ENTWINED
The Ancient Craft of Basketry Basketry weaving is one of the most ancient crafts around the world. Only this March 2021 in Wadi Muraba’at, Israel, archaeologists recently announced the discovery of possibly the oldest woven basket dated to around 10,500 years ago. While organic materials largely disintegrate through time, they state that the arid conditions of the area contributed to the preservation of this basket. Other places like the Philippines and other tropical areas—where the environment is more humid and prone to destroying organic materials—are not so lucky. These organic materials eventually wither away, and can only be remade with the craftsmanship of the basket weavers. Storing materials may seem ubiquitous today, but owning several baskets in a house indicates that the person may have many belongings that would need protection from the everyday elements. Heavy materials used for storing things may be difficult to transport but may be displayed prominently to show their elegance. For highly mobile people, lighter materials are well-suited for their lifestyle. Forms are also influenced by the intent of the storage’s use. Wider openings may indicate that these are used for the storing of solids, such as fruits or agricultural products, which need to be easily gathered by hand. The Philippines has a wide array of basket forms, all depending on their use. Moreover, the weaves, their sizes, and even the fibers used to produce these point to a craft and artistry that has spanned centuries. The practicality of their storage use hints at the multiplicity of their use and an art that has been passed down through generations of practice.
Rattan and bamboo are the favored plants used to form a basket. These are gathered from nearby forests and stripped down to their thinnest fiber form using metal knives. Resin from trees is smoked to produce black color, woven with other naturally-colored fibers to create patterns both for aesthetic purposes or as identifiers of their group. The basket makers have keen eyes; that they can identify if a basket is their own based on the patterns of weaving technique and the patterns of colors produced. Baskets are commonly used as containers which include the person’s clothing, their precious jewelry, or even their small anik-anik, small stuff that needs to be contained. Because of their light nature, these can be easily transported and stored within the house. A house may contain a basket where the rice for cooking is contained. Under the house, the basket chicken coops are hung under the floor, woven doors kept to ensure that they are safe at night from preying animals.
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The Multiplicity of Basket Use
Some of the sturdier baskets are used for transporting agricultural materials, such as rice husks, fruits, vegetables, and others. These are commonly big and placed at the back of the carrier while the straps are loomed around their arms as with a backpack. In Ifugao, there are special baskets where pork meat is stored after a hunt. It is bad luck to bring home an empty basket, so the hunters have to ensure that this will be avoided. Smaller bags can be strapped around the
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waist or arms alongside metal weapons. These may contain betel nuts, tobacco, or other important items such as anting-anting or good luck charms. Some containers have openings that are wider than usual. Winnowing baskets, previously a common sight in Southeast Asia especially in the Philippines, were used to air dry the husk as well as to separate the rice from the chaff before cooking. Woven baskets used as fish traps have narrower entrances. These are left by the flowing river to catch fish flowing with the current and ensnares these until the owner comes back and uses the same traps to transport the fish to their homes. Organic, Resistant, and Transformative Eventually, the baskets will break or rot and must be replaced. Despite their sturdy nature, humidity and time will eventually whether these baskets. Insects or rodents may chew through the organic material. The owner will have no choice but to throw these away and make a new product until that, too, must be replaced.
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In recent times, basket-making is one of the dying local crafts as storages are replaced by eventually plastic, and with livelihood transformed through industrialization. However, the art of basket weaving is still present through the change of material. Nowadays, people are taught to continue weaving baskets, but with some utilizing plastic materials instead of the traditional bamboo and rattan. This leads to the organic baskets transforming from their primary use as storage and agricultural containers to become art pieces. Nevertheless, there may be hope for the basket weavers as communities now turn to sustainable ways. The value for organic materials has continued to flourish. In this sense, basket weavers continue to pave the way towards a balance of art and necessity.
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