Shamans, Supernaturals & Animal Spirits: Mythic Figures From the Ancient Andes

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Woman’s Gauze Headcloth
Marine Deity
Chancay culture
AD 1000-1476
Cotton; square mesh or gauze weave, embroidery
15" x 12½"
Literature
Amano Museum 1979b, figs. 155-172.
Gossamer headcloths, woven on the loom in an openwork technique and overlaid
with embroidered geometric and figural designs, represent a textile innovation
unique to the late central coast cultures.
These subtly patterned, sophisticated shawls were worn by women. But it is likely that
the style evolved out of the practice of making fishing nets and cordage. Naturally, those
specialized crafts were important to—and highly developed—among peoples who lived
off the rich resources of the Pacific seaboard.
Because of the elasticity of the overspun yarns, the lightweight fabrics tend to bunch
into a crinkled mass when taken off the loom or the wearer’s head. As a result, any
pattern (even one supplemented by embroidery) is only visible when the cloth is spread
open and held taut.
That quality of mystery and transparency supplies a suitable medium for the icon
delineated in this fine example. Not only is the cat-headed personage surrounded by
fish and set within a breaking wave/scroll framework, even the pointed shape of its head
and ears cleverly describes the outline of a fish when the image is turned sideways (see
detail). The transformative figure speaks of reverence for the ocean deities and marine
life.
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