Drop Spindle Item Number: Sf977 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Spindle consisting of a wooden shaft with a cup-shaped whorl positioned near one end. A small cone of z-spun wool is wound on the shaft above the whorl and a handful of unspun white wool is attached to the twisted yarn. The fleece is a combination of finer, crimpy fibres and kemp of hair-like fibres.
History Of Use
Men, women and children spin yarn whenever their hands are not otherwise occupied; while walking, herding or visiting. Children learn to spin between 3 and 5 years of age. The majority of yarns are spun from a families own sheep's wool. Alpaca fibre is traded. Commercial yarns are purchased in Puno and re-twisted to make them suitably durable for warp-faced textiles. Relatively coarse and loosely spun yarns are suitable for weaving the plain weave cloth made by men which is cut and sewn into shirts, vests, trousers, and skirts.
Iconographic Meaning
The direction of yarn twist for ordinary use ply. Yarns spun in the opposite direction to this are made for ritual and magical purposes and are called lloq'e or 'left' spinning.
Cultural Context
textile production
Narrative
Bought from Gonzalo Yucra Huatta who spun the yarn. Gonzalo claimed he could not spin the fine yarns used by women in their warp-faced weaving.
Item History
- Made by Gonzalo Yucra Huatta (Maker) in Taquile, Puno, Peru on May 16, 1982
- Collected by Mary Frame during 1982
- Owned by Mary Frame before February 10, 1983
- Received from Mary Frame (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Shop Volunteers (Funding source) on February 10, 1983
What
- Name
- Drop Spindle
- Identification Number
- Sf977
- Type of Item
- spindle
- Material
- wood and wool fibre
- Manufacturing Technique
- whittled and spun
- Overall
- height 33.5 cm, diameter 5.3 cm
Who
- Culture
- Quechua
- Creator
- Gonzalo Yucra Huatta (Maker)
- Field Collector
- Mary Frame
- Previous Owner
- Mary Frame
- Received from
- Mary Frame (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Shop Volunteers (Funding source)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Taquile, Puno, Peru
When
- Creation Date
- on May 16, 1982
- Collection Date
- during 1982
- Ownership Date
- before February 10, 1983
- Acquisition Date
- on February 10, 1983
Other
- Item Classes
- textiles
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 0861/0032