Stunning Antique Alpaca ANDES INDIAN Ritual Chiefs Weaving Lake Titikaka TM12863

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Stunning Antique Alpaca ANDES INDIAN Ritual Chiefs Weaving Lake Titikaka TM12863:
$300.00

OUR COMMITMENT

We believe the world can be a better place. We believe that humanity has a higher, aspiring destination. We know that through mutual respect conflicts will subside. We know that by understanding our differences we can help one another. We believe that our Mother Earth and our Universe can provide unlimited resources for every man, woman and child to live in peace, happiness and love. As stewards of the human race we have an intrinsic responsibility to do what we can to improve our world as much as possible.

The majority of human existence has been dominated by so-called “Native” groups, also known as tribal folk, original residents, indigenous people, aboriginals, First Nations, traditional ethnicities, autochthonous societies, autochthonal cultures, et. al. At some point, of course, our ancestors were the same… regardless of current culture, creed or color. Regrettably, in the past half a millennium, thousands of unique tribal groups have disappeared due to misunderstanding, impudence and ethnocentrism. Aspects of colonialism, capitalism, racism and politicization have directly and circuitously destroyed myriad native cultures, each a once-valuable resource to our planet. Of the nearly 7000 languages currently spoken on our planet, over 6000 are in immediate danger of becoming extinct. Nearly all, being ethnic indigenous. We believe the very few “Native” groups that remain on earth should be cherished and carefully supported. Unfortunately, we are on the brink of losing our connection with indigenous spirit, wisdom and traditional knowledge. For those whose customs have vanished, our window into their worlds is only available through literature, paintings, photographs, a few recordings and material culture, or the objects they created.

For more than a quarter-century those of us behind AKATAKSA/ANDESAMAZON have dedicated our professional interests to documenting “traditional” South American indigenous cultures, especially through their material culture. Our field studies have led us to some of the most remote people on the continent. We have witnessed Native Americans existing exactly as their ancestors did in prehistoric times… and others who have jumped from 18th-century existence to 21st-century reality in the blink of an eye. Our ethnographic investigations have resulted in valuable data related to linguistics, cultural history, ethno-Environmental relationships, socio-cultural organization, cosmology, mythology, spirituality and of course, material culture. We have a detailed proposal for a magnificent cultural center aimed at stimulating interest in past and present indigenous cultures. Our unique idea is not just to show beautiful objects on display. Ours is to share the entire background of a piece, not only from a scientific or scholarly point of view but also from a cultural and spiritual perspective as well. This holistic approach to understanding indigenous material culture shall include accompanying photographs, films, recorded testimonials, music, related specimens and even field notes. We want to inspire our visitors to continue their own investigations into realms of mysterious phenomena that we really know very little about.

Apart from receiving monies for researching indigenous material culture, our sales contribute toward expanding interest in past cultures and ways of life. Not only can ones´ personal Environment be enhanced with beautiful and interesting objects, but the benefits of knowing about different ideologies, unique ways of life and past or nearly-extinct traditions are utterly invaluable. We encourage every buyer to intimately study each piece and learn as much as possible about its origin, function, importance and spiritual history. We hope that whatever understanding, knowledge and insights are obtained from our objects will be shared with companions, friends and especially children. In this small way, we feel inspired in preserving something of native cultures and making the world a better place. Thank you for working with us.

A FINE ANTIQUE ANDEAN INDIAN RITUAL TEXTILE
FROM THE LAKE TITIKAKA REGION

Inventory Number: TM12863

Origin: Greater Umanata (Humanata) Pueblo region, about 13,800 feet elevation, Eliodoro Camacho Province, northeast of Lake Titikaka, Bolivia, South America.

Basic Description:

This lot includes an original and absolutely beautiful indigenous Native American hand-woven warp-faced q´ipi inkhuña ritual textile. This beautiful and somewhat difficult-to-encounter tribal textile comes from a region about 15 miles from Sacred Lake Titikaka and less than 10 miles from the Peruvian border. Until very recent years the area was exceptionally remote and difficult to enter. Since late Colonial times the inhabitants of the high Umanata valleys have spoken the Aymara language although they are descended from Pukina speakers as documented by Spanish chroniclers in the 17th century. Pukina was the royal language of the Incas and is still spoken in secret among Kallawaya tribesmen who live farther to the northeast.

This is a large example for q´ipi inkhuña, used to bundle special ceremonial objects for use at official events and also as a ground cloth for certain Andean rituals, especially involving communities. The joined combination of red, yellow and green stripes in the middle band, replicating the national colors of Bolivia, suggests that the cloth was carried by a village leader. TM12863 is a particularly attractive example with a variegated gray alpaca wool field that complements beautifully the other colors in the textile. The deep red lateral bands very closely resemble cochineal red shades although all of the dyes are aniline in origin. The dark yellow and pumpkin orange colors are mellow and subdued; they are not harsh or garish in any way, despite what our photos may suggest.

Some of the patterns in the middle band resemble letters. In this region, independent Latin (Roman) letters were historically used as design elements although certain examples are vestiges of ancient patterns, such as H, I, N, O, S, T, X, and Z, all of which are found on pre-Hispanic textiles. The double-headed eagle designs are of Colonial origin and represent the House of Hapsburg coat of arms used especially by Charles I and Charles V. The Hapsburg dynasty, of course, controlled Spain from 1516 to 1700. The Hapsburg Janus-Eagles was a frequent Spanish design in the Colonial Andes.

All of the wool is camelid in origin which makes this an exceptional weaving. It is quite rare to find traditional 20th century Andean textiles of aniline-dyed alpaca wool, which is a combination mostly found on modern tourist “reproduction” weavings. The mordants used in producing the dyed wool were extraordinarily well-employed. The textile is very finely woven with 64 warps and 17 wefts per inch. This is a masterfully woven, beautiful and really remarkable antique textile that dates about 1930 to the mid-1940´s.

Approximate Age: Antique, mid-20th century. Please refer to the ANDES AMAZON \"DATING\" TERMS.

Materials: Mostly fine natural and dyed alpaca wool with some minor mixture of llama wool.

Approximate Size: 40 inches by 34 inches.

Condition: EXCELLENT, used condition.

The entire textile is nicely and evenly worn. It is thin and supple with a few tiny isolated worn spots, only one of which resulted in a couple of broken wefts. These are difficult to see and from a short distance, the condition of the textile appears mint. There are no unsightly holes, stains or colors with dye run. Please refer to the photos and the ANDES AMAZON TEXTILE \"CONDITION\" TERMS.

ANDESAMAZON SHIPPING

All of our items are shipped directly from South America. The advantage is that selling costs are kept to a minimum. The disadvantage is that items will not arrive quickly. Most items arrive in two to three weeks from their date of shipping; however, some items have taken up to six weeks to arrive (especially to Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand and Asia) due mostly to customs inspections and policies. Items to the United States of America have arrived in as few as ten days. Our offices are not in close proximity to international postal service. Most items are shipped within one to three working days of payment.

The cost for shipping this item is as follows:

$30.00 SHIPPING TO: ASIA, AUSTRALIA, INDIA and NEW ZEALAND

ANDESAMAZON

ANDESAMAZON is an sister site to AKATAKSA, which began in February, 1999. With transactions involving some 3000 clients AKATAKSA is noted with ABOVE STANDARD performance and 100% POSITIVE response. All AKATAKSA items are shipped from within the United States. All ANDESAMAZON items are shipped directly from South America. Our intention is to reach a larger number of clients by keeping worldwide shipping costs to a minimum. Unfortunately, WE CANNOT OFFER RETURNS – either in merchandise or money. We promise to continue providing detailed and accurate information related to age, origin, condition and descriptions as we have for the past 15 years. WE ALSO PROMISE TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ASSURE THAT YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH YOUR PURCHASES.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO ANDEAN CULTURE, ARTS AND HISTORY,
THIS NEW ANDES AND AMAZON WEBSITE MAY BE USEFUL.

ANDES AMAZON \"DATING\" TERMS:

PREHISTORIC, PRE-COLUMBIAN, ANCIENT = Before around A.D. 1500.
18TH CENTURY = A.D. 1700 to 1799.
19th CENTURY = 1800 to 1899.
TURN OF THE 19TH CENTURY = 1890 to 1910.
EARLY-20TH CENTURY = 1900 to 1933.
MID-20TH CENTURY = 1934 to 1966.
LATE-20TH CENTURY = 1967 to 1999.
TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY = 1995 to 2005.
EARLY-21ST CENTURY = 2000 to Present.
COLONIAL = A.D. 1532 to 1825.
ANTIQUE = Over 50 years old.
VINTAGE = Over 30 years old.
CONTEMPORARY = Made in the last 5 years.
CIRCA = \"Approximately/around/within a few years of.\"

ANDES AMAZON TEXTILE “CONDITION” TERMS:

Terms used to describe the physical condition of textiles can be subjective and vary greatly from one observer to another. What some others call “mint” condition, we call “good”; what others call “excellent” condition, we call “fair.” Following are explanations of the terms we use.

MINT = Like new. Unused -- as if recently removed from the loom. No wear or patina of any kind. These textiles may have “nubs” or even loose, uncut threads from the weaving process.
EXCELLENT = Usually only lightly used, often guarded or stored for many years. There may be extremely light wear, patina and sheen from use. There may also be nearly undetectable light staining or soiling from use. The colors may have muted ever so slightly due to age or exposure, often improving the beauty of a textile.
VERY GOOD = Usually lightly or only periodically used. The surface may be very lightly but evenly worn. There are no tears or distracting holes. There may be minimal surface discoloration. Vintage textiles may have lightly darkened yarn from use and age (staining and soiling). Overall, the textile will be in outstanding condition and at a displayable distance will appear perfect.
GOOD = Usually moderately to well-used. There may be light to medium staining, isolated or throughout. Some parts of the textile may be worn or have very small holes, occasionally exposing hidden thread yarns. Edges may be lightly frayed. Surface discoloration due to age and exposure is common but often improving the appearance of a textile. There may be minor, light or isolated, dye “run.” Damage will not distract significantly from the textile when displayed.
FAIR = Either well-used or moderately abused. Extensive wear is common as is some “bleeding” or dye “run.” In most 20th century cases, the colors have considerably faded. Sections of fringe or tassels may be missing. Textiles may be in otherwise excellent condition but with a single isolated sector of damage, that greatly reduces its aesthetic appeal. Most vintage tribal textiles on the market are in FAIR TO GOOD condition.
POOR = Showing evidence of extreme usage and damage. These textiles do not display well and are primarily useful as study specimens or examples of sometimes very rare textiles.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND SUPPORT