Hat Item Number: 3486/29 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
A knitted cap (chullu) made of a mixture of yarns, mostly commercially spun and dyed synthetics. Narrow tail and scalloped edging.
A knitted cap from Accha Alta; the shape and narrow tail are typical of Accha Alta as well as the particular way that the scalloped edging is done. Knitting and crochet were introduced to the Andes after the Spanish Conquest. These techniques are used for some items of dress and accessories. Knitting is more often done by men, particularly for their caps (chullu, in Quechua). Variations in colours, designs, and fineness in chullus, as well as additions, are used to signal differences in affiliation, age, gender, status, rank, etc., particularly in some communities such as Taquile, Peru where little girls as well as boys and men wear variants of the chullu. Knitting in the round is done on 5 needles that are often fashioned from bicycle spokes.
Bought by the donor in 2004 in Accha Alta, a small community located above the Sacred Valley at an elevation of approximately 11,750 feet.
The cap was knitted in the round on five needles.