Alpaca Inner Cloth – Traditional Unkuna

$75.00

In stock

Francisca Apasa Samata demonstrates her skill in creating this delicate unkuna. This traditional weaving style was at risk of being lost until westerners began buying them. In spite of their apparent simplicity, they are remarkable challenging These cloths carry sacred importance to the Q’ero people. They bundle sacred coca leaves in these traditional carry cloths. Women tuck them in their waist belts. Men carry them in their coca bags. They also carry warm potatoes wrapped in these cloths when herding llamas and alpacas across the steep Andean mountainsides.  Your new inner cloth / Unkuna of two colors is bordered on both sides by the rainbow symbol, and measures14 x 15 inches.  36 x 39 cm. It is soft and folds nicely.
Learn how your purchase helps the Q’ero people: Q’ero Life in the Andes: A Partnership.
To learn more about Q’ero weaving and watch them spin and weave, watch this brief video: Weaving in the Q’ero Nation.