Zulu Baskets: Palm, Grass and Telephone Wire

Hold a traditional Zulu basket up to the light, and you may be surprised: you cannot see through it. The weaving is so tight that some baskets can hold liquid, including the thick, sour sorghum beer called utshwala. Look closely at the surface, and you will see triangles, diamonds and zigzags in shades of cream, brown, black and rust, woven into the coils. These baskets, made from the leaves of the ilala palm and other plants, are among the finest in Africa. And alongside them, Zulu weavers have created another, more surprising art: baskets of brightly coloured telephone wire.

Weavers of KwaZulu-Natal

Basket weaving has a long history among the Zulu and other Nguni peoples of KwaZulu-Natal, in eastern South Africa. Baskets were essential household objects, used for:

• Storing and carrying grain, especially maize and sorghum.
• Brewing and serving beer, an important part of social and ceremonial life.
• Carrying goods on the head.
• Covering pots of food and drink.

Weaving has traditionally been done mostly by women, though men have also woven, especially in some areas and for certain types of objects. Skills are passed down through families, and some regions, such as Hlabisa in northern KwaZulu-Natal, became famous for their master weavers.

The ilala palm

The main material is the ilala palm (Hyphaene coriacea), which grows in the hot lowlands of northern KwaZulu-Natal. Weavers cut the young leaves, split them into narrow strips and dry them. Other materials include grasses such as imizi and incema (used for mats).

Baskets are made using the coil technique: a bundle of grass is wound into a spiral, and each round is stitched to the previous one with strips of palm. The finer the strips and the tighter the stitches, the finer the basket. A large, finely woven basket can take weeks or months to make.

Natural dyes

Weavers traditionally dye the palm strips with natural colours from plants, roots, bark and earth:

• Brown and rust from the roots or bark of certain trees.
• Black from boiling with leaves and mud, or with certain roots.
• Pink and purple from fruits and berries.

The patterns, often triangles, diamonds and zigzags, are created by alternating dyed and undyed strips.

Shapes and names

Different baskets have different names and uses. Among them:

• Isichumo, a beer basket with a narrow neck, sometimes woven so finely it can hold liquid.
• Iqoma, a large, wide basket for grain.
• Imbenge, a small, shallow, bowl-shaped basket used as a lid for clay beer pots (ukhamba).

The telephone-wire baskets

In the mid-20th century, a new kind of basket appeared in the cities of South Africa. It is often said that night watchmen and other workers, especially in Durban and Johannesburg, began weaving telephone wire around their sticks or into small objects to pass the time during long shifts. Brightly coloured, plastic-coated copper wire was easily available from offcuts and was durable and flexible.

From these beginnings, weavers developed the art of the wire basket, especially the bowl-shaped imbenge, using the same coiling techniques as palm weaving, but with wire. They created dazzling patterns of colour: spirals, stars, stripes and zigzags. Some weavers, such as Bheki Dlamini, became known for their skill and innovation, and their work has been collected by museums and galleries.

Today, wire baskets are made by many weavers across KwaZulu-Natal and sold in markets, craft shops and galleries around the world.

Beadwork's cousin

Zulu basketry shares much with Zulu beadwork: both use colour and geometric pattern, both are mainly made by women, and both have adapted new materials while keeping traditional forms. We explored the colours and coded messages of beadwork in our story on Zulu beadwork.

From household object to art

In the 20th century, the use of baskets in daily life declined as plastic, metal and other containers became common. But the craft did not disappear. Projects in the 1970s and 1980s, including those linked to mission stations and craft development organisations, encouraged weavers to make baskets for sale to collectors and tourists, raising the quality and prices of the work.

Today, Zulu baskets are recognised internationally as works of art. They are held in museums, such as the Durban Art Gallery, and sold in galleries worldwide. Weaving provides an important income for many women in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

Why it matters

Zulu baskets show the beauty that can come from patience and skill with simple materials: palm leaves, grasses and natural dyes. The wire baskets show how tradition can adapt, taking the material of the modern city and turning it into something new. Together, they tell a story of creativity, continuity and change in one of Africa's richest craft traditions.

Further reading

• Jannie van Heerden, Zulu Basketry (Print Matters Heritage)
• Elizabeth Perrill, Zulu Pottery (Print Matters Heritage, 2012)
• Smithsonian National Museum of African Art — collections