Basket

About this object

History of use

Flat tray-like baskets (ongalo) are used for winnowing maize, as well as serving food. Grass weaving is done by both men and women, but baskets are traditionally woven by most women. Geometric patterns are common in Ovimbundu basketry and certain designs have names with meanings. In some cases, geometric designs are used to indicate a standard of capacity within the basket.

Specific techniques

The dyes used in this basket are brown and amber-yellow. Yellow dye is made from roots of wild rhubarb (ocilunguluila). The roots are pounded and placed in cold water with the grasses used to create the coils. Afterwards, the mixture is placed in a fire to boil for half an hour, turning the grasses amber-yellow. To create brown dye, yellow and red dye are mixed together; shade of brown determined by ratio of red and yellow dyes. Red dye is made by cooking leaves from an evava plant and boiling them in water with bark of the ukondo tree. After they are sufficiently simmered, they are mixed with ash and buried. Another way to create brown dye is by making a lighter black dye. Black dye is made when evava leaves are mixed in an iron solution; iron is obtained from stagnant muddy pools. Grass are placed into the evava-iron solution and boiled to darken. It can be darkened further by boiling the solution again and adding pounded ungalo leaves.

Physical description

A coiled circular basket with sides that flare slightly. The flat sides and bottom are natural coloured with a brown and orange design made of two people opposite one another along with two other geometrical designs opposite one another. The rim has a design which consists of orange and natural coloured crosses dark brown middles on a dark brown background. There is a central circular coil row at the bottom of the basket with the same design as the rim.