Hlabisa Basketry

The baskets from around Hlabisa in Zululand are coiled from ilala palm leaf, wound in a spiral and stitched so tightly that traditional beer baskets, the ukhamba, held liquid without any lining - the fibre swells when wet and closes the weave. Colour comes from natural dyes: bark, roots and mud giving browns, blacks and ochres, worked into geometric patterns that vary by maker and family. The craft was reinvigorated from the 1970s through projects that connected rural weavers to galleries, and several Hlabisa weavers - Beauty Ngxongo among the best known - have work in museum collections abroad, which moved the baskets from household objects to collected art and raised prices accordingly. Weaving is mostly done by women at home between other work, and a good large basket takes weeks. Buying through cooperatives or named-maker outlets is how the money reaches the weaver.

What's there

• The waterproof coil - stitching tight enough that beer baskets held liquid unlined.
• The natural dyes - bark, root and mud colours in geometric patterns.
• The named weavers - makers whose work sits in international museum collections.
• The slow work - weeks of weaving for a single large basket.

When to go

All year. Half a day. Arrange village visits through a cooperative rather than arriving unannounced.

Practical notes

Good baskets are expensive and should be - the labour is enormous. Roadside imitations in dyed synthetic material are common. Weaving happens in homes, so visits need arranging. The area is rural with limited services.

Nearby

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is close; St Lucia and the coast are east.