Hammock Wayúu7

Origin of Wayúu weaving

One of the Wayúu legends tells that in an unidentified place on the desert peninsula of Guajija, Irunuu, a young Wayúu hunter found an orphan girl, abandoned to her fate. He took her home, delivering her to her sisters, in order to take care of her and teach her women's trades. Rejected from the start by his sisters, he was forced to take care of her but when Irunuu had to be absent, the girl was insulted and mistreated.

One night when she was alone, she transformed into a beautiful young girl and took out of her mouth the threads with which she wove wonderful colorful hammocks. Discovering these fabrics, the sisters informed their brother that they had made these hammocks themselves. However, Irunuu quickly discovered the young girl's qualities, and punished the sisters by transforming them into bats; Irunuu, in love with the girl, wanted to hold her, but when he tried to hug her, a piece of cobweb remained in his hands. The beautiful young girl had transformed into a spider and disappeared among the branches of a tree.

Affected by his disappearance, Irunuu returned home to collect the fabrics and put them away so that new Wayuu generations could learn the art of weaving. In this way, the varied expression of the fabric began to spread throughout the peninsula.

Wayúu weaving

Wayúu hammocks are woven on a rudimentary wooden loom, called Anütpala. The loom is assembled using two forked trunks (añiruwi) which are anchored vertically to the ground. These wooden trunks in turn contain two transverse bars, positioned horizontally.

To learn more about the Wayuu people: Who are the Wayuu
To find out more about weaving Wayuu hammocks: Weaving Wayuu hammocks: drawings and symbols