With Venezuela in the news lately, I thought I'd investigate two basketry items in my home that were said to have come from there. My husband's aunt spent two years teaching in Venezuela in 1962-1963, and I inherited two whimsical basketry figurines from her.
From what I have found on the internet, they are most probably from Ecuador, not Venezuela. I do know that she was able to travel to neighboring countries during her summer breaks, and she brought home various small keepsakes, including molas from the Kuna people of Panama and Guatemalan textiles.
In the late 1980s, I purchased some similarly made basketry figures that are Christmas ornaments. Maybe next December I'll pull those out and compare them to these two, a elegant woman and her burden basket-laden donkey.
The woman basketry figurine stands 14.5 cm or 5.75" tall. She is plain twined with braided details and free-flowing hair. Commercial dyes were used for the vibrant pink skirt and attached hat, the purple design in her skirt, and her knotted green shawl. Her body and hat are most likely made from "toquilla straw" or "paja toquilla."
"Carludovica palmata (also known as Panama hat plant, toquilla palm,
The straw is most prominently used in the manufacture of Panama hats. "Panama" is a misnomer here, as the famous and familiar straw hats are actually products of Ecuador.
An informative video about toquilla straw and how these hats are woven can be found on this UNESCO heritage website: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-weaving-of-the-ecuadorian-toquilla-straw-hat-00729
As for the burden baskets on the donkey, they are not straw. These baskets are also plain twined, but they're made of a material (not grass nor palm fiber) that has been split. The warp is folded over to form the rim.
The donkey's body is solid, perhaps plastic, covered with a fuzzy substance. It has a felt saddle sewn on, cotton cordage tied on, painted details, and plastic hooves.
The basket woman and her donkey make a charming vignette.
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