Weavers of the Andean highlands

Filmed during the AMNH Myron I. Granger Archaeological Expedition to Peru and Ecuador, 1930. This film was made by Ronald L. Olson, AMNH archaeologist during the Myron I. Granger Archaeological Expedition to Peru and Ecuador. Granger sponsored the expedition for the AMNH. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (disbanded in 1951) approached Clark Wissler, an AMNH anthropologist, about securing motion pictures representing weaving, pottery making, and other such activities, and contributed $500 to the expedition for this purpose. The film begins with the festival of San Juan at Amancaes, Peru. Other aspects of daily life are presented as an introduction to the people before placing emphasis on weaving: workers in a glass factory pitch their hats into a fire to insure a successful season; women wash clothing in a stream; maize is ground between two stones; and the Huancayo marketplace is shown. The first weavers pictured are prisoners at Tarma, Peru. Weaving is normally done by women, but these male inmates weave to obtain food and coca. Natives at Otavalo and Quito, Ecuador, are seen weaving on semi-upright, back-strap looms making ponchos and belts. The weaving itself consists of raising and lowering sheds of warp threads as wefts are passed between the sheds with a shuttle, and beating the weft into place with a palm batten.