These beautiful, handcrafted baskets have been a part of the Rwandan culture for centuries. Woven from natural fibers and grasses, Rwanda’s women learned to weave these beautiful baskets at the hand of their mothers and grandmothers, carrying on a tradition that had been passed down from generation to generation. Much like the quilting tradition of America’s pioneer days, Rwanda’s baskets symbolized a coming together of Rwanda’s women to provide for the needs of their families while also instilling a love and respect in their children for their country and their culture.
Rwanda’s Baskets Are Used for Many Purposes
These intricately-woven baskets serve many functions in Rwandan society – they are used as containers for grain and food products, as packages for small gifts, as markers for such new beginnings as weddings and baby christenings. In times past Rwandan women used the smallest of these baskets to exchange secret greetings or messages with one another. Today the baskets of Rwanda hold much more than simple greetings between friends – today these baskets symbolize a fresh start for a country that is moving beyond it’s painful past. The new Rwandan coat of arms has at its center one of these beautiful handcrafted baskets symbolizing a future filled with hope – the weaving together of a formerly divided nation into a new and unified Rwanda.
