Tutsi Basket Tight Weave Flat Rwanda African Art
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SKU
115575
Special Price
$99.00
Regular Price
$195.00
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$8.98
| Brand | Unbranded |
|---|---|
| Type of Object | Flat Basketry |
| Country of Origin | Rwanda, Burundi |
| People | Tutsi |
| Materials | Straw |
| Approximate Age | Mid 20th Century |
| Dimensions | 6.25 Inches Diameter |
| Overall Condition | Fair. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners. Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use. We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings. Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage. |
Lidded baskets such as this are among the most exquisite artworks made by the Tutsi or by people of other ethnic groups, including Hutu and Twa people. The Tutsi (Watutsi or Watusi) people live mainly in Rwanda and Burundi along side with the Hutu and the Twa with whom they share similar cultures and speak the same language, the Kinyaruanda.
The Tutsi excel in producing these beautiful miniature lidded baskets, which become symbols of the Tutsi culture. These baskets called Agaseki were made from vegetable fibers of sisal and papyrus trees (Nigwegwe). The grasses of these trees were soaked in the water for almost two weeks to make them soft. Then they were beaten with stones and dried. Earlier examples like this were made of the natural pale gold color of the fibers decorated with the patterns in black which came from boiling the root and seeds of the Urukamgi plant or the banana flowers. Recent examples incorporate imported dyes including red, green, orange, and mauves. The range of the patterns is unlimited and shows the creativity of women from Rwanda and Burundi. Many of these designs have specific names. These baskets were served as containers to transport valued foods such as eggs, milk, beans, meat, and other valuable objects. They were presented as wedding gifts to a bride and groom. They were also used as decoration. After the genocide of 1994, the miniature baskets have became symbols of peace, as Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa women sit side by side to weave the “peace baskets”. They have new designs and are more colorful compare to these earlier examples. Also, the straw used for these new baskets is thicker than the traditional ones. For more examples of Tutsi Basket see AFRICA. THE ART OF CONTINENT, p. 158, figs. 2.44a. See also COLLECTION MARC AND DENYSE GINZBERG, Sotheby's, Paris, 10 Septembre 2007, fig. 125, p. 201
Recommended Reading:
Kathleen Margaret Trowell. Tribal Crafts of Uganda. London: Oxford University Press, 1953
Georges Celis. " The Decorative Arts in Rwanda and Burundi" in African Arts 4(1), 1970:40-42
Margaret Carey, "Five Miniature Baskets ", In AFRICA. THE ART OF A CONTINENT, T. Phillips (ed.), pp. 158-59. Munich Prestel, 1995