Limulunga Women

Zambia

Year(s) attended: 2010

Limulunga Women

Basket Weaving

Lozi palm baskets are made from strands of Mamba grass that are coiled and covered with strips of Mukulwani palm leaves, using a needle made from a bicycle spoke. Natural dyes are used to achieve a rich black or orange color.

The baskets are still used for local household chores, although they are also sold as keepsakes to local and foreign tourists, especially during the Lozi Kuomboka ceremony. This ceremony takes place when the Lozi King migrates from his summer palace on the Barotse Plains to his winter place on the Escarpment.

Limulunga Women are a group of ten women who have come together since 1997 to coordinate the creation of large numbers of Lozi palm baskets for local ceremonies. Each artist usually completes her own pieces from start to finish, and dictates her own prices.