Meaning
A large covered basket woven from bamboo or wicker, used to carry produce, food, or goods — traditionally slung across a donkey or carried to and from the market. An old-time household and higgler's item, the bankra held the day's provisions and wares, and it belongs to the world of the country market, the donkey, and the head-load. Sturdy and roomy, it is a fond emblem of the traditional trading life, and it turns up in proverbs and songs of the market and the road.
Examples
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She pack di yam inna di bankra.
She packed the yams into the basket.
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Di donkey carry two bankra a provisions.
The donkey carried two baskets of ground provisions.
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Granny bankra did full a mango.
Grandma's basket was full of mangoes.
Origin
From the Twi word 'bonkara' for a woven basket, a craft and word carried to Jamaica from West Africa.
How it’s used
An old-time, rural word tied to farming and market life. Less common now, but part of the island's heritage vocabulary.