made by hand from simple river grass? The answer, astonishingly, is yes, and the weavers of Bolgatanga are nothing short of masterful at what they do. The following photo gallery will detail the whole process step-by-step, but afterward, make sure to watch a hyper-speed time-lapse called Fast basket in our video gallery, which shows the complete hours-long weaving process in just minutes.
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Veta Vera, also known as elephant grass Every basket--a culmination of devotion, expertise, and artisanship--can be traced back to its humble beginnings: river grass. Veta Vera, shown in this pic and also known colloquially as elephant grass, is found throughout the equatorial band of Africa wherever there is sufficient water, but only in Ghana is it used to produce Bolga baskets. It is harvested several times each rainy season without disturbing the plant, ensuring that there will be more the following year.
Elephant grass during the rainy season Another view of the elephant grass, which thrives along waterways and river deltas. The basket-weaving industry has been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy in northern Ghana, and as it has expanded, a secondary industry of collecting and transporting grass arose. Because of this, nowadays more of the grass comes from southern Ghana than from Bolgatanga. The rainy seasons vary by region, making it advantageous to harvest grass wherever there is ample rainfall at any given time and distribute it nationwide. Nevertheless, there are times of drought annually, making grass very hard to come by and resulting in huge fluctuations in price. For this reason, we often buy large quantities of grass when it is plentiful and the cost is low. This allows us to provide the weavers the supplies they need, at reduced or no cost, when grass is scarce and overpriced in the local markets.
Weavers at one of the many straw markets After the grass is harvested, it must be dried for several weeks before it can be sold or used to weave a basket. Straw markets abound in Bolgatanga, as shown here, where some of the women have harvested the grass themselves and bring it to the market to sell. These women are intimately involved in every step of the process, as they also generally weave baskets as well.
Weavers carefully choosing their straw With a bounty of grass to choose from, the women are diligent about buying the highest-quality bundles that will best suit the type of baskets they are planning to weave. If you look closely at the baskets in your store, you will notice a variety of straw used, as some are thinner and others are thicker. There are also several different preparations of the straw: split, not split, twisted once, or twisted twice. These nuances vary depending on the specific basket type and speak to the craftsmanship of the weavers.
A weaver splitting straw with her teeth After the straw is purchased, the multi-faceted process of weaving a basket begins. The first step involves splitting the strands of straw in their teeth. To view a video of this methodical task, and one that is crucial for prepping the straw, see Splitting grass in our video gallery.
Rolling and back-rolling straw fibers After splitting the straw, the weaver rolls it on their leg or on a flip-flop to twist each fiber and back-roll it. This can also be seen in Twisting straw in our video gallery. Throughout every step of making a basket, the women work together in groups, as shown here, and their friendship and fellowship are palpable.
The dying process in action Creating a specific color is akin to wizardry, as most colors require combining various dyes in just the right proportions. The straw needs to soak for 30 minutes or more for the dye to bind to it, and a deft dyer will start with the lightest color and gradually add more colors to create a variety of different tints with one dye bath. In this way, she can dye several bundles of straw into an assortment of colors.
A master dyer working his magic Straw-dying is a specialized and sought-after skill. Pictured here is a master dyer who works with us to create the most stunning colors. Black-colored straw is almost unheard of in Ghana, but this dyer can create it by mixing 4 or 5 different colors in the perfect proportions; it is wondrous alchemy in real-time.
Weaving under the shade of a Baobab tree The weavers gather under enormous Baobab trees, which are a part of the natural landscape of Ghana. To get a better sense of this typical scene, see Weaving a basket together in our video gallery. In addition to weaving baskets, they discuss village matters, talk over issues together, and share in childcare among the group. They also exchange straw colors, allowing for more intricate, beautiful, and surprising color combinations. The green seen in the foreground of this photo is a peanut crop. Furthermore, as seen in Family house weaving in the video gallery, sometimes a single family will weave as a group, with several generations all working in tandem.
Women and children sharing in the basket-weaving As with so many aspects of life in Bolgatanga, basket-weaving is communal and there is a real solidarity between all of the different women and their children. Whenever we visit the weaving cooperatives, they show their gratitude by spontaneously breaking into song and dance, as shown in Celebration and expression of gratitude in our video gallery.
This basket is nearing completion Completing the top edge is a gratifying feeling, as exemplified by this weaver’s smile, and at this point, a basket is well on its way to full fruition. To watch a video of this important step, see Working on the top edge in our video gallery.
“Ears” are an ornamental addition “Ears” are often added as part of the process of attaching the handles and they are a decorative touch. Not every weaver adds “ears” to each basket; it is up to the weaver’s discretion. Note how they are not integral, but rather, ornamental. Since they are not structural, we recommend not using them as hangers.
A handle after it has been finished Once the “ears” and handles are attached to the basket, the fibers are brought together and straw is used to tightly wrap both sides, creating one continuous handle. Some baskets are left like this, but most basket handles will next be wrapped in leather, which adds strength, comfort, and style. To see a basket handle being formed, check out Weaving a basket handle in our video gallery. And lastly, the final step in the hard-earned weaving process involves trimming all of the fibers with a razor blade, which can be seen in Final basket trimming in the video gallery.
Goat skins are used to make basket handles After buying the completed baskets from the weavers, we add leather to most of them. In Ghana, as with most developing countries, nothing is wasted. This is certainly true of goats, which are a staple in their diet, and every part of the animal is used. We buy goat skins from the local “butchers” and then they are tanned and colored with natural materials, beginning with a bath in ash. Emblematic of the cooperative nature of village life, local food stand proprietors, who burn wood for cooking, gather up their ashes and bring them to the skin-tanning area. The skins then soak for up to 3 days in this ash bath, making the goat hair easier to remove.
Leatherworkers adding leather handles to baskets With our skins treated and our baskets fresh from the market, it’s now time for our leatherworkers to bring their talents into the fold. We employ about 20 leather workers full time, with a seemingly never-ending stream of baskets to work on. Once they carefully add the leather handles, which can be seen in Leatherworkers adding finishing touches in the video gallery, the basket is complete and ready to size, quality-check, sack, and send on its way to America. For more info about the next phase of a basket’s story, as it travels over land and sea from Africa to your living room, please see our Journey of a Basket photo gallery.