Our Sisal Peace Basket is a beautiful and practical way to bring a distinctively Rwandan touch to your decorating, storing or gift-giving!

Across the thousand hills of Rwanda, groups of women are sitting together, weaving sisal baskets in the traditional way. The sisal fibre is extracted from the long leaf of a plant that resembles aloe. When the green fleshy part of the leaf is stripped away, white string-like fibres remain. These fibres are cleaned, dried, cooked in dye from Rwandan tea leaves and then woven into traditional forms. Traditional forms such as the peaked peace basket or less traditional forms like earrings or napkin rings.

In Rwanda, Sisal Peace Baskets are given at weddings or on other special occasions, containing gifts of friendship and thanks. Simple yet thoughtful, the traditional pattern symbolizes the mountain path of friends bearing such gifts, hidden in baskets. 

The peace basket is still used in Rwanda for special gift giving. Many local homes have these baskets proudly displayed or put to practical use by holding dry goods like beans or rice.

The peace baskets are made by artisans from the Abihuje Cooperative.  We invite you learn more about them here.

The Handcrafted Details

• Weavers work for 4-5 days to weave one of these traditional baskets
• Woven from hand gathered sisal fibres, a renewable resource
• Dimensions: Approximately 4" diameter x 9.5" high
• Care: Wipe with a dry cloth
• Country of Origin: Handcrafted in Rwanda