Where do you think this basket was made?

Who would have used it?

What materials were used to make it?

Answers:

Where do you think this basket was made? Who would have used it?

This basket was made in Fiji, an island country in Oceania (sometimes also referred to as the South Pacific), sometime in the 1930s! If it hadn't found its way into the collections, it would have been used by people seeking to store or carry things such as food or other perishable items.

What materials were used to make it?

The basket is made from the leaves of the pandanus tree, which are sometimes called pandanus palms, even though they are not closely related to palms. The pandanus produces edible fruits that look a little bit like pineapple. Pandanus fiber is made by drying and slicing the leaves into strips, which then can be woven into cords (as for this basket) or a wide variety of other uses.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• Australia and Oceania: Human Geography
• Oceania: Islands, Land, People

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