Description
The Sibundoy Valley, located in the southeast of Colombia, is inhabited by the Kamsá and Inga indigenous communities. The Kamsá, located in Sibundoy, are dedicated to the trade of weaving, wood carving, agriculture and ancestral medicine, which practices the use of yagé. The trades have been inherited from their parents and grandparents and they reflect ancestral culture and knowledge.
In weaving, the backstrap loom is used, a traditional type of loom, which consists of two horizontal bars, one is tied to the weaver's waist and the other to a fixed point. The warp threads are stretched between the two bars and with a shuttle the weft threads are passed and pressed with a comb to compact the fabric. Once the weaving is finished, it is finished by braiding, knotting or sewing. The chumbes or sashes are part of traditional clothing.
They are made of sheep wool and cotton in bright colors and varied designs, using symbolic writing codes that are part of the community's tradition and worldview.
Rosario Agreda de Chicunque is a leader in her community and has promoted innovation and the organization of productive groups to benefit its members and promote the commercialization of their products.
Wooden Masks
One of the crafts that the Inga and Kamsá communities share and that are part of their cultural and artistic wealth is wood carving, especially mask carving.
The masks tell stories and are a way of representing their discontent against foreign invaders, with exaggerated gestures as a form of protest or passive resistance to unwanted people or situations, and they played a significant role during the Colony.
Yagé, (Banisteropsis caapi), a medicinal plant for these ethnic groups, serves as inspiration for the carvers, who through their visions find the elements and themes for their works, which reflect their relationship with the cosmos.
They are representations of animals such as tigers, jaguars or macaws or of faces that reflect the physical features of the ethnic group, with natural gestures or with humorous, serious or exaggerated expressions. They use woods such as cedar, urapan, or willow, helped with gurbias and punches in a space in the home, or outdoors.
The masks preserve the ancestral technique, Angel Marino Jacanamijoy, is a living example of a teacher who loves the craft and together with his wife and children works in his workshop with the mission of teaching the technique to perpetuate the traditional knowledge of his ancestors.
Bibliography
Duque, Duque C. Masters of Colombian-South American Popular Art. Panamericana Formas e Impresos S.A. 2010
Perdomo de Rojas, L. Bat Foundation- Mask Exhibition of the Sibundoy Valley-Alto Putumayo.
EnglishWeavings and masks, Sibundoy Valley
The Sibundoy Valley, located in southeastern Colombia, is inhabited by the Kamsá and Inga indigenous communities. The Kamsá, located in Sibundoy, are dedicated to weaving, wood carving, agriculture and ancestral medicine, the practice of which is the use of "yagé". The trades have been inherited from their parents and grandparents and reflect their culture and ancestral knowledge.
Weaving is done using the backstrap loom, a traditional type of loom, which consists of two horizontal bars, one of which is tied to the weaver's waist and the other to a fixed point. The warp threads are stretched between the two bars and a shuttle is used to pass the weft threads, which are pressed with a comb to compact the weave. Once the weave is finished, it is finished by plaiting, knotting or stitching. The "chumbes" or sashes are part of the traditional costume. They are made of sheep's wool and cotton in bright colors and varied designs, using symbolic writing codes that form part of the community's tradition and cosmovision.
Rosario Agreda de Chicunque is a leader in her community and has promoted innovation and the organization of productive groups to benefit her members and encourage the commercialization of their products.
Wooden Masks
One of the trades that the Inga and Kamsá communities share and that form part of their cultural and artistic richness is wood carving, especially the carving of masks.
The masks tell stories and are a way of representing their discontent with foreign invaders, with exaggerated gestures as a form of protest or passive resistance to unwanted people or situations, and played a significant role during the colonial period.
The "yagé", (Banisteropsis caapi) a medicinal plant for these ethnic groups serves as inspiration for the carvers, who through their visions find the elements and themes for their works, which reflect their relationship with the cosmos. They are representations of animals such as tigers, jaguars or macaws or faces that reflect the physical characteristics of the ethnic group, with natural gestures or with jocular, serious or exaggerated expressions. They use wood such as cedar, "urapan" or willow, helped with "gurbias" and punches in a space in the house, or in the open air.
The masks preserve the ancestral technique. Angel Marino Jacanamijoy is a living example of a master who loves the craft and together with his wife and children works in his workshop with the mission of teaching the technique in order to perpetuate the traditional knowledge of his ancestors.
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