Wayuu bags: a gift from Colombian artisans to the world

Wayúu bags are a piece of craftsmanship that, like all its woven garments, date back to the year 1800. The legend about the origin of this ancient practice relates that the Kale' Werü spider taught a woman from this community to weave, and later weaving would become an activity inherited generation after generation.

As a result, Wayúu bags are the result of ancestral practices inherited by this lineage that extends from the Guajira peninsula in Colombia, to Venezuela. This activity allows the Wayúu Women to express themselves through their fabrics, expressing through their designs a language that creates figures with great symbolism. Compositions that are made by repeating geometric figures to create borders in order to create these beautiful handmade bags.

Wayúu bags are a piece of craftsmanship that, like all their woven garments, date back to the year 1800. The legend about the origin of this ancient practice relates that the Kale' Werü spider taught a woman from this community to weave, and later weaving would become an activity inherited generation after generation.

For the Wayúu women, weaving is an activity that gives them prestige in their community, demonstrating, in turn, that they are good mothers and wives. In addition to the ancestral meaning that this practice has for this indigenous group, weaving has become a way of escaping the precarious situations that they live in as a result of poverty, since its beautiful embroidery and delicate designs attract the attention of tourists.

In terms of materials, these are very varied, since throughout history these have varied due to different conditions. According to the web portal “bycousinas”, which tells us more clearly that since there is a record, in the backpacks of this community:

• Cotton, sisal, and vegetable fibers are being used.
• When colonization by the Spanish took place, sheep's wool and horsehair were introduced to the indigenous community.
• Cotton and wool are used to weave the pieces of the noble castes with greater purchasing power.
• The maguey and the trupillo, which are common trees in this area, are used to weave fabrics for the castes of low economic condition.
• Today the most common raw material is acrylic since it is much cheaper.

Currently, for people outside the Tribe, Wayúu bags represent being at the forefront of fashion, since, as the Wayuupatterns web portal indicates, they have advantages, some tourists wear them because they are a statement of style, because they combine very well with any garment and on any occasion, they have unique color patterns, and they are of excellent quality, long durability and great resistance.

Wayúu bags are a gift from the Wayúu culture to the world, allowing us to access a piece of their history and customs through their designs, shapes, and colors.