Things in Colombia are always magical. The most ordinary things are made extraordinary. And the practice of crocheting Wayúu bags is no exception. So fitting to the magical realism that is present in this beautiful country, the indigenous Wayúu people attribute the art of weaving to a talented little spider called Walekeru. The Hunter and the Magical Spider The story of the Walekeru begins with a hunter. One spring day, when the birds sang joyfully to announce the first rain showers of the season, a brave young man went hunting through the mountains of Isashii, a dark place where only fear and loneliness prevailed. This man was called Irunúu, and he was a mighty Wayúu hunter and warrior whose courage ran wild through his veins. The Wayúu elders say that when Irunúu was born, a star fell from the sky that illuminated the night. They also knew that his life would be filled with great surprises. The morning of Irunúu’s hunting trip, he heard a small voice that seemed to come from the tree branches. He thought it was simply the branches whispering in the wind, and so, he carried on. After a while, he heard a small child’s giggle. He stopped to listen, held his breath, prepared his arrow and his bow, and waited for the strange giggle to repeat itself. A mix of fear and curiosity took hold of him as he gathered the courage to move towards the unknown sound. The Magical Girl in the Woods Much to his surprise, behind the bushes he saw a scruffy, dirty little girl lying on the floor playing with ants. The hunter approached the little girl. Concerned, Irunúu asked her where her parents were, and if she was alright. Overwhelmed by all the questions, the little girl, whose name was Walekeru, burst into tears and rubbed her face with her dirty hands. The young man went from shock to compassion, and after hearing the words that came from the dirty child, tenderness awoke from his heart. Irunúu took the little girl’s hand, lifted her off the ground and carried her back to his home. That day, he had found a little flower, someone he would call the daughter of his soul. Upon their arrival, he told his three sisters to clean up the poor child and teach her the ways of a Wayuu woman. The sisters didn’t welcome Walekeru very well, and conspired to mistreat her by not feeding her. But she never went hungry, because Irunúu would always share his food with her when he arrived home every night. The Mystery of the Weaving Begins After some time, Irunúu noticed that wonderful woven items started to appear in the house. A beautiful woven hammock, a finely crocheted blanket and other items would appear as if by magic. Irunúu had no idea where these items were coming from, until one evening he arrived home earlier than usual. As he entered his hut, Irunúu was attracted by an unknown force. Upon closer inspection, he realized that Walekeru had transformed into a beautiful maiden. She was quickly weaving the threads that were coming out of her mouth as she turned them into beautiful fabrics. At once, Irunúu fell in love. She told him she could stay that way as long as he would keep her talent a secret. A Dance with the Devil One day, evil spirits in disguise invited Irunúu to an event. He came wearing many of the beautiful fabrics Walekeru had made for him. The spirits asked him where he got them from, but he knew he had to keep his promise to Walekeru. As the evening went on, the spirits got Irunúu drunk, and the truth came out. When Irunúu woke up the next morning, he remembered the promise he broke and came running home. His sisters were nowhere to be seen. Walekeru had turned them into bats. As he walked over to embrace her, Walekeru disappeared. In her place, Irunúu found a spider who escaped into the mountains to never be found again. Irunúu saved all the beautiful threads Walekeru made for him and sent them to a Wayúu artisan so she could imitate the techniques and pass them on to other Wayúu women. And so, the art of crocheting spread across the land and the mystical and magical Walekeru become known as the mother of weaving for the Wayúu people.

Religion is the guiding light for billions of people on Earth, all believing in a superior power capable of shaping their worlds. Before Christianity, Judaism and Islam, many indigenous people created their own spiritual practices and beliefs which recognize several different gods personified in both nature and spiritual beings. Although colonialism forced indigenous people to adopt western religions, many communities maintain elements of their pre-columbian beliefs that reflect the magic of their universe. Such is the case of the Wayúu community, who although many practice elements of catholicism due to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, also still believe in the power of nature, ancestral spirits and deities. Here are some facts about the spiritual beliefs of the Wayúu community that you are bound to find interesting. They can help us understand more about the magic of their unique world, where the earth and the rain hold the power of life, and the spirits of ancestors are considered sacred. . 1. The 'Yonna' is the most spiritual ceremony In Wayúu culture, the dance of the 'Yonna' is an ancestral ritual that is celebrated during important moments for the Wayúu community: when crops are harvested, when a harvest is abundant, to thank the Maleiwa (the creator) for something positive in the community and to end the period of confinement after a girl’s first menstruation. This dance involves a woman trying to step on the feet of a man that she is chasing as community members play music on a drum. 2. The 'Yonna' represents fertility As the dance of the 'yonna' represents fertility for the Wayúu community, it is also carried out before a woman gets married, in order to ensure that she will be fertile and able to produce children. The Meaning Behind The Sacred Wayuu Ritual of “El Encierro” 3. Healers are important spiritual beings Within the Wayúu community, healers are considered to be highly spiritual beings due to their ability to communicate with the ancestral spirits who provide them with information about illnesses and their cures. Most healers tend to be women, as they are considered to be more sacred than men in Wayúu culture. However men can also carry this title. 4. Maleiwa is the most important Wayúu deity The Wayúu people believe in the spiritual power of multiple deities, but the most important is Maleiwa, which is the creator of the Wayúu people. Maleiwa is also responsible for the rain, which is of extreme importance in la Guajira as droughts and water shortages are the norm in this region of Colombia. 5. Wayúu babies receive a Catholic and Wayúu ceremony The majority of Wayúu babies are baptized through the catholic church, however they will also receive a traditional ceremony called a ‘Wayúu naming’. As the Wayúu culture is matriarchal, children adopt their mother’s last names rather than their father’s. During this ceremony, the good news of the newly acquired last name is announced to the tribe and celebrated. 6. Marriages and burials are the most important events According to Wayúu tradition, the most important spiritual ceremonies are when two people get married and the burial of the deceased. Marriage is important because it not only brings luck to both families who have now joined together but because it also blesses the family of the bride with riches received from the dowry. Burials are even more important in Wayúu culture because it is a ceremony that transcends into life after death, allowing the remains of the deceased to turn into rain and return to the land of the living to continue the cycle of life. Meet Sarnelis: “Creating Mochilas Fills Me With Joy” Sources “'Yonna' o 'Yonna'’, un baile guajiro” Katherine Vargas Gaitán “Wayúu: origen, historia, significado, economía, y más” Etnias del Mundo

Love in the Wayúu community comes in many different forms, and it can be very different from how we perceive love compared to other parts of the world. The meaning of love for the Wayúu goes beyond romantic love, and extends to family love, love for one’s craft, and love for all living things. It is a magical feeling that is a source of joy for the Wayúu people, and it is considered to be one of the fundamental values of their community alongside solidarity, responsibility and respect. Because love in many of its forms is a universal feeling, we wanted to share some facts about the meaning of love in the Wayúu community that you didn’t know before. 1. The Wayúu universe was born from love According to Wayúu mythology, the universe started to form after the rain, a masculine spirit, fell upon the earth, a feminine spirit, and they fell in love. They were so infatuated with each other that they had many children in the form of trees, and this was the beginning of the world we know today. 2. There is no word in Wayuunaiki for ‘love’ There is no specific word in the Wayúu language Wayuunaiki to say ‘love’, however when Wayúu people want to express their affection and love for someone, they use phrases of affirmation. Some common phrases are ‘aishtapura pya’ which means 'I like you a lot', or ‘anas mai’, which means 'you are the most beautiful thing'. 3. Dowry before marriage is still common For many Wayúu people, it is still important for the family of the son to pay a dowry as a sign of appreciation for the bride-to-be and to mark their status. Dowries in the Wayúu community mostly consist of necklaces, animals such as goats, donkeys and cows, and highly-valued woven items like ‘chinchorros’ or hammocks. Meet Guillermina: “I Am Passionate & Proud of My Craft” 4. Mediators play an important role in marriage Whether two Wayúu people decide for themselves or their families decide that they are a good match, it is important that the community mediator or the ‘palabrero’ ensures that things are done properly. The mediator, who is the most important person for resolving any issues or disputes between individuals and families, will ensure that the dowry provided to the woman’s family is sufficient. If the woman’s family has an issue, the mediator will attempt to negotiate between the parties involved in a balanced and impartial manner. 5. Female solidarity above all else The spiritual bond between mother and daughter, and women in general is very important for the Wayúu people. According to the concept of ‘apüshi’ or maternal wisdom, women must pass down ancestral knowledge and wisdom to the younger female generations with love and guidance. These bonds are considered superior to all others due to the spiritual importance women have in the Wayúu tribe. 6. Nature is respected and cherished Wayúu people believe that nature possesses both ‘energy of life’ and ‘energy of death’, just like human beings and animals. Everything that possesses this must be loved and respected because if it is not, it could retaliate in a negative way with its ‘energy of death’, causing community members to become unwell. Meet Sarnelis: “Creating Mochilas Fills Me With Joy” 7. Wayúu women weave with love Wayúu women take a long time to weave mochila bags. The average single thread bag can take up to a month to complete whilst a double thread bag can take up to 10 days, not counting the time it takes to make the finishings such as the straps, ties and tassels. Wayúu women put a lot of love and care into their craft as they see every mochila bag as a reflection of their heritage, meant to be shared with the world. 8. Polygamy is alive and well In the Wayúu community, polygamy is considered a status symbol that provides prestige for Wayuu men wealthy enough to possess multiple wives. Unfortunately, women are not permitted to take on multiple husbands. The concept is not very common but still allowed. The Wayúu’s perception of love, although different from the Western point of view, sheds light on concepts we can all take from. In the Wayúu community, it is a feeling that encompasses more than just marriage and romance. Female solidarity, family love, and love for their art are just a few examples of what it means to love for the Wayúu people.

There are around 102 different indigenous communities in Colombia, and each group has its own language, customs and traditions. The Wayúu people are one of the most important of these communities, not just because they represent 20% of Colombia’s indigenous population, but also because they have been able to use the art of weaving to spread love and appreciation for their magical culture around the world. To keep spreading this appreciation for Wayúu culture, here are some curious facts about the Wayúu people that you may not know: 1. Dreams are as important as reality The world of dreams in Wayúu culture is considered to be equally important as conscious reality, and whilst the Wayúu are dreaming, the deity of sleep, ‘lapü’ visits them to transmit important messages about the meaning of life. Dreaming is also used by the Wayúu people to detect illnesses within their communities and search for answers to life’s challenges. 2. Living beings consist of 3 parts Wayúu mysticism sees each living being as consisting of three components: the body, the soul and the bones. When a person leaves the universe of the living, they must be buried twice as the Wayuu believe this allows the creators of the universe to turn their remains into rain. Transforming into rain allows them to return to the universe of the living and help cultivate new life. 3. Maternal knowledge is highly respected The Wayúu people use the concept of ‘apüshii’ to express the act of female elders passing down knowledge to young girls in their community. Mothers, aunts, grandmothers and community members who engage in this practice are also referred to as the ‘apüshii’. What are Kanaas? Symbology in Wayuu Bags 4. Spirits hold powers of life and death Within the Wayúu community, the spirits of people who have passed are considered to be sacred and are referred to as ‘pülasü’. These spirits are believed to hold great powers of both life and death, of health and sickness. The ‘pülasü’ can be contacted through dreams where both the universe of the living and the dead collide. 5. Wayuú people speak Wayuunaiki The native language of Wayúu people is called Wayuunaiki although approximately 32% of the population also speak Spanish. For the Wayúu community, maintaining their language is of extreme importance as it allows them to express their unique reality in a more descriptive way. Within their community and at home, they always speak to each other in Wayuunaiki and they only use Spanish to interact with people from outside their tribe. 6. The Wayuú tribe is a matriarchal tribe The Wayúu community has a matriarchal culture. This is not only because the majority of Wayúu women are the main economic providers but also because the women are the carriers of ancestral knowledge. Very few men learn to weave as this task is passed down to women during the ‘encierro’ or rite of passage into womanhood. As a result, women tend to have more financial power thanks to the income earned through their art. 7. Souls can come back to haunt a community It is said that sometimes the spirit of the recently passed can have difficulty reaching the universe of the sacred if they don’t pass peacefully. These souls are referred to as ‘yoluja’ and can return to the universe of the living to steal souls at night. In order to deter the ‘yoluja’, Wayúu women will bathe their children in tobacco, helping to deter the evil spirits from harming their little ones. Meet Guillermina: "I am passionate and proud of my craft" 8. Wayúu people have their own territory Wayuu people govern their own autonomous territory that extends over the north-east of Colombia and the north-west of Venezuela. However, as their loyalties lie with their community, they don’t consider themselves as Colombian or Venezuelan, but simply as Wayúu. Many Wayúu people have family in both Colombia and Venezuela and it is normal for them to cross the border on a daily basis. 9. Their souls wander whilst they sleep For the Wayúu people, when they are in a state of sleep known as ‘alapüjawaa’, their soul will wander in order to search for the meaning of life. But they must be careful because if the soul wanders for too long, this can cause illness and it is thought that if a person in their sleep wanders past the realm of illness, they will enter the realm of death. This will cause their soul to forever wander, unable to get back to the universe of the living. 10. Plants are respected living things The Wayúu people distinguish material things from things that possess ‘energy of life’. According to their mythology, not only do humans possess ‘energy of life’ but plants and animals as well. This means that they also possess the energy of death, and must be respected due to the power they hold to influence the health of other living beings around them. 11. Young girls weave hammocks first When young Wayuu girls begin learning how to weave starting their first menstruation, they usually learn to weave ‘chinchorros‘ or traditional hammocks, even before they learn how to make mochila bags. The reason for this is that ‘chinchorros‘ are considered highly spiritual and important items in Wayúu culture as they are used for working, socializing and most importantly dreaming, allowing them to reach another realm. The Meaning Behind The Sacred Wayuu Ritual of “El Encierro” 12. Speaking about dreams is important One of the most important aspects of Wayúu culture is to speak about dreams. As dreams transmit messages from the spiritual universe to the living universe, many Wayúu people begin their day asking ‘jamaya pü’lapüin?’, or ‘how was your dream?’ as a greeting. Understanding the mystic universe of the Wayuu people helps us to see the world through a new set of eyes. We all search for answers to the unknown, and the Wayúu’s dream world and respect for the ‘energy of life’ is a beautiful answer to that for which we have no explanation. In each and every Wayuu bag, we hope to transmit this magical energy to you and to transport you to a place where dreams reign infinitely. Sources “Make Dreams” A Wayuu Perspective, Carmen Laura Paz Reverol “El Pueblo Wayuu”, Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia “Los Wayuu”, Ministerio de Minería y Energía de Colombia

Here, we say that for every girl that is born our family gets bigger. We say that the family gets bigger because we are matrilinear, meaning that the newborns take on the last name of their mother, not their father's. When a girl is about 7 years old, she starts to get ready. She is prepped at the idea that a confinement is necessary for her future. This confinement happens at the age of 11 or 12 years old, at the time of her first menstrual cycle. During the confinement, she is kept in a closed space. During the first three days she cannot eat anything, she cannot drink anything, she cannot move and she can't even speak. After those first three days, the girl must stay within the confinement for months or years. The second part of the confinement begins after the three days. After that, she is kept on an iposodic diet for some time, meaning she cannot eat anything with fat, nothing with sugar, and nothing with salt. HOW LONG DOES THE ENCIERRO LAST? This depends on the means of the family. And how much they want her to learn during this confinement period. Because the second phase is about learning. And within this learning period, she needs to stay in the confinement. They teach her how to spin cotton, make crochet designs and other handicrafts that we Wayuu make. The bags, the hammock. They also learn how to become mothers, and wives for when the time comes. She must learn to play her part and her role as a woman in Wayuu society. In Wayuu history, there is a confinement which lasted many years. And this confinement was that of my mother, which lasted seven years. She did not want to leave the confinement. As a result, she became a beautiful maiden and she had a lot of suitors, and men, because while she was in confinement, men saw the preparation she went through. As she had been there for so many years, she had a lot of suitors and a lot of them wanted to abduct her. At that time it was very common when a woman didn't want to get married, she was kidnapped. The highest skill a woman can learn within confinement is how to make a funerary blankets. A funerary blanket is a very exclusive piece, which back in the day was used to wrap and bury the dead. It was a type of canvas but completely woven and with a lot of designs. At that time, if someone wanted a funerary blanket, it would cost them two cows! My mom died at the age of 103 years old. She told me, "I leave you this relic, so it can be shown to the next generations." WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE ENCIERRO We get married at a very early age. At 15 or 16 years old. This is because we have received the right preparation within the confinement. When a young Wayuu man is interested in a woman, he must first consult with his uncle on his mother's side. He will tell his uncle he is interested in a girl from a specific clan and family. If his uncle agrees with him, they will call a ‘palabrero', which serves as an intermediary, sort of like a lawyer in Wayuu culture. This ‘palabrero' will go to the girl's uncle from her mother's side to offer a dowry. This is why they say that Wayuu girls are sold off. But it is not the sort of sale where the man says, “The girl is my property, I can do what I want with her. I can take her away.” On the contrary, the young man has to go live with the woman's family and from there the girl's family will monitor the new union. If a man offends a woman, he must pay depending on the gravity of the offense. If there is physical abuse, he can even lose the dowry he gave for the woman. HOW MUCH IS A DOWRY? It can be 100 goats. It can be 50 cows. It can be 20 necklaces. Each necklace is worth $1,500.000 which is made using this stone with gold. It is not the price that they are paying to have the woman. It is a price that they are paying to be accepted into the woman's family and valued for having entered the right way.

Ethnologist and anthropologist Nemesio Montiel claimed that the indigenous Wayuu people are part of the Arawak family, originating from the Caribbean and more specifically from Guiana. There have also been speculations of the Wayuu people descending from Mexico and spreading across the coast of Panama, moving down to what is currently known as the Peninsula of La Guajira. Today, the Wayuu people’s home territory is la Guajira, located on the border of Venezuela and Colombia. Nonetheless, the Wayuu do not identify with the countries of the border they reside on. They are all just Wayuu. Being quite an open group, the indigenous Wayuu have always maintained contact with western society. Before 1830, the Wayuu interacted with Spanish, Dutch, English and the French colonizers. (VIDEO) Q&A With Our Indigenous Wayuu Artisan: Rosa Thanks to oral information passed down from generations of collective memory, the Wayuu developed a strong identity based on their historical symbolism. This symbolism has been translated through the art of weaving and crochet. Wayuu culture have taken elements from their surroundings and presented a geometric and abstract version of their everyday life through the use of Kanaas. Read more about Kanaas and symbology in Wayuu bags here Some of the more ancient techniques have been forgotten over time due to Wayuu women abandoning the art of crochet to look for jobs within western (alijuna) society. With Wayuu people moving to urban areas in Colombia and Venezuela, younger generations of Wayuu women have lost the art of crochet as they've adopted new roles in the alijuna culture. The western world has not only attracted young Wayuu to its urban area, but its culture has also predominated. To preserve Wayuu culture, it's important to promote and educate Wayuu youths in order to maintain its language, customs and art. Lombia works directly with the Wayuu community to keep the art of crochet alive. Selling fair trade Wayuu bags is the main income of many communities and Wayuu women who are head of their house and we hope to keep this craft alive for decades to come. (VIDEO) Wayuu Princess Recognizes Lombia As ‘The Right Way To Do Business’