Carrying Cloth Item Number: 3486/143 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
A carrying cloth (inkuña or tari) made of a single loom panel with four selvedges and fragments of an exterior edging. The design is mirrored at the horizontal centreline and features two narrow patterned bands with doubled triangles and interlocking 'S' shapes in off-white. The bands with motifs are flanked by a series of colourful stripes in shades of green, off-white, and red on either side of the wide, red field. The top and bottom edges have a thin blue band.
This kind of carrying cloth was used to carry coca leaves, offerings, or food and could also have been used as the mesa (altar) for laying out ritual offerings.
The patterns are woven in a complementary warp weave with 3-span floats in alternate alignment (“pebble” weave variant). The edging is woven in a crossed warp weave.
Donor acquired cloth from a Cuzco vendor, named Maria Gomez, in 1984.