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Figure 3. Miss Paraguay competing for Miss Universe in 2006 in her
“national costume” that utilizes ñandutí in the fan as part of the design motif.
Needless to say, this is not a costume you would be likely to actually see in
Paraguay!
Discussion
In the modern era, crafts that have remained current and have come to
symbolize Paraguayan national identity have done so because they speak to
modern needs and have continued to be adaptable to new contingencies. One
of these is the emergence of a new market for the products due to tourism.
Another is the needs of the producers who are largely rural and need to find and
maintain a source of income in a country whose population largely consists of
subsistence farmers.
Today ñandutí is used to make an array of items that might be of interest
to the tourist trade as well as a domestic market. It has turned into a popular
art utilizing many colors and reduced quality using thicker thread and fewer
grounding spokes. Even though it is time consuming, common ñandutí is
relatively inexpensive and consists primarily of doilies and tourist art. However,
fine ñandutí is still available. Today you can buy table runners, shawls,
handkerchiefs, mantillas, fans, wedding dresses, doilies and so on. I have seen
it used for curtains in well-to-do homes. It is also used for a variety of special
occasion outfits such as costumes for traditional “Paraguayan” dances and for
Miss Paraguay and Miss Universe Pageants. Miss Universe (2006) incorporated
ñandutí into her “national dress” competition outfit, as have several of her
predecessors. As Sanjurjo and Casciero (1978) note about ñandutí, “there is no
question that it is a unique product of the Paraguayan countryside” and a distinct
marker of Paraguayan ethnic identity.
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