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“There is another kind of cloth made by the threads of the hands of the people. Each piece has its own life, its own story and a reflection of spirit, skill and personal history of the maker.”
—Nilda Callanuapa Alverez, founder, Center for Traditional Textiles

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About the Conference
“Tinkuy” in the Quechua dialect means a gathering of voices to meet, exchange and learn. Sponsored by the Center for Traditional Textiles, the Tinkuy conference consists of thousands of participants from around the world, including 300 indigenous Peruvian women, and weavers from Laos, Mexico, and Guatemala. The conference is meant to unite weavers, textile art lovers, and the general public for the purpose of sharing experience and knowledge.

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Communities of weavers live in the sacred valley of Peru, deeply connected to place, to the land, the animals they tend, and to each other. Generations of knowledge have been handed down as an unbroken thread as we enter into the 21st century. It’s a culture that knows how to make things- remarkable creations of beauty- with a deep understanding of their natural resources, and true meaning of sustainability. Keeping a sacred way of life and navigating the global economy requires a capacity for resilience. Products made in this way transmit the values of this cultural legacy. In the sacred valley when the young women make their first weaving they throw it into the river with the blessing- “May your weaving flow like the river.”

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The outcomes of both the workshop and the seminar were exciting, opening the doors to new possibilities for indigenous weavers.

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“As an artist, one of the things I most appreciate are the colors of the Andean highlands, the quality of the brilliant light, and how a place reveals itself through it’s unique colors”
Local Color, Mimi Robinson