Authentic Namibia hand-woven basket.
Makalani, in the far north of Namibia, in the Caprivi Strip area of the Okavango Delta, the Kavango and Ovambo people produce these traditional woven baskets.
Plant materials are plentiful in this area, which is the largest inland delta on earth and a true oasis in the Kalahari Desert.
Weavers harvest the local Makalani palm leaves and create vegetable-based dyes from flower petals and roots, using age-old recipes handed down from their ancestors. Getting the natural dye to soak into the waxy palm leaves is very tricky and some weaving material may be left soaking in a dye bath for more than a week at a time. The dyed palm leaves are wrapped around grass, which forms the interior of the coils.
Coil weaving is the most difficult type of basket weaving. Controlling the thickness and evenness of the coils takes years of practice to make these one-of-a-kind creations.
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