Nested marriage basket set

This ensemble of baskets may have been woven for a bride’s dowry. A senior aunt or mother commissions the set, gathers broad raffia-palm fronds, and strips them into long ribbons. Working in a shaded pit that keeps the strands damp and pliable, she plaits the fibers in a tight over-under pattern. Each basket begins as a neat square; the walls curve into a cylinder and leather patches guard the four bottom corners. Thick hide is whip-stitched around every rim, and the largest basket receives a wide leather band sewn with bold zigzag stitches. A small, leather-clad cap fits into the smallest basket and secures the entire nest for travel.

Complete suites like this are rare because most families present only one or two baskets. The smoky scent and soot on the outer basket reveal years of practical service. After the wedding, the bride stored the set in the rafters above her cooking hearth, ready to measure grain, protect spices, or carry produce to market. Durable, portable, and filled with promise, the baskets remained her daily companions throughout married life.

Sandro Capo Chichi, Research Associate, Arts of Africa, 2025