Ilala garlic gourd basket #48

Using fibre from the palm tree, Ndebele weavers from Zimbabwe weave these gourd baskets. It is the palm's young leaves that are harvested and used to weave the baskets. Soft leaves are boiled to make them pale and pliable. They are then dried in the shade. Ready for weaving!

Palm tree leaves are used to weave many large baskets to storage grain, such as buhera baskets. The garlic basket design is a creative variation, intended only as decoration.

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