Hair Tie Item Number: 3486/8 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Wasa watana (hair tie) woven in a complementary warp weave. Tassels formed by intersecting warps that are woven as separate bands. Warp fringes. Alpaca and sheep’s wool, very finely spun. Each end has 4 intersecting warp bands.
Hair ties are worn by highland women of Peru and Bolivia as adornments but are also useful for keeping their long braids joined together on their back and out of their way while doing other tasks. In the Cuzco area, they are called “wasa watana” (Quechua), which means a narrow woven band with other bands woven through it. The distinctive feature of woven wasa watana is the addition of intersecting warp bands near both ends, which are also woven. The intersecting bands produce tassel-like endings with fringes. The most common design woven into the narrow bands is nested diamonds; other patterns based on triangles or zigzags are also used. The main band bridges woman’s hair braids and sections of it are included in the braids, with the tassels extending from the ends of their braids. Types vary in Peru and Bolivia and several different techniques (weaving, braiding, wrapping, felting, embroidery) are used to make them.
Bought by the donor in Cuzco in 1982 at an artesania market off Triunfo Street; made and worn in the highlands above the Sacred Valley (Urubamba Valley).