Fred T. Smith

Gurensi Basketry and Pottery

Among the Frafra of northeastern Ghana, the dry season is a time of considerable craft activity. The Frafra, who live in and around Bolgatanga, can be divided into three ethnic groups: Gurensi, Tallensi and Nabdam. Although all three groups engage in craft production, the Gurensi are the most industrious and artistically caried. In fact, about 40 percent of the adult Gurensi population is engaged in one way or another in the manufacture or sale of baskets, bags, fans, smocks, leather products, pots or carved calabashes. These items are made for both local consumption and for export, in which case they supplement the subsistence economy of the area. In this article, the most wide-