Ikat weaving and makana shawl in Gualaceo Ecuador was one fun adventure. Also, look at my page Free South America Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas.
I couldn’t have planned a more perfect way to spend the day.
For a year now, I have been wanting to go to the La Casa de la Makana to see the ikat weaving and makana or shawls in Gualaceo Ecuador.
We headed to Gualaceo, which is about a 40 minute drive from where we live.
We finally got to go with some other gringos and homeschoolers we have become friends with while we have lived here in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Ikat – Tying and Dying – Natural and Ancient Arts
What is so amazing about this cultural experience is that the ikat pattern is not only an ancient pattern and art passed down from previous generations, but this family is one of only about a handful of families that practice this ancient hand work.
The word ikat actually means “to tie”.
The shawls, which normally have a fringed edge has been the typical dress along with the Panama hat for the people in this region for probably close to a hundred years, but it is a dying art because a lot of the locals are getting “modernized”.
Ikat Weaving and Makana Shawl in Gualaceo Ecuador
This family though is preserving the tradition.
Too, this family, like a lot of families in this area who have their own businesses, both live and work in the same dwelling.
(You can see the tyed yarn in this picture before it’s dyed naturally and weaved.)
Like most homes here, this home has an outside space for working and normally an inside space or separate space for cooking and for sleeping.
We loved the decorations and old exterior and charm this place had.
But first, I have to tell you about this very unique craft.
Like I mentioned, this family has been making shawls and using the ikat pattern for about 5 generations.
It has been a skilled passed down to each generation.
Also, look at some of these books for kids.
Books for Kids About South America
13 Resources for a Study of South America
Add some of these fun books and resources to your study of South America.
An incredible variety of climates and biomes span the territory of South America. As a result, the continent contains some of the greatest biodiversity on Earth.
Rookie Read-About: Continents series gives the youngest reader (Ages 3-6) an introduction to the components that make each continent distinctive and exceptional. Readers will get to know each continents' geography, history, and wildlife. In this book readers learn about the continent of South America, including the geography, native animals, people and more.
A full-color, compelling book for ages 7 to 10 offers a deep dive into the three sophisticated ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica―the Aztecs, Maya, and Incas― through hands-on STEAM projects, essential questions, and loads of fascinating facts!
Why were there more than 3,000 steps built at Machu Picchu? Why did the Aztecs roam Mexico for nearly 200 years before finding a place to settle? How did the Maya study the movements of the stars and the planets? Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas! With 25 Social Studies Projects for Kids takes kids ages 7 to 10 on a guided tour to experience the history, culture, economics, and daily life of the Aztecs, Maya, and Incas.
A man, his burros, and his books bring joy to children in remote Colombian villages in this inspiring book based on a true story by celebrated picture book creator Jeanette Winter.Luis loves to read, but soon his house in Colombia is so full of books there’s barely room for the family. What to do? Then he comes up with the perfect solution—a traveling library! He buys two donkeys—Alfa and Beto—and travels with them throughout the land, bringing books and reading to the children in faraway villages.
An Incan boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his ancestors.
In the sequel to On the Pampas, the author recalls her first year on the small Argentinian ranch purchased and managed by her mother, in an account that includes a visual dictionary of the Spanish words and geographical terms used in the text.
Atmospheric woodcuts illustrate this Newbery Award–winning collection of 19 South American folktales. Charles J. Finger heard the tales firsthand from native storytellers, whose fables of talking animals, witches, giants, and ordinary people in supernatural settings provide remarkable insights into regional values and culture. The first of the stories, "A Tale of Three Tails," tells of an age when the rat had a tail like a horse, the rabbit had a tail like a cat, and the deer's tail was plumed like the tail of a dog. "The Magic Dog" recounts an act of kindness to a stray animal that helps overcome a witch's curse. In "The Calabash Man," the creatures of the jungle assist a suitor in winning his bride, and in "El Enano," a greedy troll's insatiable appetite leads to his downfall. Packed with adventure and full of surprises, these and other stories emphasize the importance of hard work, courage, and loyalty.
In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and “discovered” Machu Picchu. While history has recast Bingham as a villain who stole both priceless artifacts and credit for finding the great archeological site, Mark Adams set out to retrace the explorer’s perilous path in search of the truth—except he’d written about adventure far more than he’d actually lived it. In fact, he’d never even slept in a tent.
With the memorable characters and plot twists she brings to her best-selling fantasies, acclaimed author Eva Ibbotson has written a hair-raising novel, set in turn-of-the-last-century Brazil.Accompanied by Miss Minton, a fierce-looking, no-nonsense governess, Maia, a young orphan, sets off for the wilderness of the Amazon, expecting curtains of orchids, brightly colored macaws, and a loving family. But what she finds is an evil-tempered aunt and uncle and their spoiled daughters. It is only when she is swept up in a mystery involving a young Indian boy, a homesick child actor, and a missing inheritance that Maia lands in the middle of the Amazon adventure she's dreamed of. Readers of every generation will treasure Ibbotson's lush historical adventure that harkens back to the beloved classics of Frances Hodgson Burnett and Louisa May Alco
Can you imagine living in a place where there is so much water some houses need to be built on stilts to protect them when the river rises? Or where it is so wet that some plants can grow on the sides of trees with their roots gathering water from the air? In This Place Is Wet, you'll find out all sorts of things about what it's like to live in the rain forest of Brazil. Try to imagine living there!
It is astonishing that Simón Bolívar, the great Liberator of South America, is not better known in the United States. He freed six countries from Spanish rule, traveled more than 75,000 miles on horseback to do so, and became the greatest figure in Latin American history. His life is epic, heroic, straight out of Hollywood: he fought battle after battle in punishing terrain, forged uncertain coalitions of competing forces and races, lost his beautiful wife soon after they married and never remarried (although he did have a succession of mistresses, including one who held up the revolution and another who saved his life), and he died relatively young, uncertain whether his
achievements would endure.
Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash
Mayans Aztecs Incas Coloring Book – Fun And Education For Adults and TeensMake the perfect gift for anyone who loves coloring! Enjoy this Mayans Aztecs Incas Coloring Book for Adults and Teens. Click the cover to reveal what’s inside!About this book:
- 40 original pages drawings of Symbols, Warriors, Masks and Mandalas.
Explore the Inca empire, including how the Incas survived in the mountains, how the empire was built, and why it disappeared.
A True Book: Ancient Civilizations series allows readers to experience what makes each ancient civilization distinctive and exceptional as well look at its influence on the some of the practices of the modern world. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study.
Do you know the beautiful and ancient pattern of ikat?
Look at these patterns to give you an idea of why I was so stoked to learn about this beautiful craftsmanship up close and personal. (Can I have one of each please?)
More Activities About South America
- Ikat Weaving and Makana Shawl in Gualaceo Ecuador
- Finding a Home in Cuenca, Ecuador
- Everyday Life in Cuenca, Ecuador
- 5 Things I Love About Cuenca Ecuador
- Effigies, Celebrations and Customs of Cuenca, Ecuador
Here the mother is using a warping machine to wrap the yarn. This determines the size of the shawl.
But what is really AWESOME, is the natural method of making dye, which is still practiced today.
Each barrel makes color and from that color they make several more colors.
You can see the color that is being made inside by the barrel by the color scarf on the outside.
Orange, light walnut (guess what nut that is in that barrel soaking with water) and indigo are some of the colors being made here.
South America Family Crafts
To make these natural dyes they used walnuts, worms, rocks, plants and cochineal.
Some of the natural dyes take days to make and still others months.
Cochineal is a bug that lives in the cactus here in South America and from that bug it makes the color carmine (reddish).
But look at this video as our guide adds lime to make one color (like an brown-ish orange-ish) and then baking soda for yet another color (purple).
Also, in this video you can see at the end of the video when she grabs the long ropes of thread that actually comes before the dying process.
So after warping and dying, next comes the weaving.
The focus here is to be sure the pattern stays the same and stays in sequence.
Can you see why this ancient art is being lost? It takes time and skill to make just one well-made shawl.
The family also had a showroom upstairs. Of course I can’t wait to go upstairs to drool over all their handicrafts.
They provide the patterned material to make shoes to the local shoe maker. So you can have this beautiful pattern on a great looking set of high heels.
Look at some of their finished products.
Of course the price here is HALF of what it is in Cuenca or other stores.
The shawls, purses, and shoes are about $25.00 to $30.00. Of course they first said $35.00, but I always ask for a “descuenta” (discount) but that is the norm here.
People expect you to negotiate.
But one thing that hangs in their showroom that they are EXTREMELY proud of and that is not for sell is the 150 year old hand embroidered piece made the family great grandmother.
Ikat Master Weavers
They have it hanging up in their showroom to show off not only their proud heritage but the intricate quality.
It has humming birds on it and the seal of the Republic of Ecuador.
Too, I had to show you a close up of this one loom that is 150 years (on the left) and that is still used by this family.
Of course, I couldn’t leave without buying an item or two.
I just drooled when I saw this wool and ikat blue bag and had to have it.
I think I will go back and grab a few more shawls and maybe even a pair of heels.
Then, of course the day is not complete with a great fabulous meals at one of the local and CLEAN restaurants.
I went upstairs to snatch a picture real quick before we devoured our delicious meal.
Hope you learned something about the cultural of Ecuador that we are just soaking up while we are here!
I think I could decorate my whole house in the ikat pattern because I have fallen madly in love with it.
