The weaving of tree roots hides unforeseen possibilities. The thin and long roots are extremely elastic, as our ancestors discovered long ago. Furthermore, after drying, the woven structure is extremely strong and durable. Roots can be harvested year-round except on freezing days. The best roots, which can sometimes be up to ten meters long, are found two to three meters away from the tree trunk. Of course, only a few roots are taken from each tree to avoid weakening it too much. The only drawback of this material is that the roots must be processed within a few days, preferably within a week, to prevent them from drying out.
In Slovakia, pine, spruce, fir, and agate roots were used across the Carpathian Mountains arc. At the end of this arc, in the Small Carpathians, the former railroad worker Stefan Ondrovič spent years crafting root baskets. He was introduced to this technique as a ten-year-old boy while observing the basketmaker Pulaman work in the neighborhood. During one winter, he even learned the craft of making root baskets from him. However, as an adult, he did not pursue this craft until later in life, when a serious work injury on the railway in the mid-1970s forced him to seek a different livelihood. In 1983, he began collaboration with the ÚĽUV (Center for Folk Art Production), and in 1991, he was awarded the title of Master of Folk Art Production.
He truly lived with the material and the baskets. His approach to harvesting roots was very respectful – as he himself said, no tree ever withered after his intervention. He used roots with a diameter of 4-5 mm for weaving, splitting them from the wider end to the narrower end, following their growth direction. If he wanted to use unsplit roots, he also used thinner ones. For weaving larger pieces, he would sometimes use roots with a thickness of 10 mm or more. After removing them from the ground, the material was twisted into bundles and peeled from the bark as soon as possible, preferably while there was still free water under the bark. He placed the peeled roots in a damp place, and despite the rush to process them quickly to retain their elasticity, he soaked the roots overnight before working on them in the morning.
Before weaving, he would double-check the roots to ensure none were thicker in some places, immediately correcting this by trimming with a small knife to avoid an uneven shape during weaving. He wove the baskets in the traditional spiral method, layering the root twigs around the core rod with split roots, using the same technique as in making straw crafts. The core rod was either made of roots or more commonly of Clematis vitalba, a woody climbing vine known colloquially as “wild vine.” The result was a circular or oval basket with a very dense and sturdy wall.
He shaped the core spiral at the beginning using flat-nosed pliers, tightly wrapping the root around it to bind the coils of the spiral together. He extended the core by cutting both ends diagonally and placing them together. After weaving the bottom, he weighted it down and let it dry overnight to maintain its straight shape and prevent twisting. Only then would he raise the walls. Once dried, the basket was so strong that even a passing cart could not break it, making it difficult to alter its shape, so he continuously monitored it during drying to maintain the intended form. Finally, he lightly singed it to remove any fine hairs on the surface and performed his traditional ritual – pouring water into it, taking a sip, and observing how the water flowed out. If it flowed slowly, he knew the basket was woven as it should be.