Help w/ID African? Pictorial Basket

hi everyone. i came across this basket last week in one of my favorite thrift stores. it immediately jumped out at me. i love the primitive art design. i assumed it was African because there were several other African pieces here and there in the store, but i haven't been able to find anything like this online. the closest match i've found, in terms of the weaving, is Panamanian. it stands 9.5 inches in height. i really didn't think it would be too difficult to identify, but it has turned out to be something i'm really not sure of. i'm hoping someone here on this discussion forum has some ideas. also, all of the pics have a liberal amount of photoshop burn through the centers as the flash really lightened up that area. among other things, this basket has a beautiful rich variation to the colors...thanks

 

Based on the overall shape, the shape of the stitches, the center start, rim finish, colors and flat lid - I think probably from Botswana. Compare with these baskets -

https://mosinteriorart.com/products/botswana-basket-1

https://africandesertcrafts.com/shop/baskets/botswana-baskets/7-75-tall-botswana-basket/prod_14.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/157107565107

 

thank you for your help. that first one is a dead ringer in terms of the weaving. the second one is similar, but not as strong a match. the third link isn't showing up on my browser. but, based on this, i would assume this is probably Botswanan. i would still like to find an example with this abstract design woven into the basket. i'll start digging.

 

You may not find an exact match to the design. Some patterns have names and may appear similar, but each weaver is free to express her own interpretation. For a good discussion of the baskets made by the Bayei and Hambukushu in the Ngamiland region of Botswana, I would recommend a book by Rhoda Levinsohn - Basketry: A Renaissance in Southern Africa.

And here is a nice online site, including a video of the preparation of the materials -

https://ngamilandbaskets.com/tes2/

 

plus.... an experienced weaver will not make two identical baskets , even though a design structure may be something they enjoy doing on numerous creations...

 

yes, when i say "this abstract design" i'm really talking about abstracted design in general. i haven't come across any African baskets with this sort of abstraction. this piece has a sort of modernist look to it. that's what initially attracted me to the piece. to my eye it's very unique. anyway, thank you for your help.

 

That is actually one of the features that supports your basket's being from a Bayei weaver in Botswana. Their designs are described as often asymmetrical and (to our eyes) abstract in form. Here are two examples of a design called Maru (cloud) -



This photo is from the book I recommended above. Published in 1979, Levinsohn was documenting basketry of that period (and earlier). She explains that there was a revival of basketry during the 1970s, encouraged by developers and missionaries as a viable source of income. I suspect that as their baskets reached broader markets there was a greater emphasis on more symmetrical, geometric designs which many westerners find more appealing.