Band Item Number: 3486/92 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Woven band (watana) with a triangular or point (puntas) motif in handspun yarn. Alternating off-white and red triangles containing dots of the opposite colour are arranged next to each other to across the horizontal centre of the band, contained in two thin greyish-blue lines. The band has a border in oxblood and olive green. One end of the band has a small twisted fringe formed from the strands of the weaving.
Bands are used in various ways as fasteners or adornments in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. Watana is the name for narrow patterned bands that are used to adorn monteras (money bags), sombreros (hats), or chullu (caps), and to provide ties for closures on garments or straps on bags. Watana are also made for sale to tourists, as they are small items that can be quickly made with the left-over yarns from larger projects.
Yarns are hand-spun.
Purchased by the donor in 2013 in Cuzco, at a meeting called the Tinkuy. The Tinkuy was attended by weavers from eight communities then associated with the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC).