Tradición Entretejida Artesanías
The power of a basket weaving legacy
Tradición Entretejida Artesanías is a collective that focuses on ancestral Colombian basket weaving. Founder Luis Ferney Mejía began weaving at the age of five, learning by observing his mother and the women of their community. Recognising the strength of this ancestral craft, Luis brought together a group of women from the Eperara Siapidara people in 2012 to reclaim their basketry traditions. An elder recalled the nearly forgotten Cuatro Tetas (Four Breasted) baskets once used to carry daily catch, and Luis led its revival to what is now considered the most iconic piece of the Eperara Siapidara.
The ancestral basket weaving practised at Tradición Entretejida Artesanías relies on chocolatillo and tetera fibres collected primarily by the men in the forest, who also actively weave alongside the women. Working as a collective opened doors to institutional support and strengthened their technical and creative skills. It also allowed them to safeguard their cultural and natural symbolism. Today, through Tradición Entretejida Artesanías, the Eperara Siapidara community in Guapi is dedicated to crafting the Cuatro Tetas basket, exhibiting at major fairs locally and internationally through formal entrepreneurial practices.
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Tradición Entretejida Artesanías
