The Wayúu, a tribe located in the northeast of Colombia and the northwest of Venezuela, are the largest indigenous community in Colombia where they inhabit the region called La Guajira, enduring the harsh conditions of the semi-arid ecosystem. Wayúu are best known for the beautiful and colorful crochet textiles created by women. They even have a popular saying: “To be a woman is to know how to weave.”

The most common woven creations are the mochilas, small bags made of colorful yarn with intricate patterns and motifs. Through the motifs, the weaver shares their cosmological view of the universe and their traditions. The techniques are passed from generation to generation of women, making it one of the primary traditional aspects of the tribe, included as a rite of passage. Mochilas, chinchorros (hammocks), and other woven creations have become a means of economical income for Wayuu women who sell them to tourists or people outside their tribe. The mochilas have raised awareness of the tribe, as well as the critical conditions they face. According to Wayúu cosmology, everything on Earth is connected and has a soul. In their language, Wayuunaiki, every vegetable, animal, human, or mineral has a soul and a language.

The Wayúu rely completely on their language, as their traditions are transmitted orally from generation to generation, creating multiple versions of the myths and legends that explain their origins. Such is the case of the Waleker legend, the one that recounts the origins of spinning and weaving for the Wayúu. One of the versions describes how Irunúu, a guajiro hunter, met on his way home a handicapped girl named Wokoloonat, who, out of compassion, Irunúu took to his family home. However, the rest of his family didn’t like Wokoloonat’s presence and didn’t treat her well when Irunúu wasn’t home. What none of them knew was that Wokoloonat was a master weaver who every night, while the rest were sleeping, would transform into a beautiful girl and manufacture beautiful weavings from colored threads she pulled from her mouth. One night the hunter discovered the beautiful woman creating the woven pieces, and when he told others, the beautiful woman became a spider and disappeared.

Another common legend, the weaving tradition comes from “Wale’kerü” a spider that taught women how to weave, and use the thread, colors, and patterns as a storytelling technique. Thus, each bag is unique to the weaver, and it is extremely unlikely to find a duplicate. Women learn to weave as part of their rite of passage, following a long standing tradition that’s central to Wayúu beliefs. When a girl gets her first menstruation, she begins an isolation period of 1 year (in Wayúu terms: 365 suns and 12 moons) with the purpose of  leaving behind her childhood in order to become a woman, and ultimately a wife.  During this time, only female family members or close women from the clan are allowed to see her. The rite begins with the girl laying down completely still in a chinchorro (hammock). After that she will be given a variety of drinks of traditional medicine that will make her sick in order to vomit. The Wayúu believe that this action represents the exit of the child spirit.

 Traditional mochilas can be described as medium-size bucket bags that can be woven/knitted single-threaded or double-threaded, and the strap is later attached. Wayúu women travel around the Guajira region tourist area to sell their bags in order to bring money and food for their families. Sometimes, a representative from the clan will gather all the bags produced in the community and take them to the cities to be sold.

Wayúu mochila bags have gained international spotlight due to initiatives like the Mochila Project launched by Moda Operandi, and lead by Vogue editor Lauren Santo Domingo in 2009. The project teamed up with 11 well-recognized designers who created their interpretation of the traditional bag, acting as a merge between indigenous craft, modern fashion technologies, and designer’s signature style. The Mochila Project Collection's unique bags, priced at $5,000, were auctioned in Miami at the BeLive charity gala in November 2009, with the proceeds being donated to 30 charitable organizations throughout Colombia.

According to textileartscenter.com