Wicker work: Into The Heart of Rwandan Decoration

A great variety of objects traditionally used in Rwanda were handmade by both women and men. Women and young girls made mats, baskets, and panels that decorated walls. Men built residences, fences and wove other large objects such as large partitions, walls, and litters.

From past to the present, woven objects are made from a variety of plants: bamboo, papyrus, wild eleusine, banana barks, sisal fibers, raphia. The tools are simple and cheap: billhook, knife, needle, and a small pot to contain water for humidifying materials.

There is a range of techniques craftsmen use to make remarkable and attractive woven items. The techniques include uruhindu, insobekerane, igihisi, ubuhuruture, inyanja, ikirobera and ingoyi to mention a few. Learn about these techniques below.

This technique is generally applied on stitched baskets, milk container lids and winnowing baskets. It starts with a knot on which fibers are disposed in spiral then, attached with a strip of cyprus or dry grass, slipping it successively in the holes on the edge of the knot.

Strips or stems with different shapes are intertwined and disposed in the opposite way, while the upward struts laid on the ground. The twigs or wisps are then intertwined with the upward strips or stems in a circular or rectangular direction.

It is a method used on double basketry: baskets and panels. This type of basketry has two sides: a flame and a cover. The frame is a basket or panel bamboo strips woven according to the insobekerane technique mentioned in the previous slide. The cover would be made of several upward layers disposed horizontally or vertically or on papyrus.

The method is applied for making panels(insika), baskets (inkangara)and small decorative winnowing baskets. It is used for lined basketry, in other words, a finely woven layer decorated with a bamboo frame (igikongote)is added on.

The work starts with a spiral, which is the base. The spiral is then attached to the frame with a coarse weaving.

 It is a method applying tightened upward strips and twigs attached with thin raffia fibres or sisal. The weaving is done on a frame with a shape of a fabricated object. This object could be a basket, which is then removed when the process is completed. 
The technique consists of attaching strips disposed horizontally with a fine raffia string or sisal on several upward layers arranged vertically on the frame.

Called the rope method, this consists of linking up  the upwards struts tightened with several rows of twines which are intertwined after each addition. 

This method is mainly used in making braids and has two variations - the roped method with tightened upwards(urukanganga) and twigs(injishi)spaced.

Due to globalization and business oriented craftsmanship in Rwanda, some of the techniques like the needle uruhindu technique are in danger of  disappearing. The reason behind this, is because some are time consuming, some are no longer needed or used whether on the local or international markets. Another reason is that the young generation that are joining industry is more interested in making money than conserving those techniques.