Traditional and original Wayúu Mochila bag in a large size ONE OF A KIND

Main Color: Punch Pink

Other Colors: Alabaster White, Basil Green, Brown, Peanut Brown

Measurements: Width 41cm (16.1Inch), height 28cm (11Inch), strap length 109.5cm (43.1Inch)

100% Cotton 

Handmade by the Wayúu in Colombia in premium quality.

Hand wash, cold water, do not bleach, do not iron, lay flat for drying, use mild soap.

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The Wayúu are known as the people of the sun, sand and wind. They are located in the arid Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayúu language is part of the Arawak family and is called Wayúunaiki. 
In more recent times, the Wayúu have faced tremendous discrimination and exclusion, particularly in Colombia. For instance, Wayúu (Guajiro) lands on the border with Venezuela have been granted to mining interests without regard for the Wayuu. The Colombian constitution recognizes the right of the indigenous to manage the resources found on their territories, however, the government allows private concessions to extract salt on Wayúu land; while the Wayúu themselves have been denied the right to do the same.
Some describe the Wayúu of the Guajira (Wajirra) as a society where the men do nothing and the women do all the work. From the viewpoint of someone raised in a patriarchal culture, it may seem valid. In truth, these traditionally nomadic people are matrilineal, meaning name, place in society and property pass through the mother. The desert shapes their beliefs, just as the wind shapes the sands: the Wajirra is the land of dreams and death. The Wayúu mainly live of their handcrafted art such as the bags, clothes and hammocks. The women are hard working and the center of the family. Wayúu families are organized in clans and matrilineal families, so children bear their mother’s last name. For the Wayúu people, weaving symbolizes creativity and wisdom, a craft passed on from one generation to the next during puberty. According to the legend, the tradition comes from “Wale´kerü”, a spider that taught the women how to weave their creative drawings into the Mochila bags. Each bag is made by one woman, the geometrical designs and color combinations are never repeated, and therefore each design is one of a kind. Weaving is an arduous work and may take up to 15 - 30 days to complete one bag. Chains of pattern are as communicative as words and sentences; and these words and sentences narrate ancestral dreams, legends, and myths. These are the stories of their daily lives and customs in the vast desert they inhabit. This is the information which forms and enriches their identity, and which keep them together.