AYOREO
Cheque Oitedie Cooperative, Bolivia
The Ayoreo people were hunters and gatherers from the arid Gran Chaco region of Bolivia and Paraguay; some uncontacted still are. Traditionally, nomadic families harvested multiple wild species for food, medicines, and fibers, including a wild pineapple (Bromelia hieronymi) called dajudie. It was used for hand woven clothing, rope, bedspreads, and different bags for harvesting and storage. Many Ayoreo were removed from their tribal lands and resettled on mission settlements over 30 years ago.
Lacking their valued dajudie in their mission home, the women of Cheque Oitedie Cooperative transplanted wild dajudie to their settled communities in 2001, where a 3 hectare garden exists today. It is a reliable source of fibers as women continue to weave traditional and modern bags. Dajudie has become an important source of income for women and remains a valued part of Ayoreo identity and lore.
“To weave with dajudie fiber is our job, our identity, and our ancestral inheritance.”
WHAT'S IN A BAG?
A laborious process of removing the fibers from the leaves, then dying, smoothing and weaving results in a small to medium bag that may take up to a month to make. Most of the hand woven bags made today are for sale to the international market.
•3 years of care and maintenance of plant
•6 weeks - 2 months processing time for medium
•Harvest the plant
•Remove spines by hand
•Scrape leaves with machete to remove fibers
•Twine (spin) by rolling along thigh, using ash from burned termite mound as a mordant and to smooth the fibers
•Dye the fibers
•Weave using a needle to loop using extended foot for tension
The varied designs found in the Ayoreo bags originally reflected those of the 7 original tribes, but today, new designs continue to emerge.
Learn more about Ayoreo Natural Resource Managment
