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Ceremonial sling
Ancient Andean civilizations used textiles for many purposes which, in other areas of the world, were served by metal, ceramics, or stone. Warfare and hunting were conducted with slings like this, accounts were kept on knotted strings, and swinging bridges were built of rope across deep mountain chasms. The sling's wide central area held a stone or other object, which the user swung around by the long cords and let fly with considerable force by releasing one of the ends. Elaborate slings like this one, with its multicolored bird motifs and fine workmanship, were probably used in ceremonies. This sling does not have a slit in the central cradle, like functional slings do, and may even have been worn as a belt or headband. Today, ceremonial slings are used in parts of the Andes as accessories in dances and in mock battles. camelid hair; tapestry weave, vertical wrapping over a
foundation, braiding |
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