What it is and technique
The baster made and repaired basts, seals and other garrisons for the beasts. In Mallorca they specialized in the bast: the tackle that goes on the back so that the animal can carry. Work with leather, fabric, wood (arcons) and filler.
Process step by step
1. Assemble the wooden chests of the bast (the packsaddle and the xalma do not have them).
2. Embortar: fill the bast, the collar and the cushions with eraser.
3. Sew leather and fabric with a bastera needle.
4. Adjust the animal: do not kill it.
Forms and objects
- Bast, albarda, xalma, collar, sella, cabestre: see garniments, collar, bast and aubarda .
- Agulla bastera: large needle of the trade.
Vocabulary
- baster: who makes and fixes basts, seals and garnishes.
- seller / selleter: one who makes saddles.
- corretger: synonym (straps).
- guarnicioner: modern synonym.
- bast: loading rig on the back.
- albarda / xalma: simple variants, only padding, without chests.
- arcó: wooden bast frame.
- emborrar: fill basts and collars with erasers.
- agulla bastera: baster's needle.
Geography
- Palma (col·legi) and each town with draft animals.
Short story
- 1472: the col·legi d'esparters is founded shared with the sellers.
- 1545: oldest known ordinances of the col·legi de basters i sellers; patron Saint Bernadí, in Sant Francesc.
- 1960s: with the tractor demand fell.
State
At high risk. Register of artisans (consultation 13/10/2026): 4 registrations for seller and 1 for garrisoner in Mallorca (the registration accumulates old letters; it does not guarantee activity). Current demand: horse riding, fair carriages, Sant Antoni.
Why is it design
- Animal ergonomics: the bast distributes the load so that the spine is not damaged.
- Proximity materials: lint, leather, wood.
- Hybrid object: rigid structure + soft filling.
For the project
- Contact registered sellers to document a complete Mallorcan bast.
- Contemporary reading: backpacks or cushions with the logic of bast (arcó + eras).
Frequently asked questions
What is Basters and selleters (saddlers)?
The baster made and repaired basts, seals and other garrisons for the beasts. In Mallorca they specialized in the bast: the tackle that goes on the back so…
Who practises Basters and selleters (saddlers) in Mallorca today?
The Balearic Islands Crafts Register lists 26 artisans linked to this craft, in Palma, Inca, Algaida, Campos, Llucmajor.
What are the traditional words for Basters and selleters (saddlers)?
Some words: agulla bastera, albarda / xalma, arcó, bast, baster, corretger, emborrar, guarnicioner.
Sources
- ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baster
- ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esparter
- dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=baster
- dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=seller
- dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=emborrar
- caib.es/siciefront/artesania/index.jsp?idioma=ct
Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.