Climbing Stairs Dark Color Genuine African Zulu Herb Ilala Palm Storage Basket

Description

TRADITIONAL Zulu Herb/Storage Basket
Wonderful Weaving in a Small Basket
Dark Colors
You will receive the basket pictured below.
Perfect for Storing Herbs and Small Treasures.
18″ around at its widest point and 6.5″ tall.
Sometimes you see a Zulu basket and you know you love it.
It is also the only one of its kind in the world.
You will receive the basket pictured.
The Zulus are the largest tribe in Southern Africa, renowned for their artistry and craftsmanship. Many women make beautiful baskets using traditional art forms in order to supplement their incomes. For many this is their only means of support. Women work in their homes, assimilating basket weaving into their normal routines permitting them to raise their children, work in the fields, collect water or do other daily chores. Indigenous raw materials are used in making these hand-woven baskets. It can take up to a month to produce a medium-sized basket with its own unique size, shape and design. Each piec
e is a true collector’s item.
We work with several collectives in South Africa that are helping women and HIV affected individuals to become financially self-sufficient.
Small traditional Zulu herb containers are used to hold culinary and medicinal herbs. Baskets made for holding herbs have a looser weave to allow the herbs to dry, while those made to hold fluids have a tighter weave. Zulu beer is made by allowing maize (corn) to soak in water in a covered basket until it is fermented. The beer is then wrung through a flexible basket and the grain is then given to the domesticated guinea hens. It is quite funny to watch the drunken hens wobble around. oh, and by the way, the beer is very tasty too.
The Isichumo is a rigid, bottle-shaped basket used for carrying liquids, it has a lid, which fits over the neck like a cap. The same technique is used for the Ukhamba and works on the same principles.
Traditional
Symbols Used in Zulu Baskets
Diamond
Female
Triangle
Male
2
Diamonds
(one above the other)
Married
Woman
2
Triangles
(forming an hourglass)
Married
Man
*Zig
Zags
A Male
Basket
(“Assegais of Shaka”)
*Diamond
Variations
A
Feminine Basket
(“Shields of Shaka”)
*These
symbols are often combined
for family baskets. Frequently each family member will have their own
basket.
Family baskets are commonly used to store dried goods (i.e., nuts,
beans,
herbs, etc.).
Common
Colors Used in Zulu
Baskets
Brown
(Ububende)
Palm
leaves are kept in muddy soil
for
up to a week
Khaki
Green  & Khaki
Brown (Mxuba)
Palm
leaves are soaked and boiled in
a
mixture of cow dung and water
Black
(Omniyama)
Palm
leaves are first precolored in
river
mud and then boiled for 8 hours in a leaf and water mixture from the
Umbuque
tree.
Lilac
(Ubukhwebezane)
Palm
leaves are boiled in a mixture
of
crushed shrub leaves and water.
Pale
Red (Bomvu)
Palm
leaves are boiled for 2 days in
a
mixture of crushed Tal shrub leaves and water.
Buyers who qualify will be covered by PayPal Buyer’s protection Purchase will be shipped once payment clears. New York State residents add sales tax. See our other wonderful gift items and save on shipping by making multiple purchases. Email queries welcomed. Auction winner agrees to respond by email within 3 days and pay within 10.
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gifts, shop with us and earn a fabulous reputation. We work hard to find
unusual, affordable and enduring gifts for our customers to order from
home! You’ll be amazed by the variety of very special gift items we have
collected from all over the world.
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ebay store
for other wonderful Zulu and African crafts.
Large selection of items suitable as
KWANZAA
Heritage Gifts (Zawadi).
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