Although most of the baskets on sale are being made in the Okavango Delta area of Northwestern Botswana, basket weaving is still carried on in many other areas of Botswana, each with its own particular style. The basket producing areas in the country are Okavango Delta, Boteti, Bobirwa Bobonong, Nata and Chobe. The motifs on the baskets often depict elements within the environment as interpreted by the weaver. The design process is as informal as the transfer of the weaving and design skills from person to person. It is not uncommon for special technical and design skills to be associated with a given family or community since the process of transferring of these skills often ties closely with patterns of social interaction within the community.
All materials used are natural fibres sourced from the immediate surroundings.
Often it is possible to tell the area from which a particular basket comes from within Botswana by the materials and dye stuff used. This may also have bearing on the characteristics such as the kind of stitch adopted and the use to which the product is put. Usage Each basket is made for a particular purpose. Generally, lidded baskets when made with a rod foundation are used for storing grain. If made with bundled grass or split leaves the basket is meant to hold liquids such as traditional beer because due to the swelling effect of the materials used the basket seals itself.