Wells Mountain Initiative – Wells Mountain Initiative - Dream. Plan. Do. Auction 2018
Auction Ends: Sep 27, 2018 10:00 PM EDT

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Mayan Basket Handmade in Belize

Item Number
250
Estimated Value
35 USD
Sold
17 USD to cw751e91d
Number of Bids
2  -  Bid History

Item Description

This attractive and useful basket was hand-woven in Belize by a Mayan mother-daughter team of basket-makers. 

Maya women, young and old, still weave baskets for home use. The practice has been passed down from the original Mayan civilization for generation after generation.

The jippi jappa palm grows wild in the rainforest and often in abandoned fields. The shoots and flowers are edible and the young palms can be used as a material to be woven into beautiful baskets. The young palm frond is first stripped of its central core. The Mayan women rip the fresh leaves of the jippi jappa plant and boil the leaves for about half an hour, so the fibers will turn the typical beige color and become softer to make it easier to work with them. Afterwards, she puts them to dry in the sun for one to two days. If she doesn't boil the leaves, and just lets them dry, their light green color changes to a dark brown, instead of the light beige color.

Can be functional or displayed as a piece of art. The diameter is 10.5".