Threads of Peru Blog

Megan Malley comes to Threads of Peru as a graphic design intern from Seattle, Washington. Having recently graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Notre Dame in May 2013, Megan is excited to use her unique skill set to help preserve the ancient handmade textile traditions of the Sacred Valley. 

 

 Megan is an avid hiker and photographer

Megan has spent time on six different continents, from studying and living with a host family in Toledo, Spain to conducting design research on xenophobia in Johannesburg, South Africa. She also spent 10 weeks living in Kathmandu, Nepal, as a product design intern for a Fair Trade nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of local artisan women. Her travels have taken her throughout all regions of the United States and British Columbia, most of Western Europe, parts of Mexico and Central America, the Northern and Southern tips of Africa, all over Nepal, and the entire Eastern coast of Australia. She is very excited to be experiencing South America for the first time, especially in a place as stunning as Cusco.

Megan’s interest in Threads of Peru lies in her passion for traditional artisanship and its ability to tell the story of a place and its people for over thousands of years. The approach taken by Threads of Peru is a business model, not a charity, creating a sustainable solution to the cycle of poverty that traps many families in the rural communities of the Sacred Valley. Megan believes in the way the organization helps the artisans help themselves and in its ability to bring awareness of the vibrant Andean culture to a Western market.

Megan is thrilled to become a part of such an innovative and passionate team and to immerse herself in the beautiful Cusco community.

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Calling this a once in a lifetime experience is probably understating it.

In January of this year, Threads of Peru was offered the unique opportunity to collaborate on a film being produced for the BBC, a film that would showcase the Andean lifestyle to reveal the full glory of its vast beauty and uncompromising harshness.

For five days, the crew from Indus Films, including BBC presenter Kate Humble, myself and a small team of Apus Peru staff braved the cold, rain and occasional snow to catch a real glimpse of what life was like for the alpaca herders in Chaullaqocha, one of Threads of Peru’s partner weaving communities. We were hosted by weavers Demesia Sinchi Echame and her mother-in-law Alejandrina Puma Churata while they and their families opened up their lives to us. 

Kate with Demesia and two of her children, Luz Brenda and Maria Milagros

Weaving in Chaullaqocha

The film in question is a three-part series entitled “Wild Shepherdess” and examines the state of traditional herding practises throughout the world. Part 1 features one of the most traditional herding communities in the world in a remote corner of Afghanistan; Part 2 is centred on Peru, a country in transition yet steeped in history, where alpaca herding has been practised for centuries. The series culminates in Australia in Part 3 where modern sheep herding is practised with state-of-the-art technology and cutting edge science.  

Chaullaqocha opens Part 2, arguably the more complex of the three Parts. The tension of competing worlds is palpable as Alejandrina, Demesia, her husband Augustín and his brother Tomás discuss in turns the hardships they face trying to raise their families on subsistence farming in Chaullaqocha and their hopes for a better future for their children. But there hangs in the air a wistfulness for traditions and a way of life in danger of being lost. 

Demesia’s daughter, Luz Brenda, carrying her brother Huayna Isaiah

The struggle of these families to balance traditional culture with the need to adapt to a changing economic picture is a metaphor for the entire country. Peru has one of the fastest growing economies in South America and is seen as a country ripe for investment, and poverty rates have been dropping in recent years. But for a country built on the legacy of a great empire – the mystery of which still defines the country in most people’s minds and sustains an $2.2 million tourism industry – how do you reconcile such pervasive cultural roots with newly emerging economic systems, infrastructure and global influences?  

This dynamic balance is at the heart of what Threads of Peru is trying to achieve, and it is poignantly captured in Wild Shepherdess. 

Kate before a herd of alpacas in Chaullaqocha

Wild Shepherdess with Kate Humble, Episode 2, Peru aired on BBC on June 28th 2013; check for repeat airings on your local networks or YouTube.

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Every day is a weaving day for Threads of Peru and even moreso for the weavers with whom we work in Rumira Sandormayo and Chaullaqocha. While walking, caring for their children and livestock or chatting with friends and family, their drop spindles are constant companions, “dancing” with brightly colored yarn and wool. But today we have the pleasure of joining in the celebration of “World Weaving Day,” one particularly special day when we are able to reflect on the beautiful tradition that we work to preserve.

According to fellow bloggers, this event began not many years ago in distant Australia, where a group of women joined their hands together to “weave help.” Their efforts were directed at providing warm clothing for low-income families. Soon after, they had the idea of inviting the global weaving and knitting community to join in their efforts and “World Weaving Day” was inaugurated. It is now celebrated worldwide, from Australia to our beloved Peru, with special efforts made on this day to draw attention to how small efforts can mean big changes for those who most need help. 

 With this 100% organic, naturally dyed table runner woven by Master Weaver, Daniel Sonqo, your living area will certainly make a statement!

As with those women whose ideas created a global movement, Threads of Peru is committed to providing support to Quechua weavers, whose skills fulfill both components of World Weaving Day. Not only do they weave, as our friends are doing around the world, but their weavings and the profits made by their sales circle back to ensure the well-being of their families and communities. Where are we in that equation?  We ensure that they have markets for their products. Particularly in a market dominated by the mentality of “cheaper is better,” we guarantee fair wages to them and fair prices for our customers.

In the spirit of World Weaving Day, we invite you to visit our newly launched website at threadsofperu.com or one of our online stores with Ebay and EcoMarket to browse our stunning variety of traditional Peruvian textiles. Think ahead for the upcoming winter and holiday season with an extra special gift, like a timeless scarf or table runner from our Master Weaver collection. Or treat yourself to a little piece of the Sacred Valley to carry with you everyday, such as one of our quickly disappearing change purses and pencil cases featured on our EcoMarket stall!

As with many other weaving or weaving-associated organizations with whom we are celebrating today, your purchase will directly benefit Quechua weavers in the Sacred Valley of Cusco whose talented hands have been weaving Peruvian culture for centuries. Happy World Weaving Day from all of us at Threads of Peru!

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