Basket Weavers at local Market

House in El Chino Village

Making the baskets

Clinic in El Chino Village

School  in El Chino Village

Typical Kitchen

Woman Twisting Palm Fibers

Dyed and Natural Palm Fibers

Women working on Baskets in Buena vista

Children in San Pedro wearing traditional clothing

Palm Fibers Before Drying

Amazon Rainforest Basket makers are a group of artisans from three villages near our lodge in the Peruvian rainforest. With the help of Made By Hand International Cooperative and Amazonia Expeditions, the artisans are now exporting their baskets to the United States. This fair trade project gives the artisans access to a larger market and enables them to receive fair wages.

This site provides information about the three villages, the artisans and details of the basket making process.

Located on the Tahuayo River, a tributary of the Amazon River in Peru, the villages of El Chino, Buenavista and San Pedro are part of a communal reserve developed to protect the rainforest and its natural resources. The Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo reserve is one of the most biodiverse areas on earth with many species not found anywhere else in the world. Numerous species have yet to be named by scientists. The reserve was created in 1991 by the local communities, and Gobierno Regional Loreto.

It is the only regional communal reserve in Peru, giving the local people control over the reserve. The creation of the reserve insures the conservation of the diverse number of species and controls the overexploitation of resources by the logging and fishing industries based in Iquitos, the nearest city some 80 miles down river. The reserve is home to many primate species, including the rare Red Uakari.

Each town is built along the riverbank as rivers are the main routes of transportation in the region. Houses are raised on platforms as the rivers flood during the rainy season. Thatched roofs made of palm leaves woven tightly together are able to keep even the strongest downpours out. Open fires are used to cook food and folks sleep in hammocks under mosquito netting.

People bathe in the river and get drinking water in buckets. Very few homes have bathrooms. The school built by the government is made of concrete and sits flat on the ground, often having to close during the rainy season's floods. A teacher from the city comes to teach first through sixth grade in the villages. The schools lack many supplies and children have to buy their own , Amazonia Expeditions along with other travelers have been donating school supplies to several communities every year.

Every year the village votes on a P.T.A president to make sure the school runs well and the teacher shows up to teach. The towns have generators given to them by politicians to provide electricity, but few have money for gas. The villages elect their mayors every two years. Each Mayor holds town meetings and works with the regional government in Iquitos to try to get some necessary goods and services. When new houses are built everyone in the village is expected to help. These events are called mingas. Almost all activities that serve the community are done by mingas. The Mayor is responsible for collecting fines from the rare few who do not help.

Since the creation of the reserve, hunting has been heavily restricted. People now rely on subsistence farming and fishing. They use most of the food to feed their families and if they have any extra, they sell it in Iquitos for cash. They then use the money to buy salt, kerosene, soap, matches, and machetes. Most of the farms are not close to the villages so people travel by wooden dugout canoe every morning to tend to their fields.

The most populous village is El Chino. The village has 285 people comprising 57 families. The village got its name because a Chinese man was said to have escaped during a war to live there in 1925. He made tapioca that local people would buy from him. Eventually he left and the village was built on the site of his old house called the Chino House. The village has a two-room school house and an empty clinic. Unfortunately a doctor has not come to the village for over two years. A nurse comes occasionally to give vaccinations. The villagers rely mostly on shamans, natural remedies and the health care programs that Amazonia Expeditions and other non-profit organizations provide in some cases. Twenty-two people in the village are involved in the production of baskets and other crafts.

The village of Buenavista is a short boat ride down river from El Chino. The village has 225 people and eleven craftmakers. Buenavista has been more successful in working with the regional government and managing the town. The current mayor has been reelected six times because of his success in getting resources. The town boasts a carpentry shop to help with construction and repairs of houses. The town also has a national police station. The police are primarily in charge of monitoring the reserve. The clinic holds a selection of modern medicine. It is sold to the villagers and the money is used to restock the medicines. The town was given street lights by a regional politician to obtain votes, yet it can't use them due to the high cost of gas and maintenance of the wires.

San Pedro is the smallest of the three towns with only 87 people making up 16 families. San Pedro was founded a mere 10 years ago by people from El Chino. They moved because El Chino flooded more than normal that year ruining farms and homes. They founded the town on the high ground next to a tributary of the Tahuayo River, called the Blanco River. The town is on a small hill unlike the others which are flat. San Pedro is very focused on their children and future generations. They keep the clinic well-stocked and have obtained a solar generator to provide electricity for some lights and to refrigerate vaccines and anti-venom for snake bites. The mayor collects bananas from each family to sell in the city for money for medicines. The town has a communal farm and all money made from it goes to support the school. Currently the mayor is working to provide each house with electricity so that children will not strain their eyes studying by lantern light. Since the town is so small only three craftmakers come from San Pedro.

The creation of baskets takes a great deal of time, patience and skill. The process begins by a day long trip gathering the needed materials in the interior of the jungle. The fibers for the basket come form the Chambira Palm Tree. This palm is often called the Porcupine palm due to the large spikes on the trunk. The spikes make it dangerous for people who climb to the top to reach the young leaves. These leaves are stripped into long fibers. The women then wash the fibers in the river and boil them for 25 minutes.

At this point the fibers can be dried in the sun and used or dyed.

A variety of plants are used to color the palm fibers. The most common sources of dyes a listed below.

All of the above plants are found locally. They are either grown in gardens in the villages or collected from the forest. After gathering the dye materials, they are washed and boiled in water with the fibers. Once the fibers are dried in the sun they are ready for use.

The actual process of making the baskets can now begin after days of preparation. To make the basket a number of fibers are taken and twisted together. Twisted bundles are then sewn tightly together overlapping one another in circles to form the baskets. Thinner strands of fiber are used as thread with metal needles to stitch. By sewing the fibers tightly together the baskets become stiff and retain their shapes. Many of the baskets are decorated with seeds from a variety of plants. The seeds are either sewn on after the basket is finished or often strung onto fibers during the making of the basket. The red and black beads come from a local tree called the lucky bean tree. These beads are said to bring good luck. The blue and gray beads come from local grasses.

Working together in fair trade, the purchase of these wonderful Amazonian baskets helps provide families with a much needed sustainable source of income. The basket project preserves traditional basket making techniques and inspires the younger generation to continue this beautiful craft.

For more information on fair trade visit www.fairtraderesource.org

For a list of stores selling fair trade products visit www.fairtradefederation.com

For more information on the Amazon Rainforest Baskets Project contact

Made by Hand International: 302-539-6335