Notes

Mushova Sikasa is a Nyemba woman born in southern Angola but moved to the Shambyu traditional authority area in northern Namibia in the 1960s. The Nyemba are well known for weaving baskets made with Combretum roots. In the mid-1990s Sikasa won top prize in the Namibian basket exhibition at the Omba Gallery in the Namibian Craft Centre, Windhoek.

The basket design here is the 'Forehead of the Kudu’. The coiling technique uses simple over-sewing with two rows stacked. Both the inner core and wrapping material come from Combretum zeyheri roots found under the surface of sandy soil. Sitting with her legs straight out in front of her, Sikasa wraps the thicker end of the root around her big toe and pulls the rest of the root towards her. Using a specially designed knife needle, she scrapes down the root until the entire length is the same width. The wrapping material is processed in the same manner, just paring down the root much more, and soaking it in water until it is very pliable. Combretum is a much tougher material to work with than palm leaves; and quite hard on the fingers. The red-brown colour is obtained by boiling the Combretum root along with Berchemia discolor bark, while Euclea divinorum root bark is used to make the dark brown dye.

- Dr Elizabeth Terry

Provenance

Dr Elizabeth Terry Collection.