How a Basket is Made Gallery

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.

Veta Vera is tall and robust Veta Vera, shown again here, is a towering grass, and often grows over 12 feet high. It is robust and tough, with a sturdy root system, allowing it to be harvested multiple times, yet still regenerate and replenish with ease.

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.

Dried river grass ready to be woven into a basket A selection of straw at the local market, where there is a mixture of grass that is grown locally and that which is purchased from resellers in southern Ghana.

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.

Straw that is prepped and ready to dye After splitting, twisting, and back-rolling, the straw is ready to dye. Typically, only the horizontal strands are dyed and the vertical strands remain undyed.

Lighting a fire to begin the dying process The first step of dying the straw is to start a fire. Generally, dried millet stalks and corn cobs are used for the fire, with a bit of hardwood added.

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.

One dye bath results in an array of colors A vibrant display of resourcefulness, all of these bundles were dyed using a single dye bath, progressively adding more dyes to create more 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.

A group of dyers after a fruitful day After about four hours of intense work, this group dyed 6 bundles of straw into 4 different colors. A full moon was rising above the horizon as we traveled the dusty roads back home, after having witnessed a lot of colorful magic.

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.

Straw ready to be woven At long last, after the many important steps of preparation, the weaver can begin to weave her basket!

The first weaves form the structure of a basket Baskets are woven from the bottom up, so the initial weaves, shown here, are especially critical in establishing the integrity of the basket.

Vertical and horizontal weaves combine to create a round shape This weaver has started to add additional verticals to the mix, creating the round “belly” of a round basket. The interlocking vertical strands provide strength and stability to the body of the basket.

A colorful pattern begins to emerge Working row by row, incorporating the different colors available, the weaver forms unique patterns, each basket an expression of their creativity.

Finishing the top edge is crucial One of the most important steps, shown here, involves finishing the top edge, as this solidifies the structure of the entire basket.

Every basket requires immense dedication It’s a painstaking process and one that requires patience and focus.

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.

Handles lock tightly into the top edge After the top edge is finished, the handles are added next. The handles are woven tightly around the top edge, locking into the existing weave and extending upwards, forming the all-important structure by which a basket is carried in your hand.

“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.

Basket “ears” waiting to be trimmed A view into the belly of a round basket, where “ears” are waiting to be trimmed and attached to newly-finished baskets, demonstrating how every bit of straw is used judiciously.

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.

A goat skin being shaved Next, following their long soak, the goat skins are ready to be shaved. As shown here, the hair is removed using a long, dull blade with the skin draped over a large log or rock.

Seeds that will be crushed and made into a leather tannin treatment Special seeds, on display here, are crushed and the resulting material is added to water and used to soften the leather and make it more pliable.

A seed and water mixture used to treat the leather The seeds are crushed and mixed with water in pots, as shown, and then the skins are soaked in this tannin blend for about 2 days.

Bright red millet is used as a dye After the leather has soaked for 48 hours, it is rinsed and washed, and then it is placed in a bath of red millet, which results in its distinctive reddish color. Millet is a staple food in the region and is abundant during the rainy season.

Squeezing the millet out of the leather After soaking in the red millet, the skins are again washed, rinsed, and hung to dry. Here, the tannin is being squeezed out of the leather.

Skins hanging and drying An array of skins, fresh from the red millet bath, hanging to dry.

Skins laying out to dry in the sun The final step of treating the leather involves stretching out the skins on the soil and drying them thoroughly.

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.