Handcrafted Natural Fiber Cuff Bracelet 'Coffee Trails' Item ID: 2671691648
$27.99This is your own listing item.
"This wonderful cuff bracelet is the original creation of the artisans of the Zenu Community. They cover the PVC cuff with handwoven cana flecha fiber in dark espresso brown and ivory. The wide cuff is lined and trimmed with blue polyester fabric. The Zenu are an ancient culture in northwest Colombia."
- 0.34 lb
- 7 inches L (end to end) x 2 inches W
- 0.78 oz
- 7 inches L (end to end) x 2 inches W
- Caña flecha fiber
- PVC
- polyester
- Hand-crafted item -- color
- size and/or motif may vary slightly
Made in Colombia
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Making an item from caña flecha is a lengthy process and truly involves the entire community. To make a sombrero vueltiao (turned hat), for example, the fiber must be dried, and the veins removed using a knife to obtain uniform strands. The strands are then tinted black, dark brown, and cream by soaking in natural, plant-based dyes and burying underground for up to two weeks. After the dyeing process, the fiber is woven into intricate braids used to form the hat. Sometimes a braid can contain up to twenty-eight fibers woven by hand. The sombrero is finally sewn together using a treadle sewing machine.
Most of the pintas—geometric symbols and patterns woven into hats and other items—are used to delineate specific clans within the Zenú Tribe. One clan symbol, for instance, is the flor de cocorilla (cocorilla flower), which is depicted with a large central diamond and eight small surrounding diamond dots. Historically, this flower is known as the source of a fruit eaten by the first inhabitants of the Zenú territory. Pintas are a true testament to different plants and animals native to the Tribe's territory. They also contain narratives of different life activities, such as hunting, fishing, the hacienda, and religion.
To keep these traditions alive, the Zenú teach caña flecha weaving and braiding at a local children's school. Through a unique curriculum, the school approaches ethnocultural knowledge by teaching students to always integrate craftwork with oral history. As the sombrero vueltaio and other Indigenous crafts continue to popularize across Colombia and the rest of the world, the Zenú people only hope that their customers come to know the heritage stories behind the products they treasure.
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Zenu Community handwoven natural fiber accessories and jewelry
Making an item from caña flecha is a lengthy process and truly involves the entire community. To make a sombrero vueltiao (turned hat), for example, the fiber must be dried, and the veins removed using a knife to obtain uniform strands. The strands are then tinted black, dark brown, and cream by soaking in natural, plant-based dyes and burying underground for up to two weeks. After the dyeing process, the fiber is woven into intricate braids used to form the hat. Sometimes a braid can contain up to twenty-eight fibers woven by hand. The sombrero is finally sewn together using a treadle sewing machine.
Most of the pintas—geometric symbols and patterns woven into hats and other items—are used to delineate specific clans within the Zenú Tribe. One clan symbol, for instance, is the flor de cocorilla (cocorilla flower), which is depicted with a large central diamond and eight small surrounding diamond dots. Historically, this flower is known as the source of a fruit eaten by the first inhabitants of the Zenú territory. Pintas are a true testament to different plants and animals native to the Tribe's territory. They also contain narratives of different life activities, such as hunting, fishing, the hacienda, and religion.
To keep these traditions alive, the Zenú teach caña flecha weaving and braiding at a local children's school. Through a unique curriculum, the school approaches ethnocultural knowledge by teaching students to always integrate craftwork with oral history. As the sombrero vueltaio and other Indigenous crafts continue to popularize across Colombia and the rest of the world, the Zenú people only hope that their customers come to know the heritage stories behind the products they treasure.
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