Indigenous Communities

The communities that we represent are the foundation of our business. They are essential for the preservation of tribal customs and artistic expressions. The list of communities below is only a sample and aim at providing our customers with insight and context. More than a product, our customers are buying the story behind each handcraft.

Wayuu

The Wayuu: “The people of the sun, the sand, and the wind.” This indigenous community reside in La Guajira desert. It is the largest ethnic group in Colombia with over 450,000 individuals, of which a third reside on the Venezuelan side.

SINU

The Zenú, or Sinú is a community located in the valleys between the Sinú and Cauca rivers in Colombia. Its settlements span in territories of the Departments of Cordoba, Sucre, and Antioquia. There are over 230,000 individuals that belong to this community.

ARHUACO

The Arhuaco are descendants of the ancient Tayrona culture. They are settled in the in northern parts of Colombia, in one of the world’s highest elevation coastal ranges in the world, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. They believe their Sierra Nevada is the heart of the world, and that the planet’s well-being depends on it.

KANKUAMOS

Kankuamo indigenous people are located in the Department of Cesar in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Kakuamos are one of the inhabitants of the Sierra along with the Kogui, Arhuaco and Wiwa. Each of the tribes represent a leg of the “table” (which is the Sierra). The Kakuamos are the guardians of the balance of the world, and the Kogui, Arhuaco and Wiwa are the guardians of the tradition. The mountain is born at the Caribbean Sea and rises to the snow-covered summits.

EPERARA SIAPIDARA

The Canáan indigenous community inhabits the urban area of Guapi, after being forced to leave their territories, located in the Guangüi reservation. Most of the members of this community work basketry, using tetera and chocolatillo straws.

SIKUANI

The indigenous people of the Wacoyo reservation, Sikuani ethnic group, are located near Puerto Gaitán, in the department of Meta. Most craftsmen inherited the knowledge of the trade of moriche fibre weaving and wood carving, from very young age.

KUNA

The Guna (also spelled Kuna or Cuna) are an indigenous people of Panama and Colombia. Guna people live in three politically autonomous comarcas or autonomous reservations in Panama, and in a few small villages in Colombia.

The Guna people are famous for their bright molas, a colourful textile art form made with the techniques of appliqué and reverse appliqué. Mola panels are used to make the blouses of the Guna women’s national dress, which is worn daily by many Guna women. Mola means “clothing” in the Guna language. The Guna word for a mola blouse is Tulemola, (or “dulemola”) “Guna people’s clothing.”

GUACAMAYAS BOYACA

Surrounded by the Andean mountains of the Cordillera Oriental, this town in northern Boyacá preserves one of the most recognized artisan trades in the country, basketry in rolls of fique with straw. The Laches tribe inhabited the region before they were colonized in 1764.

With love, passion, and conviction to make the best of their traditions known to the entire world, the artisans of Guacamayas start their day very early to create handicrafts that demonstrate how the knowledge of their ancestors has been transmitted from generation to generation, keeping valid to this day.