Co-creation process, Iku community and TdS

A joint effort of more than 4 years.

The Iku, Ikas or commonly known as Arhuacos, are one of the four indigenous communities, the four guardians, who inhabit " Nivi Umuke " the name given in their own language to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta located between the departments of Magdalena, Cesar and La Guajira (South America-Colombia).

This triangular-shaped place (sometimes heart-shaped, depending on the eyes that look at it) is the highest coastal mountain system on the planet, rising from the Caribbean Sea to reach snow-capped peaks of more than 5,000 meters high. These conditions make it possible to say that Nivi Umuke is a scale replica of the earth, and this is what the Iku people consider it, who take care of their home as if the well-being of the entire planet depended on it.

The craft of weaving is the fundamental basis of their culture, where life itself is considered to be a fabric that oneself, together with the community, creates and spins. “In the world nothing is loose, everything is woven, we all together make up the world” says Oliverio Villafañe, an Iku with whom we have been working for more than 4 years.

In the weaving, specifically in the tutu (“backpack” in the Iku language), the cosmogony of their culture is captured; each figure woven in a tutu represents something; nothing is woven in vain, just like in life. The tutu also represents the female womb that contains everything, the universe itself, which originates with the first stitch and expands as the fabric grows in a spiral shape.

Each stitch, each turn, each figure carries a deep meaning, turning its drawing into the written expression of the worldview of the Iku culture (which was originally based on a rich oral tradition). Each woven symbol becomes a message that is not only visual, but also vibratory, calling for balance.

The creative power of each weaver is also a fundamental element in the craft of weaving tutus, since each woven figure, the use of color, the choice of patterns and their combinations are the result of the creativity and thought of each woman, where the drawings represent an idea that is repeated over and over again to preserve tradition, it is something like a graphic mantra, in its repetitive sense, which allows a connection with the spiritual and ritual world.

The colors traditionally used in tutus are white, black, brown and gray, which come from the natural colors of the wool of the sheep that they themselves care for in their territory. The choice regarding the combination and use of these colors only depends on the creativity of each woman.

We could then say that a tutu is definitely not simply a craft, it is rather a living piece, which speaks about the Iku culture, which gives meaning to their lives and is part of the harmonious balance between the human being, nature and the connection with the divine.

With this article we wanted to tell you a little about the history behind Iku weaving and its symbolic value, as well as pay tribute to all the gwatis (“women” in the Iku language) who weave pieces that will later become Tigres de Salón.