El Sombrero Vueltiao-a national symbol in Colombia

El sombrero vueltiaois a national symbol of Colombia. It is both practical in that it protects the wearer from the sun, and reminder of the cultural traditions and reality of the indigenous Zenu communities, located in northern Colombia.

This hat, made out of weaving dried cane leaves, is produced by this community as is its main source of income. Everyone gets involved-men and women, spending several hours a day dying the leaves different colours using natural dyes and weaving strands together to create caña flecha, the plaited weave that eventually goes on to become the sombrero vueltiao as well as handbags, purses, bracelets and more.

We visited two communities that rely on the production of the caña flecha to survive, Palmito and La Isla community. They shared with us that while thecaña flecha

is a source of pride for this community, the income they generate from it does not reflect the hours of work and skill needed to produce these beautiful products. Unable to plant and grow the cane for leaf harvesting themselves because of a lack of access to water and an unpredictable, changing climate, people from these communities have to purchase the dried leaves from vendors in the nearest town. The price of the leaves increased following the pandemic as inflation rose and continues to do so for raw and finished materials. After making the finished product, they are forced to sell their goods at cut prices to third party vendors who go on to sell them at a considerable profit. Daily life is a struggle for them and we saw yet another example of state abandonment of rural communities.

But we also saw a community that was full of love for God, full of faith that God loved and that they had a better future ahead of them. The Methodist churches there together are about 100 strong and constantly works for the good of the 700 or so people in each of the two villages. During the pandemic they worked hard to support their neighbours who had no other way of feeding their families with food packages, thanks to a solidarity grant from our World Mission Fund. This grant enabled them to ensure that the vulnerable in their community did not become destitute or face starvation. The church thanks their Methodist brothers and sisters in Britain for this crucial support.

Every blessing,

Sandra

cana flecha products

christmas tree made of cana flecha

dyed cana flecha ready to be woven

members of the methodist church weaving cana flecha

pastor miguel superintendant of the district and his wife

zenu methodist community in la isla village