Large Double Weave Yikene Tote - Pick of the Day
Twice the weave, twice the strength, the large double weave Yikene tote is our toughest Bolga basket for people who really load a bag.
Weavers in Ghana work two strands of Bolga elephant grass together in a double weave, creating a denser, thicker wall than a standard tote. Leather-wrapped, reinforced handles finish it for heavy everyday carrying. This is a pick-of-the-day piece: a one-of-a-kind, multicolor basket from our current stock, handmade and fairly traded.
It is a market basket that shrugs off heavy hauls, a handsome laundry or storage basket at home, and a beach bag that lasts season after season.
You will receive one multicolored double weave Yikene tote, each one of a kind, with shaping instructions and a page of information on Ghana baskets. Reshape by briefly dipping in water (keep the leather dry), shaping by hand and letting it dry.
Product Size: Approximately 16 to 18 Inches in Diameter x 11 to 13 Inches Deep
Weaving Details
Weavers collect veta vera straw, which is at the top of the grass known locally as kinkahe, leaving the grass roots in the soil to regrow. Then each piece is split in half vertically.
Each half of the split straw is then strengthened by rolling it into a tight twist.
The straw is put in bunches and dyed in boiling water. For bright colors the straw is dyed yellow first, then the color.
Weaving Bolga baskets in Ghana
For many generations, weaving has been a traditional skill of the Gurune people of northern Ghana. Mostly done by women, basket weaving and other handicrafts supplement these subsistence farmers’ incomes.
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