The most reclusive of the Sierra peoples; masters of undyed cotton.
History
The Kogui withdrew to the highest reaches of the Sierra after the Spanish conquest and have preserved their language, dress and spiritual authority almost intact.
Traditions
Men and women both spin. Thread is prepared in silence, because the weaver's state of mind is believed to travel into the cloth.
Weaving Technique
Slow single-warp weaving with hand-knotted macramé ends. A single family hammock can take a full month of work.
Meaning of Patterns
Kogui weaving is deliberately quiet: natural cotton, occasional dark bands marking the passage of seasons.
Artisans of the Kogui
Mama Seyunkwa
Palomino Valley, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
41 years weaving
“The thread has to be spun in silence. Everything you are thinking goes into it.”
