Held & Honored -- Weaving Small Baskets as Offering Vessels

In this hands-on workshop, participants will create a small handwoven basket or offering vessel using natural raffia fibers. The baskets will be 3 to 6 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches tall. Baskets are among the oldest technologies across Africa and the African diaspora—used to gather food, carry goods, hold offerings, and preserve daily life. Through simple, repetitive weaving techniques, participants will explore basketry as both a practical craft and a meditative practice rooted in care, patience, and ancestral knowledge. The workshop centers slowness, touch, and intention, inviting participants to reflect on what they choose to hold, honor, or release.

Participants will leave with a completed basket that can be used as an offering vessel, catchall, or personal altar object.

Natural raffia fiber

Base forms or starter coils

Optional natural elements (wood beads, knots, shells, or found objects)

Instruction and historical context

Closing Reflection Prompt  

What does this basket hold for you—memory, rest, intention, or offering?

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Vika Visual Arts Association