Tutsi Agaseki or Ibeseke Basket

In Rwanda, a lidded basket was a gift, and a place for small, treasured things.

This one is an agaseki or ibeseke, coiled by Tutsi weavers in the 20th century. Fine baskets of this form were traditionally made by women and prized for the tightness and evenness of their stitching. It stands eight inches tall, with a softly tapering body and a tall, sharply pointed conical lid rising to a small fiber loop. The honey-toned coils are tight and regular. A band of dark, stepped zigzag circles the lower body. Slight shifts of color in the fiber hint at age and handling.

Lift the lid. Decide what deserves to go inside.