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Zig Zag is a podcast devoted to basketry culture and to the weavers who keep these traditions alive.
The ancient art of basket weaving lives in the ancestral memory of all human hands. Techniques, styles and materials are a reflection of place, culture and time. Many of these cultural traditions have been fractured as a result of colonization, migration, industrialization and assimilation. My goal with this podcast is to weave together stories, songs and interviews with a focus on how basketry can renew and deepen our relationship with the living world. I will focus on the basketry traditions of North America, where I live and the traditions of Europe, where my ancestors are from.
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Episode one: Willow Weaver, Sallie Stitcher
Show Notes for Episode One
Roman Mosaic
Ulster Potato baskets in rown willow near Lough Neagh. Photo: Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
Steen Madsen’s photo of the oldest basket in Europe.
Land Girls cultivate willow for “invasion baskets”, The Sphere, November 1943
“A small feature in The Sphere, a British newspaper published by London Illustrated Newspapers on how Land Girl’s helped to grow willow for making into heavy baskets. Military parachutists used these strong structures during the Burma Campaign. The article discusses how Land Girls hoe, cut, sort ,and boil the willow before it is sent off to factories where workers turn the willow into baskets.”
Books:
Basketmaking in Ireland – Joe Hogan
Baskets in Europe – Maurice Bichard
Contemporary International Basket Making – Mary Butcher
Willow- Kate Lynch
Caliban and the Witch - Silvia Frederici
Thanks for tuning into Zig Zag!
Songs:
Alison Gross – Dave and Toni Arthur
All Around my Hat- Steeleye Span
Lucimia, Lucimia song – video link
Theme song
Videos:
Steen Madsen interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGySusuV08k
Lucimia, Lucimia song – video link
