Beautiful Baskets

For thousands of years, Ethiopian women have taken fibers from the plants that surround them and braided their strands into intricate works of functional art. Each weaver creates distinct patterns, some passed down through generations of skilled artisans, some newly created to reflect personal interests. There are oblong baskets for grinding corn into flour, baskets designed to carry goods balanced high overhead, colorful baskets for a future celebration, watertight baskets that hold milk, even table top baskets that can hold and serve hot food. Ethiopian basketry combines aspects of mathematics, engineering and design into stunning, and most importantly, useful works of art. Explore some of the many gorgeous examples of Ethiopian basketwork and learn to read African languages at the same time in this colorful early reader.