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20 October, 2023
In the Andean world, the love and affection that parents feel towards their children is manifested through care for them and one way to take care of them is to wrap them as babies. According to Andean thinking, the baby should be wrapped in a sash called Chumpi, which in The Quechua language means sash or belt. Before using this sash, you should wrap the baby with a blanket. Once wrapped, you begin to wrap it, immobilizing its entire body, not so tight or so loose, in this way its bones will form. good and strong. This swaddling is usually done from birth to 3 months of age, although today in some communities swaddling continues for a few more months.
Source: A3, Archaeology, Anthropology and Art
In the Andes, textile activity has been of great importance since the time of the arrival of the first human beings to this territory, as demonstrated by several finds dating back to the Preceramic period. From then on, with the passage of time, textiles gradually reached higher levels of aesthetic expression and technical quality, which can be seen in the masterful weaves of towns such as Paracas, Huari or Chancay.
In the times of Tahuantinsuyo, textiles played a central role in politics, being considered elements with which agreements could be reached or alliances sealed between local leaders and state officials. The Inca himself used to give very fine garments, or “cumbi” type clothing, to those who showed loyalty to him.
On the other hand, in the magical-religious and ritual aspect, clothing also served as a resource that protected its wearer from bad spirits or curses. In this sense, thanks to the scholar John Murra, today we know that when there were wars between opposing sides, they sought to remove the enemy’s clothes, believing that this would cause damage and could defeat them.
A type of garment that has had a strong presence, as part of the wardrobe of pre-Hispanic Andean populations, is the sash, whose use was widespread in ancient Peru, and is still widespread today. In each region it is known by a different name and even in the central Peruvian mountains this diversity of terms is notable. Thus, for example, in Huancavelica it is called “chumpi”, while in the Mantaro valley it is called “watraku” or “watruku”, depending on the area in which we are.
In our region, the sashes still preserve many of the attributes that their similar ones had from pre-Hispanic times. For example, some of them are still made “to order”, with the purpose of giving them as a gift to another person, on the occasion of a celebration or special event. Likewise, the conviction still persists in several communities that this garment is a protective element against “damage” that could eventually be caused by an enemy.
In the specific case of the Mantaro Valley, the traditional use of “watraku”, in ritual and work contexts, is still important in several communities, as observed in the celebrations of San Lucas in October, which mark the beginning of planting. , or in the festivities of Santiago or “Tayta Shanti” in July.
In the urban area, in cities like Huancayo and neighboring towns, the presence of the sash has been established on occasions such as carnival time, where this garment still persists as an indispensable element of the Modern Huaylarsh wardrobe.
For all the above, it is evident that the sash is, perhaps, the only pre-Hispanic garment that remains quite valid until today. Its presence should be considered, then, as a clear example of the strength and vigor of our Andean culture, in the current context of globalization. For this reason, its value as a reference of identity for our people must be rescued.
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