Fieldwork in Northwest Amazonia

Erick Vidal

So, I spent last year doing fieldwork in Northwest Amazonia for my research on contemporary basketry in this region, on the border between Brazil and Colombia. During that period I became friends with a man a little older than myself, who specialises in weaving letters - i.e. what might be called a woven form of calligraphy. At some point, as I witnessed the way he'd take in new orders and manage the production of the pieces, I had the idea of commissioning a gift to the department (along with a pattern-sample I had been discussing with him for my research) - an idea he was happy about. 

I felt 'Durham University / Department of Anthropology' was too long (I may have been wrong, but he left it for me to decide...) so suggested 'Durham / Anthropology' as a shorthand. He quickly and flawlessly wove the piece and sent it downriver to me (I was in the Amazonian city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, at this point), and I picked it up at his family's city-house, where I met friends from earlier trips upriver. 

His name is Cleto Hermes Felipe. The piece is primarily made from a reed called arumã(Iscnosiphon sp.), very common for plait-weaving (as the technique is referred to by some academics); the frame is from the petiole of the inajá palm tree (Attalea maripa); whereas the binding is in nylon (Cleto currently lacks the plant which would have more traditionally provided fibres for this, known as curauá and very similar to the pineapple plant, but much bigger). More info will be in my thesis, hopefully!