Aleksandra Teodozja Sowińska (zm. 2019 r.)

The heiress of basketry traditions

In the folk room, arranged by Mrs Sowińska, one can see a lot of baskets of different shapes and sizes. She says that nowadays there is no money in the trade, but in the past it was different. Lucimia is a village on the Vistula River, famous for its basketry traditions. The baskets made here are characteristic of the area. They have one straight wall, supported by the handle (kabłąk), hence their traditional name – kabłuncoki. Even after World War II, almost all the residents were still basketry seasonally. In the autumn, they gathered the material, and in the winter they wove. In one season, one could make around 150 baskets, which were later sold at fairs in nearby villages and towns. Lucimia was a poor village, destroyed after war, and the additional money helped its inhabitants to improve their living conditions. The baskets were used for almost every purpose – carrying hay, chaff and firewood, storing vegetables and much more. It was hard to imagine life in the countryside without them. Back then, they had a multitude of practical uses, thus selling dozens of them wasn’t unheard of. The biggest demand for wicker baskets was in the spring, and the baskets from Lucimia were the most renowned, because the villagers had the best material – solid, durable, reliable and abundant. Since then, life in the countryside has changed quite significantly. A lot of equipment, which used to be handcrafted in the past was replaced with mass produced goods, and nowadays almost no one still weaves baskets for anyone.

According to the weaver, basketry used to be a task for men. In her family, her father used to weave, and she learned the dying art from her late husband. Strength often comes useful in this craft, for example it is much needed to bend the handle in a traditional basket. Apart from the baskets, the neighbourhood was famous for basketry simple carpets, known as szmaciaki.

Mrs Sowińska hopes that one day she will be able to rebuild the workshop and return to the craft.

She participates in demonstrations and fairs, she also took part in the World Wicker and Basketry Festival and organised basketry workshops, for example as part of occupational therapy. Since 2015, she has been a member of Folk Creators Association