Belt Item Number: 3486/129 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Two narrow belt bands (cintas) that repeat diamonds, X’s, diagonals, and lozenges with zigzag between.
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. These are the bands on which a new weaver learns the vocabulary of designs that they later use in large textiles.
Purchased by the donor from the maker just outside of Candelaria in 1983. The donor was waiting for a truck to take them to the Tarabuco market when the maker, aged 10, approached them and asked if they wanted to see her weave. She then set down and began demonstrating.
Woven in a complementary warp weave with 3-span floats in alternate alignment, “pebble” weave variant.