Most recently, for a year and a half, I lived side by side with basket weavers in Namibia in a thatch grass hut.
Basketry leads one to contemplate the origin of art and the universe. Southern African weavers have been creating functional geometrical abstract art from found materials (palm fronds, ostrich eggs, wood) since the beginning of time. A genetic study of Africa suggests that the origin of humanity lies in a sandy, inhospitable region near the border of Namibia and Angola - the region where basket weaving is a traditional craft and where I lived with a community of basket weavers. Their artwork is contemporary and constantly changing while at the same time has direct roots in the beginning of humanity. The spiral, twirling, twisting and wrapping technique of basket weaving mirrors the underlying structure of creation, the universe and DNA. The African tradition abstracts color and form from the world and orders them into circular, rhythmic spiral objects that depict natures inner dynamic - the principles of multiplication, repetition, variety, division and unity - forces of nature unified under many ancestral gods. While traditional American basketry utilizes reeds, vines, bark, willow and grass, my Namibian baskets are created from palm fronds, thatch grasses, natural dyes from leaves, herbs, flowers and bark cooked over the open fire. Through material and technique, baskets provide a direct link to the wonders of the natural world. Baskets are made by weaving thousands of stitches around a grass coil, day after day, week after week, leading to a meditative consciousness.
Much craft is a symbol of feminine duty and domesticity. Yet paradoxically, in creating baskets we confronted a wild and dangerous environment. To gather the palm to make baskets, we had to cross the river to Angola in a dugout canoe. The river was full of hippos which are known for attacking and attempting to tip the dugout canoes. The banks of the river were often full of elephants eating the palm and drinking from the river in dry season. The elephants are also known for charging villagers and destroying huts and crops. We also had to watch out for witch doctors who were known for killing people to gather human body parts to incorporate into spells. In my attempt to have a cozy dwelling with beautiful handmade objects, I have risked malaria, wild animals, poisonous snakes (Black Mambas and Puff Adders) and scorpions, drowning, armed robbery, and heat stroke.
I would like to thank my basket-weaving mentors and colleagues: Patricia Kativa, Haushiku Richildis, Elisabeth Modise, Magdalena and Ingrid Kakuru “The Owl,” Mangundu Elfriede, Oda Makena, Shitemo Mbava, Djami Anastacia, Muronga Marta, Salome Shifura, Leopoldina Kativa, Annali Vasco, Mykoya Astid, Ndonga Nkaiyra, Banse Alberta, Mantjodi Shipete Othilia, Mate Christina, Matjayi Renhilde, Muyenga Monica, Kampanja Ndambu, Ndara Margaret, Ntumba Mwambu, Muyenga Anna, Katrina Shifura and others.
Basketry leads one to contemplate the origin of art and the universe. Southern African weavers have been creating functional geometrical abstract art from found materials (palm fronds, ostrich eggs, wood) since the beginning of time. A genetic study of Africa suggests that the origin of humanity lies in a sandy, inhospitable region near the border of Namibia and Angola - the region where basket weaving is a traditional craft and where I lived with a community of basket weavers. Their artwork is contemporary and constantly changing while at the same time has direct roots in the beginning of humanity. The spiral, twirling, twisting and wrapping technique of basket weaving mirrors the underlying structure of creation, the universe and DNA. The African tradition abstracts color and form from the world and orders them into circular, rhythmic spiral objects that depict natures inner dynamic - the principles of multiplication, repetition, variety, division and unity - forces of nature unified under many ancestral gods. While traditional American basketry utilizes reeds, vines, bark, willow and grass, my Namibian baskets are created from palm fronds, thatch grasses, natural dyes from leaves, herbs, flowers and bark cooked over the open fire. Through material and technique, baskets provide a direct link to the wonders of the natural world. Baskets are made by weaving thousands of stitches around a grass coil, day after day, week after week, leading to a meditative consciousness.
Much craft is a symbol of feminine duty and domesticity. Yet paradoxically, in creating baskets we confronted a wild and dangerous environment. To gather the palm to make baskets, we had to cross the river to Angola in a dugout canoe. The river was full of hippos which are known for attacking and attempting to tip the dugout canoes. The banks of the river were often full of elephants eating the palm and drinking from the river in dry season. The elephants are also known for charging villagers and destroying huts and crops. We also had to watch out for witch doctors who were known for killing people to gather human body parts to incorporate into spells. In my attempt to have a cozy dwelling with beautiful handmade objects, I have risked malaria, wild animals, poisonous snakes (Black Mambas and Puff Adders) and scorpions, drowning, armed robbery, and heat stroke.
I would like to thank my basket-weaving mentors and colleagues: Patricia Kativa, Haushiku Richildis, Elisabeth Modise, Magdalena and Ingrid Kakuru “The Owl,” Mangundu Elfriede, Oda Makena, Shitemo Mbava, Djami Anastacia, Muronga Marta, Salome Shifura, Leopoldina Kativa, Annali Vasco, Mykoya Astid, Ndonga Nkaiyra, Banse Alberta, Mantjodi Shipete Othilia, Mate Christina, Matjayi Renhilde, Muyenga Monica, Kampanja Ndambu, Ndara Margaret, Ntumba Mwambu, Muyenga Anna, Katrina Shifura and others.