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The mochila bag is one of the staples of the Wayuu people, and one of the most known pieces of its culture worldwide. The mochila is the object in which Wayuu people carry their belongings. It is their personal space where they keep their secrets.

The mochila bag is one of the staples of the Wayuu people, and one of the most known pieces of its culture worldwide. The mochila is the object in which Wayuu people carry their belongings. It is their personal space where they keep their secrets.

Weaving is one of the strongest and more valued skills for the Wayuu people. The tradition says that Wale’kerü, a spider, was the one who taught the Wayuu women how to weave. As the story goes, Wale’kerü fell in love with a Wayuu man. He brought her to his family, and his mother gave Wale’kerü raw materials for her to sew. According to the story, she ate them all and from her mouth came weaved threads ready to be sewn.  She was given the materials at night and in the morning beautiful pieces were already made. One of the women in the tribe asked her to teach her how to weave, and in returned she received animals and food. This is how the tradition says the Wayuu learned to weave.

It is an ability performed by hand mainly by the women of the tribes, though men contribute to some extent. The base of the mochila, the cylindrical part of the ones we bought was made by women and the straps were made by men in a weaving machine known in Spanish as a telar.

There are many types of mochila bags that have different names and uses according to the size. The one sold in this site in particular is called Susu by the Wayúu and it is the mochila used on a daily basis. Personal and work objects, money or even another weave  carried in them.

The specific weaved pattern is called Kaanas, and is inspired by their daily life. The shell of a turtle, the pattern left by cattle on the sand, the genitals of their animals, etc., are some of their known Kaanas. They understand life as a knit too, that is why when they weave they are not just making an object but putting energy and placing a specific moment of their life in that knit.

Many indigenous cultures in Colombia wear some type of mochila. They are recognized by the colors, the materials used, the type of weaving, the patterns. The Wayuu mochilas are recognized for being colorful and with complex patterns.