Desert weavers of the northern peninsula, celebrated for vivid colour.
History
The Wayuu are the largest Indigenous people of Colombia and were never subjugated by the Spanish crown. Their society is matrilineal and organised by clan.
Traditions
Girls learn to weave during a period of seclusion at adolescence, emerging with the ability to make the family's hammocks.
Weaving Technique
Crochet and loom techniques combined, with the famous double-sided chinchorro weave that reveals a second pattern beneath the first.
Meaning of Patterns
Kanas patterns are clan signatures, abstracted from animals, plants and stars of the desert.
Artisans of the Wayuu
Yolanda Uriana
Uribia, La Guajira
38 years weaving
“The pattern is a name. If you can read it, you know which family made it.”
