34
R. Amarilla et al.
However, Ramón Gutierrez
14 —president of Cooperativa Mesa Local Laguna
Blanca—believes that “while lagucho textiles have always been top quality textiles, since the recovery of the chaku and wild vicuña management, the raw material
change forced them to receive new training, for example, in bristle removal and
revitalising local textile motifs”. To improve textiles, strategies were implemented
for knowledge transfer from renowned master artisans such as Sebastiana Salgado,
Rosa Salgado, Martina Chaile and Julia Guerra. They also bought wood, as well as
loom frames and heddles, to have the technology required for finer finishes and to
prevent fibre entanglement. And, then, they recovered designs such as the so-called
bird’s eye,
15 because, even though artisans have never stopped weaving them, they
were only woven by very few people and the Co-operative needed to recover its
distinctive designs. At the heart of the group, they give their textiles characteristics
a lot of thought. For example, they try to preserve how they use materials. Unlike
other vicuñeros [vicuña fibre weavers], they weave weft and warp in pure vicuña
fibre with no mix of any other fibre. They keep natural animal colours and plan their
designs based on them.
This path was taken based on a decision made by all the Co-operative member
artisans, who weave at their own pace, with their families, as much as they can. They
do not weave upon request.
In 2006, the Co-operative started to attend national and provincial fairs along
with other peasant organisations who had also recovered Andean crops. Back then,
Andean crops were the most important production. There was almost no sale of
vicuña textiles, with only few exhibitions and sales at an information centre made
available by the Municipality of Laguna Blanca.
In 2013, seven years later, during the Fiesta Nacional e Internacional del Poncho
[National and International Poncho Festival]
16 the expert jury—made up of textile specialists and historians: Celestina Stramigioli, Manuela Rasjido and Roxana
Amarilla—found at the peasant organisations’ Andean crop both an excellent pure
vicu˜ na fibre textile with a bird’s eye pattern and rapacejo
17 finishes made by Doña
Crescencia Casimiro, and an impeccable poncho in graded natural colours woven by
young artisan Ana de Lujan Su´ arez. Both of them are the members of Cooperativa
Mesa Local Laguna Blanca.
In the same edition of the most important textile festival of Argentina, an engraving
offering found in IntiHuasi volcano, 6000 m above sea level, was exhibited for one
time only. This offering consisted of a small silver figurine dressed with a cloak
and a sash, silver brooches, a basket with camelid fleece and a feathered headdress.
varied depending on the place. Source: “La implantación de la moneda en América,” Torres, Julio,
p. 117.
14 Ibid 6.
15 As explained by some artisans, ojo de perdiz [bird’s eye] refers to a textile design typical of the
Andean region.
16 Fiesta Nacional e Internacional del Poncho is an annual meeting and celebration held in the
province of Catamarca since 1967 that gathers traditional textile artisans and other regional crafts.
17 According to different artisans, rapacejo or mallado refers to lace weaving and textile finishes.
R. Amarilla et al.
However, Ramón Gutierrez
14 —president of Cooperativa Mesa Local Laguna
Blanca—believes that “while lagucho textiles have always been top quality textiles, since the recovery of the chaku and wild vicuña management, the raw material
change forced them to receive new training, for example, in bristle removal and
revitalising local textile motifs”. To improve textiles, strategies were implemented
for knowledge transfer from renowned master artisans such as Sebastiana Salgado,
Rosa Salgado, Martina Chaile and Julia Guerra. They also bought wood, as well as
loom frames and heddles, to have the technology required for finer finishes and to
prevent fibre entanglement. And, then, they recovered designs such as the so-called
bird’s eye,
15 because, even though artisans have never stopped weaving them, they
were only woven by very few people and the Co-operative needed to recover its
distinctive designs. At the heart of the group, they give their textiles characteristics
a lot of thought. For example, they try to preserve how they use materials. Unlike
other vicuñeros [vicuña fibre weavers], they weave weft and warp in pure vicuña
fibre with no mix of any other fibre. They keep natural animal colours and plan their
designs based on them.
This path was taken based on a decision made by all the Co-operative member
artisans, who weave at their own pace, with their families, as much as they can. They
do not weave upon request.
In 2006, the Co-operative started to attend national and provincial fairs along
with other peasant organisations who had also recovered Andean crops. Back then,
Andean crops were the most important production. There was almost no sale of
vicuña textiles, with only few exhibitions and sales at an information centre made
available by the Municipality of Laguna Blanca.
In 2013, seven years later, during the Fiesta Nacional e Internacional del Poncho
[National and International Poncho Festival]
16 the expert jury—made up of textile specialists and historians: Celestina Stramigioli, Manuela Rasjido and Roxana
Amarilla—found at the peasant organisations’ Andean crop both an excellent pure
vicu˜ na fibre textile with a bird’s eye pattern and rapacejo
17 finishes made by Doña
Crescencia Casimiro, and an impeccable poncho in graded natural colours woven by
young artisan Ana de Lujan Su´ arez. Both of them are the members of Cooperativa
Mesa Local Laguna Blanca.
In the same edition of the most important textile festival of Argentina, an engraving
offering found in IntiHuasi volcano, 6000 m above sea level, was exhibited for one
time only. This offering consisted of a small silver figurine dressed with a cloak
and a sash, silver brooches, a basket with camelid fleece and a feathered headdress.
varied depending on the place. Source: “La implantación de la moneda en América,” Torres, Julio,
p. 117.
14 Ibid 6.
15 As explained by some artisans, ojo de perdiz [bird’s eye] refers to a textile design typical of the
Andean region.
16 Fiesta Nacional e Internacional del Poncho is an annual meeting and celebration held in the
province of Catamarca since 1967 that gathers traditional textile artisans and other regional crafts.
17 According to different artisans, rapacejo or mallado refers to lace weaving and textile finishes.