The Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets features colorful, woven baskets and bowls with vibrant spiral and striped patterns, displayed on a white cloth against a plain white background.
A bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets in various sizes, featuring colorful spiral and striped patterns, displayed on a white table against a plain white wall.
The Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets showcases colorful, handwoven bowls and baskets with swirling spiral patterns in vibrant shades of orange, blue, purple, red, and yellow, all displayed on a white surface against a plain white wall.
A Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets featuring colorful, handwoven spiral and striped patterns is displayed upright on a white surface against a white wall.
The Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets features vibrant, woven baskets and plates with intricate spiral and striped designs in yellow, blue, orange, red, and brown, beautifully displayed against a white background.
A bundle of 14 Zulu wire baskets, each round and featuring swirling spiral patterns in black, cream, olive green, and orange, is displayed upright on clear stands against a white background.
A bundle of 14 Zulu wire baskets, featuring vibrant woven patterns in shades like red, brown, beige, blue, purple, and orange, are displayed on a white surface against a textured white wall.
A Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets features vibrant woven designs, including red, blue, yellow, and green spiral patterns, each displayed upright on clear stands against a plain white background.
The Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets features round, woven baskets with spiral patterns in purple, blue, teal, and white, beautifully displayed upright on a white stand against a clean white background.
Fourteen vibrant Zulu wire baskets in assorted sizes are displayed on a white tablecloth, each featuring swirling stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and black against a plain white wall.
A bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets in various sizes, featuring vibrant yellow, orange, red, blue, green, and brown spiral patterns, is arranged on a white surface.
A bundle of 14 Zulu wire baskets with tall, flared shapes and diagonal orange, yellow, and dark brown stripes is displayed on a white surface against a plain white wall.
The Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets features round woven baskets in vibrant yellow, orange, blue, brown, and gray spiral patterns, displayed upright on a white stand against a white background.

Bundle of 14 Zulu Wire Baskets

$5.00

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Description

The Zulu people, South Africa’s largest ethnic group, are renowned for their exceptional basketry traditions and intricate craftsmanship. The story of wire weaving began when factory security workers, working overnight shifts, started weaving discarded bits of colorful telephone wire around their nightsticks to pass the time. From those humble beginnings grew one of South Africa’s most recognizable contemporary crafts.

Each basket in this collection is woven using a remarkable top-down technique that sets these pieces apart from traditional basketry. Beginning at the rim and working downward over a form, artisans pull each strand tightly into place to create beautifully sculpted shapes and mesmerizing geometric patterns. The weaving groups represented here continue to innovate, developing new stitches and evolving styles that make every basket truly unique.

These baskets are not only works of art but highly functional pieces for everyday use. Durable and washable in warm, soapy water, they can be displayed on walls, used as tabletop accents, or enjoyed as vibrant storage pieces throughout the home.

Your support also directly contributes to fair trade practices that sustain approximately 800 full-time weavers and their families. Because wire weaving is often done by men due to the physical strength required, this work allows artisans to remain with their families on traditional tribal lands rather than relocating to cities for employment, helping preserve both family structures and cultural traditions.

The wire itself is specially manufactured in South Africa using lead-free materials and select recycled content. While recycled telephone wire is now scarce, artisans use high-quality annealed steel core wire designed to maintain the brilliant colors and durability that make these baskets so distinctive.

Donated by Baskets of Africa