14-3/4" Ye'kwana (Yekuana) handmade natural dyed women's tribal basket Venezuela

Description

This beautiful 14-1/2" tall x 14-1/2" wide basket is made in a traditional women's cooperative consisting of 80 women.  The Ye'kwana inhabit lowland tropical forests of Southern Venezuela, and basketry is an intricate part of their daily life.  Men and women weave over 30 functional and ceremonial baskets.  This style of basket, called a
Wuwa,
is made from a forest vine (
min
ñ
ato
) that is collected, split, and woven.  The shape is based on a traditional woman's burden basket that is much larger and stronger and is carried on her back with a strap across the forehead, and thus follows the contour of the back.  Encouraged by missionaries over 50 year ago, Ye'kwana women began to transform their burden basket to a finer more delicate version for sale to tourists.  They added colors, symbols and figures that are part of Ye'kwana legend .  This basket features the monkey, a powerful Ye'kwana symbol.  The baskets today are favorites in the US home decor market, and Ye'kwana women attend invitational folk art festivals, and participate in business development workshops. Current conditions in Venezuela threaten the survival of basket project, and the traditional lifestyle of these indigenous people.