SISAL BASKETS

These unique baskets are made out of sisal which is grown either on farms belonging to the basket weavers, or else purchased from sisal estates. Sisal is an exceptionally durable and strong material, and grows well in harsh Kenyan climates.

About the baskets

These unique baskets are made out of sisal which is grown either on farms belonging to the basket weavers, or else purchased from sisal estates in coast province. The leaves of the sisal plant are used to obtain a fibre which is rolled to twine, and then be woven to a basket.

The Taita ladies from the Kasigau Weaver’s Group dye the fibres themselves and then roll the twine on their lap. Making baskets is a very labour intensive art. The baskets come in a number of different colours and patterns, with each design entirely made up by these artistic Taita ladies!

About the ladies

Weaving baskets is a tradition in Taita culture. Hadithi baskets are made by Basket Weaver Women’s Groups in the rural villages between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks. Most groups meet every week to weave baskets together, and continue weaving in the at home, on the bus or even whilst walking to their neighbours. At the moment Hadithi is working with over 500 weavers in the area. We visit each group every two months and purchase the baskets on the spot. These meetings are also a great opportunity to chat with the groups and discover some of their needs. Every Hadithi basket comes with a photo of the lady who made it (although with the quick expansion we are going through we are missing photos in our database! its a work in progress).

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR BASKET

Sisal is famous for being an extremely strong and hardy material; it is resilient even to salt water! However, care should be taken when exposing your basket to full sunlight, since this will cause the colours to fade. Whilst a splash of water will not harm these baskets, drying your basket out if it is made wet is highly recommended. Otherwise the basket will loose its shape. Sisal is a natural product, and if it remains damp for a long period it will go mouldy. If you use your basket as a plant pot, you need to line it with a water proof bag.

FROM SISAL TO BASKET

1. The sisal plant

The weaver ladies either grow sisal plants (Agave Sisalana, Mexican origin) on their farms or else buy sisal fibres from the sisal estates in Mwatate. Sisal is an exceptionally durable and strong material, and grows well in harsh Kenyan climates. No pesticides nor chemical fertilizers are needed in sisal agriculture.

2. Down to fibres

The sisal leaves are decorticated (process by which outer parts of the plant are removed) until only the fibres remain. These fibres are typically 0.5 to 1 m long.

Stiff sisal fibre is used to make a vast array of products, everything from twine, rope, dartboards, cat scratching posts, lumbar support belts, rugs, slippers, cloths, disc buffers… and of course baskets!

Though in Kenya traditionally Sanseveria and baobab fibres have been used for basket weaving, now the ladies rely on sisal because of its suitability and vast availability.

3. Dyeing and drying

3 Dyeing and drying.

The sisal fibres are coloured by adding them to the desired dye and bringing them up to the boil. They are then left out in the shade to dry.

Traditionally ladies have used natural colorants like certain tree bark or soil to create earthen shades of black, brown, grey and pale pinks and yellows. Textile dyes are now broadly being used in order to obtain bright colours.

4. Rolling the twine

Using sisal fibres, the ladies have to roll it to produce twine. This requires amazing skill since it necessitates the women to roll, upon their bare legs, consistent amounts of sisal fibres into each other to obtain a good quality twine that has the same thickness all over. This is probably the most time consuming element of the entire basket making process.

5. Ready, steady, weave…!

Finally only once the lady has enough twine in the colour she wants, can begin weaving her basket. The weaving starts at the centre of the bottom of the basket.

6. Halfway…

Here you see Teresia Mulinga, a member of the Kisimenyi basket weaver group, weaving one of her many baskets. Though you may wonder how long it takes for her to weave a single basket, in fact this is not a simple question to answer. Not even Teresia herself can provide a precise estimate because of the vast number of variables it depends upon, for example how thin you roll the twine, how complicated the design, and how much time Teresia has between her daily tasks as a mother, a farmer, a wife, a community member…

7. Ready!

Teresia shows off her work – she will make just a single basket in this beautiful design…next time she will try out a different one – but it will be equally as beautiful!

PHOTO GALLERY

Take a closer look at some baskets below. These are examples to show the wonderful variety of baskets made by the Taita ladies; no two are the same!