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Narrative

Made by Valeria Yucra Huatta, a young unmarried woman. Used to hold swaddling cloths in place on a young baby.

Specific Techniques

Yarns are z=spun and 2 ply s. The fibre is animal hair, probably sheep's wool. The weave structure is a complementary warp weave structure and the weave is double-faced. One end of the band is finished in a 3-strand braid using grouped warps as single elements then ended with an overhand knot. Loom-shaped.

Cultural Context

swaddling

History Of Use

Warp-faced fabrics with three or four selvedges are woven by women on the indigenous style loom, a staked-out horizontal ground loom, or an adjustable tension (body) loom. The technique and structure have pre-Conquest antecedents, and as in ancient times, the fabrics are used in their rectangular form without cutting or shaping. Ênarrow bands have a number of miscellaneous uses as ties and straps. They are also used to swaddle babies of both sexes to the age of about 3 months. Used to hold the swaddling cloth in place by criss-crossing 2 or 3 times as the ends of the band wrap around the baby's body.

Description

Belt composed of a narrow warp-faced band with a grey-greenand off-white zigzag pattern running the length. Lenticular shapes fill the spaces on either side of the zigzag with a black border running along the edges. The unwoven warps at one end are braided and knotted. A tuft of light brown yarns are caught in the knot.