Chinchorro Wayuu Hammock

Description

Chinchorros Wayuu are a real jewel in the crown of our collection of hammocks. They are among the longest and widest hammocks produced anywhere in the world. They are all handmade by the members of the Wayuu tribe inhabiting a desert area of La Guajira peninsula in Colombia and Venezuela. A hammock, other than being the only bed the Wayuu know, is also a key element of the tribe’s culture with symbols and fragments of its mythology woven into each and every one of them.

What distinguishes a chinchorro from a regular hammock is the structure of the fabric – the yarn is knitted sparsely, which makes the chinchorro light and elastic and soft when touched. Each piece has an elaborate fringe, which is created separately and apart from it’s decorative valour can be used to wrap around the body on a chilly desert night.

Every chinchorro requires between two and four months of highly specialised work to produce – depending on the size and detail of a particular piece, the most labourious being the double-faced ones with a distinct pattern on each side. Each chinchorro is 100% handmade and the designs are unique, as the weavers never exactly repeat the patterns.

For the Wayuu, selling their craft plays an important part in providing for their families and by purchasing the products of their hands you are contributing to the tribe’s economy and to preserving their traditional art of weaving. Terrabomba is committed to fair trade and sustainable production principles  and we feel ethically bound to paying a fair price to the creators of the products in our store.

You can learn more about hammocks, traditional weaving techniques and the Wayuu culture in our story dedicated to them.

We only sell authentic chinchorros Wayuu, manufactured by the indigenous weavers in La Guajira, Colombia.