Belt Item Number: 3486/123 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Long, finely woven belt (chumpi) finished with fancy braids on both ends. The centre panel repeats figures of birds and animals as well as geometric diamonds, lines, and dot motifs. The centre panel is worked in off-white against a pink background, and yellow against a green background, separated by a navy-blue band across the centre. A solid band in pink and burgundy flank the central band, separating it from the thin yellow and green chevron borders.
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.
Purchased by donor in a Cuzco artesania shop in 1978.
Woven in a complementary warp weave with 3-span floats in alternate alignment, “pebble” weave variant.