Hobble Tie Item Number: 3486/48 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Braided animal hobble (hankâay). The natural fibre braided loop is created from 16 pieces of yarn in brown, beige, and black, possibly from coarse llama(?) and horsehair(?) with a spiraling diagonal stripe design. A red and beige bobble with a beige horsehair(?) tassel is attached to the ends of the braid..
Animal hobble; associated with animal husbandry. Used to tie an animal's legs, to keep it from straying too far. In this area of the Andes it was likely used to hobble a camelid, horse or cow.
Bought by the donor in 1978 in Ollantaytambo, at the junction of the Urubamba and Patacancha Valleys, Dept. of Cusco.
The braiding technique is the same as that used for slings, that is, the yarns are held in the fist and braiding proceeds upward. Elements are crossed over the crown in an orderly sequence to produce the spiraling diagonals that periodically change direction.