The art of Bolga basket weaving can be a rewarding and tedious task! Skilled artisans who often have acquired the skill passed on from generations continue to carry on this unique tradition. Bolgatanga (Bolga for short), where elephant grass Bolga baskets originate, is a town in the Northern part of Ghana in West Africa. Elephant grass (Veta vera grass) is found in the Savannah regions of Africa along waterways. From this tall, resilient grass comes the beautiful and unique Bolga basket. Bolga basket-making involves three primary stages (planning, weaving, and finishing).
Planning
The elephant grass is harvested, dried, and split in half to make it easy to handle during weaving.
Depending on the color scheme desired by the artisan, the grass is boiled in an often plant-based dye solution.
The dyed elephant grass is allowed to dry thoroughly.
The next step is rolling the grass to give it a coarse texture that facilitates weaving.
Weaving
When all the needed elephant grass is prepped, weavers begin weaving in intricate designs that are entirely memory dependent. There are no sketch pads or models to replicate! Only ingenuity, talent, and a fantastic ability to create masterpieces from memory. The artisan makes a solid base for the basket first. Weaving begins from the bottom and often takes seven days to complete.
Finishing
After the weaving process is complete, baskets often require meticulous trimming of excess grass. Specialized artisans fix optional embellishments like handles made of either leather or grass.
Handmade Bolga baskets are uniquely made according to the specification of each artisan. As such, variations in size, color and style may exist. However, these variations make the Bolgatanga basket distinct and one of a kind!
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