A basketmaker is a craftsperson who weaves baskets by hand from natural materials like reeds, willow branches, strips of wood, or dried grasses. The basketmaker carefully interlaces these flexible materials over and under each other, creating sturdy containers that can hold everything from laundry to fruit to fishing gear.

Basketmaking is one of humanity's oldest crafts, dating back thousands of years. Before people learned to make pottery or metal containers, they wove baskets to carry food, store grain, and transport goods. Different cultures developed distinctive styles: Native American basketmakers created tightly woven patterns that could even hold water, while Japanese bamboo basketmakers made elegant containers for tea ceremonies.

Today, basketmakers keep this ancient skill alive. Some work as artists, creating beautiful pieces for galleries. Others make practical baskets for farmers' markets or home use. The work requires patience and precision. A skilled basketmaker knows exactly how wet to make the materials so they bend without breaking, and how tightly to weave them so the finished basket is strong but not stiff.

The term can also refer to the Basketmaker people, early ancestors of the Pueblo peoples who lived in the American Southwest around 1,500 to 2,500 years ago. Archaeologists named them for the remarkably well-crafted baskets found in desert caves.