Tapestry crochet

Their coil-construction Wounaan baskets (hosig di) woven from the leaves of the black palm Astrocaryum standleyanum, called chunga. Chunga’s silk-fine strands, colored with vegetal and organic dyes, are sewn over coils of Carludovica palmate, called naguala.

Gifted weavers express their culture and their surroundings in the ‘cultural’ and ‘flora and fauna’ designs seen in their baskets. Wounaan features a stylized repetition of the flowers, roots, and leaves of plants combined to make varieties of dyes, the geometric designs and other abstract zig-zag patterns, the snake skin diamonds and lizards, the jewel-toned butterflies and birds cast into colorful action. It all comes from the forest source and relates to patterns from traditional body painting that the Wounaan still practice today.

Intense natural colors, intricate designs and exceptionally fine weave make these remarkable creations from the rainforests of Panamá and Colombia one of the rarest and most highly-regarded art forms across the globe.