Belt Item Number: 3486/107 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Woven belt (chumpi) in wool and camelid fibre with loop-manipulated braids on one end finished with woven binding tape. A horizontal band with a red and green diamond motif with yellow highlights, and a small section with a zigzag motif in the same colours is at the centre of the belt. Above and below the central band are two bands with a background of horizontal stripes in black, orange, purple, and pink, decorated with off-white geometric motifs. The off-white motifs include diamonds, triangles, zigzags, swirls, small quadrupeds, and fish. A row with pink and green triangles with yellow highlights, and a row of alternating black and white ‘v’ shapes form the top and bottom borders. Cobalt blue coloured binding tape is hand stitched around the braided end with green thread.
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 the donor from Isabel Pumayalli in Chinchero in 2004.
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.