Poncho k´ama striped.

Chipaya ethnic group. Coipasa. Bolivia. Second half of the 20th century.

Woven on a stake loom, warp face, with flame fiber spun by hand. The garment is formed by two cloths joined by a central seam that respects the opening for the mouth. This poncho-blanket is distinguished from the generality of Quechua-Aymara textiles by the austerity in its colors, one of the characteristics of Chipaya fabrics. Measurements. Length: 190 cm / 74.8 in. Width: 130 cm / 51.18 in.

“The Chipayas currently occupy an arid region that borders the Salar de Coipasa, on a territory that covers about 500 km2 and is located in the delta at the mouth of the Lauca River. The current population is about 900 people. The Chipaya group belongs to the ancient cultural group of the Urus ”. (1)

Even within the Aymara territory, the Urus do not share their ancestral religious beliefs, since they consider that their origin predates these.

What they do share -like the generality of the natives of the Andean corridor- is the use of the blanket, the blanket, the puyo, or the k'ama poncho when undertaking a trip. In this case, the garment in question is singularly light and warm, due to its manufacture with camelid fiber -in this case, llama-, spun with great finesse.

Notes:

1. Teresa Gisbert, Silvia Arce, Martha Cajías: Textile art and the Andean world. Plural Editores, 2006, p. 207.