Antique Pack Basket

I found this basket at my neighborhood antiques shop and had to have it, despite it’s dusty, rickety state. I don’t have access to pounded wood splits to repair the weak points, so I wrapped the vulnerable spots with an old tooled leather belt. The top handle and the rim were loose due to the original material having cracked and broken off. I re-wrapped those areas with some rawhide lacing, and now it feels strong and ready for new adventures.

I wonder who made this basket. When and where did they harvest the tree that it was made from? What did they plan to carry in it? I hope they would approve of my repair job.