Juana Basket a small basket handwoven made in Guatemala by Isabel Chopan, and signed with pride. Natural, red dyed pine needles are woven together with raffia and trimmed with wooden beads of alternating colors. A sturdy and handy basket for containing treasures, but so beautiful you may not want to cover the design! Also has a hook on back for hanging!
By supporting fair trade, you ensure a path of prosperity for artisans, their familiesand communities. Mayan Hands is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation.
DIMENSIONS: 7.5" DIA x 2" H
ORIGIN: Guatemala
MATERIALS: Pine Needles and Raffia
FACTS & HISTORY: Weaving keeps Mayan women connected to their ancestors, and within the sacred and cultural Mayan universe.
Currently Mayan women continue to weave, in addition to their own and their family’s clothes, to obtain a much needed income. Through fair trade, Mayan Hands supports them in their quest to provide for their families, at the same time that they keep their cherished Mayan culture alive and develop their communities.
Each piece is crafted using centuries-old techniques passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Our artisan partners innovate, design, and collaborate, applying the ever-evolving artistic expression of their culture to the creation of their handcrafted goods.
Myth has it that Our Grandmother the Moon, the goddess Ixchel, taught the first woman how to weave at the beginning of time. Since then, Maya mothers have taught their daughters, from generation to generation uninterruptedly for three thousand years, how to wrap themselves around the loom and produce exquisite cloth. In addition to its important religious and social aspects, historically weaving has been central to indigenous women’s economic contribution to their households.
In a traditional Maya context, when a girl is born the midwife presents her with the different instruments of weaving one by one and she says,
Well then, little girl,
This will be your hand
This will be your foot
Here is your work
With this, you’ll look for your food,
Don’t take the evil path,
Don’t steal
When you grow up
Only with these will you work
With your hand
With your foot
