WAYUU
The Wayuu tribe is the largest surviving indigenous community in Colombia, representing 20% of Colombia’s indigenuos population. They are known as the people of sun, sand and wind. The Wayuu are the original makers of the Wayuu “Mochila” Bags as well as the designers of these breathtaking brightly colored bags. These people and their ancestors have been knitting and crocheting for centuries. The technique was born from the adaptation of traditional European crochet.
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Hand Painted Wayuu Bags
Hand-Painted Buffalo Crochet Wayuu Bag
Original price was: $95.00.$85.50Current price is: $85.50. -
Hand Painted Wayuu Bags
Hand-Painted Moose Crochet Wayuu Bag
Original price was: $95.00.$85.50Current price is: $85.50.
Wayuu Weavers are some of the best in the world.The weaver takes careful precision in her narration, making sure that the bag is a strong representation of the Wayuu culture.
Wayuuu women work full days while weaving their Wayuu bags and it can take up to a full month to complete a single bag. Mothers teach their children from a very young age to knit and crochet things like the designs on their Wayuu bags. Their minds are etched at such a young age to inspire creativity for many years to come.
Wisdom and intelligence are believed to be symbolic of their ability to weave such beauty, as seen on their Wayuu bags. Today, Wayuu bags have become a means of economic livelihood for the Wayuu people, allowing them to preserve their way of life.
The tribe produces millions of high-quality handcrafted products each year. This handcraft weaving industry plays a vital role in the local economy, and the people are best known for the Wayuu Mochila or Wayuu Bag. Today, Wayuu bags are the most exported handmade goods in all of Colombia.
They live in small houses called “Rancherías” where they have access to little or no resources. These clans are matrilineal, meaning they carry their name and lineage through their mothers, and the women are also taught the ancient art of weaving.
Each family has a surname and this surname is taken from the mother and not from the father, as is customary in other societies. They have their native language, however, the younger generations are bilingual. They also speak Spanish, so if you are interested in visiting them and you speak Spanish, it will be easier for you to learn about their culture and better connect with them.
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Punch needle Wayuu technique (tapestry)
The punch needle is another technique used by the Wayuu artisans to make bags and accesories.
Punch needle is a form of needlework closely related to rug hooking. To do punch needle, the artisan uses a hollow needle tool to “punch” loops of wool yarn through holes in a woven foundation cloth to create a design. The series of loops (aka the pile) gives the design a rug-like appearance.
Punch needle goes by a few names, including needle punching, punch needle embroidery, and punch needle rug hooking.
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