Belt Item Number: 3486/106 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Woven belt (chumpi) in wool and camelid fibre, finished at one end with loop-manipulated braids sewn together. The design of the belt is split into two wide horizontal bands, separated by a thinner band with alternating dark red and dark green rectangles decorated with light yellow ‘x’ shapes and diamonds. The two thick bands have a brownish black background with three horizontal stripes in bright pink, lavender, and orange across the centre. The thick bands feature off-white patterns and geometric motifs including diamonds, triangles, ‘x’ shapes, circles, swirls, and figures including humans, quadrupeds, and various birds. The top and bottom edges have a border with a row of dark red and dark green triangles, a row of alternating light grey diamonds and off-white ‘x’ shapes, and a thin stripe of dark blue along the very edge.
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.
The belt is woven in a reversible 2-colour complementary warp weave, except for the central band, which is a 3-colour complementary warp weave that is not reversible.
Purchased by the donor from Isabel Pumayalli in Chinchero in 2004.