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.

Wayuu women have always had an important role in their community and have continuously participated in the development of their tribe. In Wayuu culture, women traditionally care for the home and while the man fishes or takes care of the cattle. But apart from the day to day chores, the real beauty the Wayuu indigenous tribe are the women's handicrafts. CRAFTS Geometric figures are part of the Wayuu symbology and a visible characteristic which can be seen in their fabrics and ceramics. The art of wayuu patterns transcends through hammocks, bedspreads, carpets, bags, backpacks and comosora (traditional shoes). Wayuu people don’t leave anything to waste as they recycle fruit shells to make cups, maracas, ladles and spoons typically used in the kitchen. PASSAGE TO WOMANHOOD Women are given great importance within the wayuu indigenous community. When a girl is born, a large feast is held to celebrate her birth in the community. The Wayuu people believe that the birth of a child is a blessing from the gods. A wuyunquera or doll is the first toy a Wayuu girl receives. These wuyunquera dolls are made of raw clay with the head of a turtle or lizard. This is so, because to give it a human face would be disrespectful towards their elders. Childhood is short lived as a Wayuu girl's passage into womanhood begins when she starts her first cycle. from that moment on, she starts her journey to become a woman. Leaving her wuyunquera dolls behind, she is secluded to her room for a period of about a year, where she will start her preparation for marriage. During her year of solitude, no one can visit or see her. The only people she will be able to have contact with are her mother and grandmother, whom will be in charge of feeding, caring and teaching the teenage girl. After having completed her year of seclusion in preparation for marriage, she emerges of her house in a traditional red outfit, symbolizing her entrance to womanhood. MARRIED LIFE After a year of seclusion, a Wayuu woman is now ready to be wed and suitors will offer dowry to the bride’s parents. This is used to prove that the groom will be able to care for the bride and their family. When the right suitor is found, the bride’s parents will give away their daughter along with goats and cattle for the husband to care for and multiply. This entire process serves to strengthen household assets. The dowry paid is used as a backup in case anything should happen and the wedding must be dissipated, or the bride can't respond for herself her children.