Did you know this about the Cone-Shaped Basket?

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This unique work of art known as “Nkok” in the Oku language is the artistic work of the Oku woman and it is for women only. It is carried on the back and used principally for transporting farm produce and firewood.


What stroke the attention of this writer is the cone-like shape of the basket. It narrows down from top to bottom. When loaded, as one craft woman explained, it balances on the carrier’s back firmly and the weight of the content is not felt as much as that carried in a flat-bottom basket.


Therefore, the beautiful design is not a mere accident but, a well calculated combination of artistry and mechanics that checks load weight on the carrier's back.

F. Biy Kiming

Comments

  1. Anonymous27 March 2018 at 14:13

    That's a masterpiece of our local African technology. Our ancestors weren't dumb at all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous28 June 2018 at 06:29

    Thanks for letting me know this

    ReplyDelete

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