Tutsi Agaseki or Ibeseke Basket

Dense black sawtooth edges climb the sides, and the lid tip curls like a cowlick.

This agaseki or ibeseke basket is Tutsi, from Rwanda, East Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Rwandan baskets are often finished with geometric patterns, usually created by wrapping coils in dyed or naturally contrasting fibers so the design follows the curve of the form. The deep red-brown body is nearly covered in black serrated patterning, packed close together around the lower half. The lid sweeps up to a slender point that bends slightly at the end. Coiling is tight and regular. It is 3.75 inches wide, 3.75 deep and 7.5 high.

Not a quiet pattern, and proud of it.