This large open-ended basket is for carrying sweet potatoes. When empty, it can be worn upside-down on the head like a poncho to walk into the fields or even as shelter from the rain. When full, it can hold an enormous
volume of sweet potato tubers or vines for planting or harvesting.
http://collections.peabody.yale.edu/search/Record/YPM-ANT-261006
http://collections.peabody.yale.edu/search/Record/YPM-ANT-261003