MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UN backs commercial weaving among Peruvian Indians

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is backing a project in the Andean mountains of Peru to promote the traditional practice of textile weaving as a commercial venture.

Under the project, a grant from UNDP is helping Matinga women, who live in a relatively isolated area about an hour from the Peruvian tourist centre of Cusco, produce and market their products in cities such as the capital, Lima. In the past, many were reluctant to become involved or felt their work had no commercial value. UNDP's small grants programme coordinator Emilia Bustamante said in a press release issued Monday that the initiative is allowing many locals the opportunity to create an economically sustainable living. "We were able to overcome the initial silence of the Matinga women," she said. "Not all of them are bilingual in Quechua and Spanish, and they did not believe that their weavings had any commercial value." Textile weaving is a tradition that dates back centuries in Peru, where it is still conducted mostly by Andean women and associated with communications and deity worshipping. The work is largely gender-based, with men responsible for the greenhouses for the natural dyes used in the textiles. Ms. Bustamante said the project was empowering many local women in Matinga. "In the beginning, men did not allow women to sit in the programme meetings or even to enter the new greenhouses freely. Now, we are at the point where women consider the re-investments and profit balance, as they develop small business tools."