peru1d_615

Threads of Peru, ngo - handwoven, handspun, naturally dyed textiles. Ligia Gomez and Lourdes Hancco Chaucca from ToP discussing their next order of chullos (beanies) with Narcisa and Melchor.

Narcisa Quispe Rojo, weaver, is married to master dyer Melchor. They live in the town of Amparaes but belong to the Pitukiska weaving association as they are both originally from Pitukiska village. They use only local plants for their natural dyes.

Threads of Peru :
Narcisa Quispe Rojo is originally from Bombom, where her father is the president of his community’s weaving association. She came to Pitukiska because she met Melchor (also a member of the weaving association), who is now her husband. Narcisa was 18 when she and Melchor first met, but they did not get married until she was 30 years old. She and Melchor first met at the annual Carnaval, which the communities of Bombom and Pitukiska celebrate together. She has lived in Pitukiska since 1997 when they first met; however, they recently moved to Amparaes so that their youngest son, David, would have better access to education. Narcisa dreams that her children will become master weavers (with a father and a husband who are presidents of their respective weaving associations, it's quite likely!), as well as professionals (such as guides, lawyers, or engineers). For herself, Narcisa dreams of selling her textiles in a little shop of her own someday. Because she learned to weave from her grandmother, Narcisa knows many traditional and ancient Inca designs; she estimates that she knows about 40 different patterns.

Threads of Peru:
Melchor Ttupa Quispe is a member of Pitukiska’s weaving association, Mayu Ch’aska. He was born in Pitukiska in 1971. Melchor has three children, two sons and one daughter. All of Melchor’s children are currently studying. Melchor’s wife, Narcisa, is also a long-time member of the weaving association. Melchor attended school until the second grade, and speaks both Quechua and Spanish. An average day for Melchor includes working as a porter for the Inca Trail, making textiles, and selling his bracelets at markets in the city. His favourite part of Pitukiska are the beautiful mountains and the natural landscape. Melchor mentions that a challenge he sees in his community is that there is less work for men than for women. “Men can only work in the farm,” he says, “while women have many roles. They can raise sheep, maintain the family, or weave.” Melchor was taught to weave by his mother when he was a little boy. He mentions that, while it is rare for boys to weave, he always liked helping his mom and always loved the textiles, so his mother finally decided to teach him. Melchor’s favourite textile to weave is a bedspread. His favourite designs to weave are the uña de llama (llama's claw) and the mayu q'enqo (river in zig-zag formation). Melchor weaves because it is a tradition that his ancestors passed down to him; he weaves so that he does not lose those memories. Melchor says that he is in the association because: “we work, we weave, we don’t forget.” Melchor hopes that in the future his community will improve the quality of their textiles and their houses, and be able to offer turismo vivencial. Melchor wants the world to know that, even though Pitukiska has a lot to improve upon, it is also has a lot to offer – It has a lot of agricultural terrain, many native plants, and much more.

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