Fragment: Headband Item Number: 3263/74 a-f from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Six fragments of a tubular headband. Consists of a central section (part a), four braids (parts b-e) and a wrapped cord (part f). Central section(?) of headband (part a) has design of vertical stripes across entire surface. Main body of section is cream. Stripes done in dark blue-grey, light green-grey, peach, red and yellow. Middle of part a is mainly red. Parts b and c are solid cream coloured braids. Part b's right side is wrapped in red thread. Dark blue-grey cords wrapped in intervals along right side, causing red threads to bulge through in three circular tufts. Part c's left side naturally curves downwards. Right side of part c ends in two smaller branches. Section before split and both branches wrapped in red thread with dark blue-grey cords wrapped in intervals along them. Parts d and e are solid pink coloured braids. Part d has a dark blue-grey cord wrapped around its left edge and long pink fringe. Part e is a plain braid with a left side that curves downwards naturally. Part f is cream coloured and its right side ends in two smaller branches. Dark blue-grey cords wrap around entire length at intervals bordered by dark purple lines. Likely that the cream fragments (parts b and c) were on one side of the central section (part a) and the pink fragments (parts d and e) were on the other side.
Headband in a Wari or Late Nasca-related style.
Collected in Peru before the 1970s by Ina VanStan, a Professor of Textiles and Clothing at the Florida State College for Women (Florida State University) from the 1940s to c. 1966. VanStan later gifted her collection to the donor. A large amount of the donation was used for teaching at the University of Alberta while others were mainly small study fragments.
Vertical stripes in central section(?) were worked in cross-knit looping.