Band Item Number: 3486/94 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Band (watana) with añu (flower of the tropaelum uberosun plant) tika (flower) design.
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 likely hand-spun and dyes are chemical.
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).