Belt Item Number: 3486/135 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Belt (chumpi) with diamond designs (large and small scale) designs in red and white except for a central strip that is green and white. Warp ends were braided but are coming undone. Both faces have the same designs, but in different colours.
Belts of different types are used by men, women, and children, and some have special names. Most belts are called chumpi (Quechua) or cinterone (Spanish). Some belts are associated with pregnant women and their babies, where they are used to fasten the swaddling cloths around the infant. Belts for children are usually smaller in size. In some areas, very wide belts are worn with a stiff underbelt, which acts as a back support. Belts in Andean villages are usually made on a continuous warp and the last few inches are finished by braiding. A wide variety of techniques are used to pattern the belts. The imagery woven on belts is usually drawn from a set of geometric and figurative icons that are combined in ways that are distinctive of a particular community.
Woven in a complementary warp weave with 3-span floats in alternate alignment, “pebble” weave variant.
Purchased by the donor in Bolivia in 1983.