Conical Tutsi Basket with Legs

This unusual basket is the only one we have seen with this distinctive structure, rather reminiscent of Jules Verne's rocket. It has a rounded bottom that has been blackened and is supported by 4 legs held together by a circle of rattan covered with fibre. The basket is constructed of two different fibres, one has been treated with a mixture of clay and dung to make it impermeable and the other is coarser and more porous. The black design is then applied to the whole surface of the basket. The black, a mixture of charcoal and cow blood adheres to the untreated permeable fibre and washes off the treated fiber creating the design.