Myth has it that Our Mother Moon, taught the first woman how to weave at the beginning of time. Since then, mothers have taught their daughters, from generation to generation uninterruptedly for two thousand years. In addition to its important religious and social aspects, historically weaving has been central to indigenous women’s economic contribution to their households. In a traditional Inca context, when a girl is born, the midwife presents her with the different instruments of weaving one by one and she says, “Well then, little girl” “This will be your hand” “This will be your foot” “Here is your work” “With this, you’ll look for your food” “Don’t take the evil path,” “Don’t steal” “When you grow up” “Only...
On Isla Taquile on Lake Titicaca, it is the men who knit. When inca children are at a very young age, their father teaches them the craft. They are eventually required to knit a hat in the traditional style with a colourful band around the head, floppy ear pieces and a white top piece that fell over to one side and which was embellished with a colourful tassel. These colours denoted their availability for marriage. The hat then is tightly knit. If he wanted to express interest in a young woman he could present her with the hat. She tested his knitting skill by filling it with water. If it leaked, she handed it back! This island has been...
Their designs are not found in books. People carry them in their minds. They also do not plan them out on paper. Instead, they weave. There are more than a hundred designs that people transmit from generation to generation. These designs represent their daily life, traditions, typical flowers, sacred animals, traditional tools, important personages, and more.
She Was the daughter of the TUKANO creator god PAGE ABE. After her father had created humans, she descended to the earth and personally taught humans how to use fire and to cook, weave cloth and make pottery.how to build huts for shelter and how to weave cloth and make pottery.
“Spinning" can comprise up to 60% of the time involved in producing a finished product. It is also a very fine art. It is difficult to master the drop spindle, for which reason most people start learning at a very young age- five or six.”
Look at the demonstration here with a local Inca woman, showing us how wonderful the art of weaving is. The Lady Weaver will decide what designs and colors she will use for the finished product in order to begin with the warping process, which prepares the yarn for weaving.
