The art of weaving for the wayuu people 'Wayuu bag"

Mochilas are the ultimate expression of Wayuu. They are easily recognizable by their colors and designs. The mochilas are made in crochet a technique introduced by Catholic missionaries, the elaboration of each piece can take 30 days. 

Women Handbag, Wayuu bag sol star crystal, cristales collection 

 

 

 

Women Handbag, Wayuu bag Granate crystal, cristales collection 

 Wayuu Mochilas are made with wild cotton and other natural fibers typical of the region. The Wayuu twist strips of goat's wool or beef to form threads, ropes, and cords. They use the cones or gauzes made of cotton thread.

Thread for weaving the Wayuu bag, Wayuu mochila.

Thread cones for weaving the Wayuu bag

Weaving for the Wayuu people is more than a cultural practice and a heritage from their ancestors, it is a way of conceiving and expressing life as they feel and desire it. When a Wayuu woman weaves a mochila, she weaves her dreams, intertwining her life in each point expressing her deepest thoughts. ⠀

 

Yajaira, Knitting a Wayuu bag, Wayuu mochila

 

In the past, this was only a job for the woman since the man's main function was to shepherd and fish. Nowadays, in some communities, men have also started to work on the elaboration of the mochilas.  Silvia Ardila Love by Grace has several male artisans, one of them is Joel who along with his wife Celia is part of this dream.

Joel one of our male artisans

 

But how the Wayuu woman learned to weave?  For the Wayuu people, it was the spider or Wale' Kerü who taught the Wayuu woman how to weave. Wale' Kerü is a weaving spider who used to make girdles and hammocks when the sun came up, and she always made her drawings before spring. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

Spider weave

Wayúu asked him how he made them, so the spider started telling them. They say Wale' Kerü first taught a woman. That woman then told how the spider would teach them how to weave if they gave her a donkey or a goat, and then the Wayúus gave her their clothes and necklaces. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The story also says that Wale' Kerü fell in love with a Wayúu, ran away with him and when he took her to his family, the Wayúu's mother told him: "Take this material so you can make girdles" and Wale' Kerü ate all the cotton and from his mouth started to come out the thread already twisted and ready to be woven.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Wale' Kerü taught the girls who stayed in the compound, asked them to pay attention, not to look sideways, not to be distracted, because he could not be teaching all the time.

Spider weave

 

 

Part of our dream is to help the communities we work with to preserve the heritage of weaving and to pass it on from generation to generation, and we are doing this through the demand for the mochilas in our communities.

 Today the Wayuu Mochila is part of the heritage of Colombia and is known throughout the world. Characters form the world of entertainment wear Wayuu bags, with their different outfits. Kourtney Kardashian, Alessandria Ambrosio, Beyonce, Shakira, Katie Perry, Myles Cyrus, Sofia Vergara, Martha Stewart, and Princess Beatriz of the Royal family of England are some of them.

Kourtney Kardashian in Florida

Kourtney Kardashian and Penelope summer holidays

 

Katie Perry in Coachella 

 

 

Princess Beatriz, Royal Family 

 

We continue to offer our women's bags that you can wear crossed, on one shoulder or hand. Crystal and femininity collections along with Makisias are supporting the project of carrying energy through solar panels to the community around Maicao.

21 comments

Oh wow! This is so cool!!

Alexandra July 13, 2020

Wow! Very creative. I love the details in those bags!

Charlene July 13, 2020

These are gorgeous! I’ll have to try it!

Kelsey July 13, 2020

Love the details on these bags

Natalie July 13, 2020

Beautiful bag loving the story behind it.

DeVine July 13, 2020

These bags are so pretty. I loved reading the history behind them!

Cee July 13, 2020

Oh! These bags are awesome unique colours, beautiful pattern love them.

Puja Kumari July 08, 2020

These look so beautiful! I really like the colors that are used.

Amanda July 08, 2020

Super interesting. This is beautiful. love it

SHALINI July 08, 2020

Wow! They are absolutely gorgeous!!

Seleigh July 08, 2020

These are beautiful bags! Thanks for sharing the story behind them.

Stella July 08, 2020

These bags are truly intricate and beautiful.. amazing history too! Thank you for sharing 💕.

Elizabeth July 08, 2020

Really interesting post

Sarah July 07, 2020

This is amazing! I love the history behind the bags, too. I am going to have to get one; I love authentic finds!

Jaclyn July 07, 2020

Wow. These are beautiful! Thank you for sharing

Lavet Velez July 07, 2020

Love the bags and the educational history

Kavitha July 07, 2020

Such a cute bag! I love the history behind it.

Deborah West July 07, 2020

Wow I love these gorgeous bags! I can tell that it takes a lot of time and effort to make these. Not to mention love and attention ti detail

Rachel July 07, 2020

Wow how they are made is incredible. These bags look beautiful!

Jazzarae July 07, 2020

Those bags are so lovely. I love the intricate patterns and details.

Thuy-Linh July 06, 2020

These bags are stunning and love this detail

Timna July 06, 2020

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