I came across Indigenous Artefacts over on Etsy when I was looking for a new fruit basket. I was so amazed by the work and details in their baskets that I got in touch with Paulo to speak to him about a collaboration.
Paulo lives in London but was born and bred in Brazil. He is lucky to have begun a great relationship with artisan communities in Brazil and now supports them by selling their work.
When I saw the range of baskets the artisans make, I knew I had to bring them to my group of nomad travel-loving friends.
BANIWA BASKETS
The Baniwa are indigenous and native to Brazil. they are located in the Amazon and many of them generationally create baskets as a means to support their families.
Basket-making is a skill that is passed down from generation to generation. Purchasing these baskets means that this skill will and can continue.
Each pattern and colour detail in the baskets is unique to the Baniwa. For instance, the supportive rim around the top of the planter baskets can indicate which tribe made the basket. It’s a language known to them but not to us.
BANIWA BALAIO
These baskets are also made in the Amazon by the Baniwa. To own one of these is to connect with a part of history, passed down from generation to generation. There are approximately 12,000 Baniwa in Brazil at the moment.
These baskets may be used as wall hangings as each has a hook attached. They are such items of beauty that they should be displayed prominently.
YANOMAMI BASKETS
The Yanomami are an indigenous group living in the northern part of the Amazon jungle near the border of Brazil and Venezuela, they are some of the last groups to be contacted by outsiders and it is believed that some of the groups still prefer to live with no contact with the outside world.