The Buhera Basket is a traditional basket unique to Zimbabwe. It is a sculptural basket that adds beautiful texture and character to any space. They look best in groups of different sizes for a fuller effect.
This basket gets its name from the rural district of Buhera located in the Manicaland Province, in southeastern Zimbabwe. As one of the poorest districts in Zimbabwe, there is very little employment and the main occupation is subsistence farming, done mainly by women whose husbands usually leave the rural villages to find work in larger towns. The landscape of Buhera is dry and low-lying, and the women grow maize or sorghum, as well as vegetables - if the scarce rainfall allows. Basket weaving allows these women to use their talents and skills and provide for their families and communities, while still being able to run their households and tend for their children.
The baskets are tightly woven with an ancient weaving technique passed down through generations using local cane, and are traditionally used to store and carry the harvested grains. No two baskets are exactly the same shape, and this is part of the beauty of this extraordinary product.
Due to the wide variety of beautiful organic shapes the baskets come in, it is a CONTOUR measurement, not a straight LxWxH. They are measured using a soft tape measure - the tape is run from the center of the base of the basket, around the curve of the bowl, then up the neck. Please look at the measurement chart for clarification.
Measurements:
Small 12-15"
Medium 16-19"
Large 20-23"
X-Large 24-27"
XX-Large 28-32"
Made in: Zimbabwe
