Cowrie Bolga Tote

Behind the Design: Bolga basket-weaving is a quintessential Ghanaian craft hailing from the country’s northern Bolgatanga region, where artisans use local elephant grass to create handwoven bolga baskets. To start, the artisans soak the grass in water and twist the strands together in small bunches to make them more durable. Next, the artisans hand-dye the grass or start weaving, beginning at the base of the basket and working their way up to the rim. The baskets are then topped with a handle, accented with sustainable faux leather, or adorned with cowrie shells, which are symbolic of destiny, prosperity, and strength. The cowrie shell was considered particularly valuable by various tribes in West Africa who used the shell as a form of currency until the early 20th century. The shells were so treasured that Ghana named its current currency (the “cedi”) after these marine mollusks.

• 100% elephant swamp grass
• faux leather handle
• small cowrie accents
• 9" x 16" x 7"

The artisan sector is the second largest employer in the developing world. Yet the majority of artisans are women who lack access to export markets, business skills, and the financial tools needed to run successful, global enterprises.

We are dedicated to changing that by investing 100% of our profits into education programs for the women who handcraft our products and youth in their communities. Since 2007, we've provided over 1,100 artisans and 250 young people in Rwanda & Ghana with employment opportunities, entrepreneurship training, and consistent access to the global export market.

That's Impact.

• spot clean

**Due to the handmade quality, some size and color variation may occur.

Your order will leave our facility via USPS within 1-2 business days of your purchase. All packages are shipped via USPS priority mail and should arrive within 3-6 business days after leaving our facility.

We want you to love our products as much as we do, that’s why if you are not completely satisfied we will gladly accept returns within 10 days of the arrival of your order. Please contact customerservice@indegoafrica.org and once we receive the returned order we will issue you a full refund. Please note that all shipping charges are non-refundable. Buyer is responsible for all return/exchange shipping costs. We reserve the right to deny a returned item should it no longer appear salable or does not meet our return standards.

All sale items are final

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