Origin Of Basket

Can anyone tell me where this may have come from? Stands 2" tall and measures 11" across.

 

Your basket is made of raffia, a fiber derived from several species of palm native to Africa and Madagascar. This material and style of coiling and stitching became popular among hobbyist basketmakers in the late 19th-early 20th century. In his 1904 book "How to Make Indian and Other Baskets", George Wharton James describes the use of raffia for coiling. He specifically mentions the work of the Pocumtuck Society of Deerfield, Massachusetts, which was a group of Euro-American women, saying their work had inspired other "groups of village workers in basketry in different localities". Raffia work was also adopted as a suitable craft for children, such as students at the Teacher's College in New York.


George Wharton James. How to Make Indian and Other Baskets

http://artscrafts-deerfield.org/artsapp/person.do?shortName=raffia

These coiled raffia baskets have frequently been mistaken for Native American work.

 

Thanks 2many

 

We purchased 2 of these baskets in the early 80s from a gift shop out in Arizona. Although they didn't cost a lot, we assumed they were NA made locally. I've used them for years to serve bread and sometimes chips. They have faded from their brighter original color. I had no idea they are raffia and could have come from anywhere! LOL, live and learn. Kraft's are nicer than mine.

 

Your basket is most probably from Sonora, Mexico, and made of local palm fibers. Although both yours and kraftblue's are coiled, there is a difference in the stitches used to join the coils. The Mexican weavers use a distinctive spaced stitch that holds the coils slightly apart. In the raffia basket, the stitches hold the coils close together.

 

don't the chip crumbs fall thru the centre of that basket..?

 

I didn't mention it but I always place a paper napkin in the bottom of the basket before the contents go in. Otherwise the basket would get all greasy, foody, gross.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I can see the difference now that you pointed it out. My mom also had a pair of similar baskets but she wasn't done using them when I bought mine. My sister who is 10 years younger than me has them now. I love the stuff that just lasts and lasts. Not only do you get your money's worth but the items acquire memories over the years.