For Peruvians, Baskets for the U.S. Market Bring a New Way of Life.

Women in this remote Amazon village can weave fibers from the branch of the chambira palm tree into practically anything they need -- fishing nets, hammocks, purses, skirts and dental floss. But for the last year they have put their hopes in baskets, weaving hundreds to build inventory for export to the United States. Their first international buyers are the San Diego Natural History Museum and San Diego Zoo, and they plan to sell to other museums and home decor purveyors like the Field Museum in Chicago and eventually Cost Plus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]