Crafts of Gonçalo village (Portugal)
Since remote times, the population of Gonçalo, a parish in the municipality of Guarda, has been working with lintel and wicker, molding these raw materials into different art forms. Basket weaving in Gonçalo is a centuries-old tradition and until the recent past it was still the main activity in the village. It is believed that the vast majority of basket weavers that exist in Portugal had their roots in this location. Any basketmaker in Gonçalo learned, from a very young age, to weave, in an arduous but skillful way, the ends of lintel or wicker which, with art and ingenuity, intertwine delicately around molds, called “forms”. This art, executed with the help of the most diverse tools and mastery passed down from generation to generation, results in the famous Gonçalo Basket. With the emergence of new materials, such as plastic, the basket fell into disuse and thus began the crisis in basketry. Nowadays, basketry continues to be a characteristic feature of the village of Gonçalo, being rooted in its history. Despite not having the same presence of other times, it continues to be produced by the skillful hands of older people, who refuse to lower their arms and let tradition die.
N. OF VIDEOS: 2 | PARTNER: IPG | COUNTRY: PORTUGAL | ELEMENT OF EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE: HANDICRAFT
The past and art of the basket weavers of Gonçalo
Fernando Pereira is retired and has a life story linked to the basketwork of Gonçalo. He learned early on the art of shaping lintels (chestnut shoots) and wicker, creating different types of baskets for the most diverse uses. Throughout the video, he explains the importance that this art has assumed in the local economy, as it was taught to young people in the region, and parents often paid artisans to teach their children. This ancient art activity is a tradition that, it is believed, comes from a time much earlier than the Roman occupation, at a time when Gonçalo was located in Castro and where baskets were already used as everyday utensils, and are currently in decline.It is the older artisans who resist and fight for this art to be perpetuated in time.
INTERVIEWEE NAME: FERNANDO PEREIRA
AGE: 66 YEARS OLD
ROLE: RETIRED
ACTIVE AGING FACTORS: Give a meaning to life, Psychomotricity, Cognitive stimulation, Social connectedness
Basket weavers, an art learned from a very young age
Felismina Branco is retired and dedicated to basketry since a very young age. She explains how her working life in basketry was, how it required many hours of occupation a day. She knows better than anyone the materials that can be used in creating the baskets. She tells us that basketry lost its importance of other times. There is no longer anyone who makes baskets, just the older ones and in less people each day.
INTERVIEWEE NAME: FELISMINA BRANCO
AGE: 69 YEARS OLD
ROLE: RETIRED
ACTIVE AGING FACTORS: Give a meaning to life, Psychomotricity, Cognitive stimulation, Social connectedness
