The Roots We Weave

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountain range spreads across three departments of the Colombian Caribbean Coast and is home to the Kogi, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamo Indigenous groups, along with Colombian farmers and settlers who inhabit the various ecosystems of this region.

Kutunsama, meaning “root” in Arhuaco or Iku language, is a community representative of the Indigenous people from this territory, who claim to be descendants of the ancient Tayrona. The town seeks to embody the ecological and mythical connections between the snowy peaks and the Caribbean sea.

Kutunsama serves also as a metaphor that speaks of the crafts and knowledge that these peoples have kept alive for generations. 

For these peoples, weaving and knitting are a means to communicate the diversity of these landscapes. Spinning and weaving are combined with the traditional knowledge of natural dyeing techniques and weavable patterns for textiles like mochilas, the knit bags worn by Indigenous peoples and Colombians in general that are used to carry personal items. 

A mochila not only portrays the Sierra Nevada’s landscapes, but is also an object where thoughts and stories can turn into concrete designs and patterns. 

Originally, the color of white mochilas came only from the variety of cotton planted in the Sierra, but in recent decades this has been changing. Be it white or mono (blond, as they call it), cotton is a symbol of the connection between the living Indigenous peoples from the Sierra Nevada and their ancestors.

To grow, harvest, spin, knit and weave is a way to keep this connection alive, and also a means to produce extra income for Indigenous women. This takes time, patience, rain and soil; elements that are incompatible with the speed and demands of competitive fast fashion economies in times of climate change.

Polyester thread produces cheaper, faster results, acting as a time saver for these women, but it also lowers the prices of the mochilas that are sold to tourists. These series of factors thus discourage the practices of cotton and agave planting, growing, and spinning.

Despite these challenges, traditional practices are passed down from mother to daughter and serve as opportunities for this rich cultural heritage to be remembered and honored for generations to come.