My family moved to Quito Ecuador in 1988 for my husband's job with J. I. Case farm and industrial equipment. During the two years we
lived in Quito, the capitol city, I was privileged to explore and learn about
the amazing artisan culture and history of the country. I’m indebted to the American & Canadian
Women’s Group; my landlady, Irma; and Carmen, the Director of the clinic where
I volunteered. Without their knowledge & willingness to share, I would not have been
able to access many of the “out-of-the-way” villages where I investigated the rich textile folk art of generous indigenous artisans!
I wrote a series of articles about the folk art of several Latin
American countries for
Piecework Magazine Online. In the October 2008 issue I focused
on Quito in the Northern Highlands. One of the weaving hubs is nearby Otavalo, where the Saturday market is
famous among tourists.
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| Saturday Market in Otavalo |
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| Painting of an Indigenous woman selling baskets |
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| Ecuadorean Baskets I still have and use |
In Ecuador, fibers from the cabuya (like agave) are
frequently used in handwork along with wool from sheep and alpaca. Washed in
the rivers with cabuya juice detergent along with exposure to intense
equatorial sunlight, wool is strengthened and becomes moth resistant and ready
to accept dyes. At the weekly fruit & vegetable market near my house I would see women with babies strapped to their backs needle-weaving intricate cabuya bags called
shigras while they simultaneously sold their produce. I couldn't resist buying them often!
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| Shigras and Ikat woven shawls |
Close-by in the hills above the market, lives a Master Weaver named Miguel Andrango. After we met by chance in the market, I became enamored with his skills and the simplicity of his life. Miguel’s weavings are done on a backstrap loom which
consists of just a few sticks, polished to a brilliant smoothness, and string
heddles attached at one end to a post. A strap made of animal skin wrapped
around his back secures the other end.
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| Miguel Andrango weaving on the backstrap loom |
The Weavers of Otavalo are an
indigenous group called Quichua, and said to have been master weavers long before the
Spanish or even the Incas arrived in Ecuador. Miguel's brilliant woven tapestries
are filled with symbols in the tradition of generations past.
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| One of Miguel's tapestries that I treasure |
I once crocheted a basket in linen using Tapestry Crochet as an homage to Miguel.
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| Memories of Miguel |
Miguel’s weavings are done on a backstrap loom which
consists of just a few sticks, polished to a brilliant smoothness, and string
heddles attached at one end to a post. A strap made of animal skin wrapped
around his back secures the other end. His brilliant woven tapestries are
filled with symbols in the tradition of generations past.
Colonial Cuenca, in the Southern Highlands is my favorite of
Ecuador’s 3 major cities. Outside of town, in the hills above Cuenca are the
tiny villages of Bulzhum and Bulcay.
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| Ikat weaving famous in Cuenca |
In January 2019, my next article on Cuenca in the Southern
Highlands, appeared in
Piecework Magazine Online. Colonial Cuenca is
my favorite of Ecuador’s 3 major cities. The leading cottage industry is the
production of exquisite Panama hats made from a tree called “cotilla.”
While there on my first visit, I asked around as to where I could see the ikat-woven shawls, I was directed to the home of Dona Rosa. She graciously showed us her shawls and told us that she is a teacher. She explained that often some of her students, out of gratitude, would gift her shawls made by hand by their grandmothers.
A year later, on another visit to these villages, I found
myself at a one-room home of another weaver. She invited me in to see the ikat
dyed shawls, stacked along the walls On her back-strap loom. she demonstrated
how the shawls were made explaining that years before she had worked at a
cooperative weaving the shawls for 6 cents a day! I was interested in the
antique silk shawls dyed with authentic indigo. She willingly obliged and
pulled about thirty out of a feed sack laying in the corner! I purchased two,
whose indigo dye was particularly distinct, and they are shown here.
PHOTO-my shawls
Carmen’s
sister, Maria Victoria, graciously took me to Bulzhum and Bulcay, both located in
the hills above Cuenca. Once there, we visited the one-room home of Dona Rosa
where the ikat dyed shawls were stacked along the walls.
She showed us how the shawls were made on
back-strap looms and explained that years before she had worked at a
cooperative weaving the shawls for 6 cents a day!
I was interested in the
antique silk shawls dyed with authentic indigo. She willingly obliged and pulled
about thirty out of a feed sack laying in the corner! Two, whose indigo dye was
particularly distinct, caught my eye and one is shown here as it hangs in my house.
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| Silk ikat woven shawl; dyed with indigo and needle netting border |
On this visit I once again stopped at Dona Rosa's house. At first she didn't remember me, but when I showed her the photo of her with my girls, she joyfully said she remembered. I had brought a copy for her!
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| My daughters modeling the shawls with Dona Rosa |
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| Shawl Pins |
When our contract was up and we were preparing to leave Ecuador, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving without a large supply of Miguel's work. I planned to sell it back home to anyone who would be interested. As it turned out, I also worked with Miguel, bringing him to the states to do weaving conferences for the Handweavers' Guild of America. He would set up his back-strap loom and demonstrate his skills, making our booth a sensation for many who had never seen this type of loom!
Also before leaving Ecuador, I had conceived the idea of leading tours back to Ecuador to share my love of this beautiful country and its Indigenous artisans. I created the brochure and worked with a local tour company. In total, I led three tours affiliated with Craft World Tours.
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| On Tour: Roadside Crafts for Sale |
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