Ndebele basket #7 - Zimbabwe

These beautiful hand-woven baskets are named to the Ndebele tribe who live in Zimbabwe, more specifically in the region of Matabeleland.

The art of basket-weaving from ilala palm has been passed down for generations.

Lupane District in Zimbabwe area is prone to droughts and had a harsh history of hunger. The area is a farmer's nightmare, yielding only drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum and finger millet and receiving inadequate rainfall - just 450-600 mm annually - to allow extensive maize cropping. The Ndebele women started making baskets from the ilala palm, not only for daily use but also to sell them. Thus, these weavers became the cost winners.

Lastly, these inspirational rural women are also taking preventive measures of saving the indigenous forest-biodiversity, whereby they have begun planting ilala palms, an indigenous species of Zimbabwe, in order to cope with deforestation.

The baskets are unique and contempory eye-catchers.