OWP
Handwoven Alpaca Baby Hat-Bunny Ear Baby Hat-Fair Trade Bolivia
Handwoven Alpaca Baby Hat-Bunny Ear Baby Hat-Fair Trade Bolivia
Couldn't load pickup availability
These adorable "bunny ear" baby hats are super soft, very cute, and come in assorted striped colors. You choose your color and we randomly choose your pattern. All pattern choices are shown in both color schemes.
These hats and our alpaca scarves are made by women in Bolivia, many of whom have been abandoned by their husbands. Caring for their children in the high reaches of the Andes means these women knit lots of kid's hats!
Handmade and Imported from Bolivia.
Â
An important aspect of Spirit of the Andes is that no costly equipment is needed, no change in lifestyle is required, nor is there any negative impact on the environment. Great respect is shown to the women and to the unique world in which they live.
Products of Spirit of the Andes can now be found in the finest stores in Bolivia and in high-end stores in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, and Japan.
All the money received from the sale of Spirit of the Andes products goes directly to the support of the women and their families. The women are very proud to knit products of the highest quality for you and are thankful for your interest in their work.
About the Artisans
About the Artisans
Joyeria Semilla meaning Seed Jewelry is a small fair-trade workshop in the Andean town of Villa de Leyva, Colombia. Girasol Taborda, a local artisan and social entrepreneur, started the workshop in the mid-1990s.
Joyeria Semillaâs objective is three-folds; to create new jobs, revive Colombia's handicrafts sector and to motivate locals to better manage their natural resources. The organization works primarily with socially and economically disadvantaged youths, single mothers and people with disabilities in the area. The company offers free training in product design, technical training and marketing to new members. Joyeria Semilla has trained them in the craft of jewelry-making.
  
Caña Flecha or âGynerium Sagittatumâ is a locally found palm tree in the regions of the Caribbean coast. The leaves from this plant are used for making jewelry, woven hats, bags and baskets. The ZenĂș Indians were and their descendants inherited the tradition of picking veins of the green palm leaf for weaving. These veins were made into woven hats and other products for their personal use.
The ZenĂș culture is said to have existed between 200BC to1600AD. With the arrival of the colonizers in the 16th century, the indigenous community declined of unknown reasons. Today a very small population remains that claims the inheritance of the almost extinct ZenĂș tribe. Known for their skills in the construction of major waterworks, canals and irrigation system along with being skilled goldsmiths, examples of their accomplished craftsmanship are found in various museums around the world. Their larger means of subsistence were hunting, farming, fishing and trading.
Caña Flecha is found in abundance in the region, and hence makes for a sustainable and naturally available raw material for these products. Every bit of the plant is utilized â from using in building walls and roofs in houses to food for cattle and medicinal purposes. It is from the central vein of the leaf that the fibers for weaving are obtained. After the hard surface is peeled off, the fibers are left in the sun to dry and undergo a natural tinting process; these fibers are barely about 1 millimeter in thickness and hence call for a lot of skill and patience to weave with. The dried fibers are then processed for natural coloration - some are boiled with lemon to whiten them and some are treated with mud and boiled with plantain leaves to blacken them. The designs are based on ancient motifs and mathematical representations, which are inspired by the early ZenĂș culture.
