Threads of Time: Tradition and Change in Indigenous American Textiles

Browse Items (35 total)

  • Collection: Ancient Peru

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This belt dates from between 1000 and 1450 AD. It represents continuity within the long tradition of finely woven belts made in warp-face techniques. It is similar, but not identical, to the complementary techniques used in the 20th and 21st century.…

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Although this piece is also only part of a larger composition, nevertheless it is very revealing. Here the intentional color surprise is the bright pink background for the yellow bird toward the top right corner. No other instance of such a color is…

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A fragment of a Wari tapestry tunic was originally along the side seam of a four-foot square garment. However, even this small fragment illustrates several important concepts and aesthetic choices made over 1300 years ago in the Andes. The…

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Indigenous Amerindian clothing has almost always been woven to shape or constructed from complete parts united in the final garment without recourse to cutting the cloth. This ancient textile, which could have had many other pieces sewn alongside…

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The imagery on this band may be a challenge to decipher (see drawing above), but features a series of feathers. The quills quite realistically change from brown to tan and the down is again shown accurately as white. However, at each end of the…

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Throughout history imitation has been seen as “the sincerest form of praise” and the ancient Andes is no exception. Here featherwork is imitated in woven textiles, tapestry in particular. In this tiny piece, the quills are delineated, the ends…

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Feathers from the Amazonian rainforest were prized above all else, and must be included in the idea of qumpi, precious fiberwork. Bringing them over the mountains to the coast, where such fans as this one were preserved, also invokes another key…

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Most Native Americans consider bird feathers not only beautiful, but sacred gifts from the Winged Beings since molted feathers fall on the ground as if from the celestial realm. Tropical feathers especially exhibit brilliant natural coloration.…

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Most Native Americans consider bird feathers not only beautiful, but sacred gifts from the Winged Beings since molted feathers fall on the ground as if from the celestial realm. Tropical feathers especially exhibit brilliant natural coloration.…

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Most Native Americans consider bird feathers not only beautiful, but sacred gifts from the Winged Beings since molted feathers fall on the ground as if from the celestial realm. Tropical feathers especially exhibit brilliant natural coloration.…
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