Who makes Arhuaco bags?

The Arhuaco live in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, on Colombia's Caribbean coast, and are the descendents of the ancient Tayrona people who Spanish conquistadores admired for their elaborately woven bags.

Weaving tutus (bags) is the traditional task of Arhuaco women, who begin learning to weave at an early age. The bags are woven using both hands and feet to tightly crochet one thread in a circular manner, radiating out from the centre of the base, in the same way that the Arhuaco believe Serankwa created the earth. As such, the bags are the strongest symbol of creation in Arhuaco life, and their making is the definitive task of womanhood. When a girl finishes weaving her first bag, she presents it to the Mamu (wise elder), who keeps it until the girl is ready to wear it during her initiation into community life, after her first menstruation.