Basket Weavers

Baskets are one of the crafts created by the local ladies.

The Batooro Women's Guild collects products in a small shop in the central area of the village. Baskets in all sizes are made with grasses collected from local fields, and some are made from reeds which are colored with vegetable dye with traditional patterns woven within each piece.

Some have lids, and some do not. These baskets have been used to store food and spices for generations in the village. Each tribe has a distinct variation in technique.

Beads made from rolled recycled paper and glue are strug together in necklaces and bracelets of vibrant colors. We even see some wax beads that are from Kenya--traded to the locals by someone passing through.

There is a bird here called a black-headed weaver. http://www.mamarazi.com/uganda/gallery02.shtml
The trees hosting the small straw nests these birds build are heavy with the weight of the straw ornaments, each a hollow little nest the home of a mated pair. An average tree can have hundreds of nests.

These birds never rest. They are up early, to bed late, constantly collecting, threading, checking in with their community. It reminds us of the Ugandan people, who are much the same. Even the children view work as a pattern of life, as much a habit as brushing teeth in the morning. We have yet to meet someone who does not work very hard every day.

Monkeychatters