Hat Item Number: 3486/26 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Knitted cap (chullu) made of hand-spun sheep’s wool and camelid hair with small ear flaps, a scalloped border, and a long tail (chupan) on the top with pom-pom tassels. The main cap and ear flaps are decorated with bands of geometric shapes in alternating colours against a dark reddish-brown background. The bands feature off-white and hot pink ovals, yellow and pale grey circles, purple and orange motifs, pale grey and off-white round motifs, pink and light green rectangular shapes, pale grey and yellow zig-zags, red and purple motifs, and squares in light green and pale grey. The long tail, attached to the centre of the top of the cap is decorated with bands of wavey motifs in hot pink, pale grey, yellow, purple, light green, off-white, bright pink, pale grey, orange, light green, hot pink, yellow, and pale grey against the light brown background. A purple pompom and two smaller pompoms in light brown and light green are attached to the end of the tail. The scalloped border has segments of orange, pale grey, bright pink, off-white, and light brown.
This chullu is typical of the Pitumarca community, which is located south of Cusco in the Vilcanote Valley. Knitting was introduced to the Andes after the Spanish Conquest. Knitting is more often done by men, particularly for their caps (chullu, in Quechua). Variations in colours, designs, and fineness in chullus, as well as additions, are used to signal differences in affiliation, age, gender, status, rank, etc., particularly in some communities such as Taquile, Peru where little girls as well as boys and men wear variants of the chullu. Knitting in the round is done on 5 needles that are often fashioned from bicycle spokes.
Bought by the donor in 1982 in Cusco from a street vendor who said it was made and worn in Pitumarca.
The cap was knitted in the round on five needles.