The Wayuu and the Mochila

According to legend, the women of the Wayuu were taught how to weave patterns by a spider.

This story, however is not about a mochila but about how I came to meet a beautiful Wayuu woman in the wild and distant region of La Guajira.

A common form of transport here in the north are carros, which look like utes, otherwise known as pick up trucks. The difference between the utes that you may see in your suburban street in comparison to these carros is that the back tray is converted into two inward facing benches used for seating.

The next obvious difference is the large amount of luggage and cargo that is piled up high on the roof of the carro and in between and underneath your legs; basically there is cargo in every corner that you can possibly imagine.

And just as you think that the carro is full, the driver stops along the dusty dirt road, only to pick up more awaiting passengers. How twelve people fit into the back of a pick up is anyone's guess but somehow it works.

The super tight seating arrangement does mean that you definitely can't ignore one another so it's best you get talking. Especially as this means that you have someone to roll your eyes with when the carro comes to a complete halt because this time, you've run out of fuel.

During one such occasion, our carro had slowly chugged along before heaving up one last breath, leaving us along the side of a windy dirt road for about an hour. After rolling our eyes with one another, I had the chance to get to know a little more about a senora from the Wayuu people.

Known as the people of the sun, sand and wind, the Wayuus of Colombia live in the desert of La Guajira. 

As you can see, my beautiful subject is busily creating a mochila, which simply means 'bag' in Colombia. As I was told, each design is used to express the individual story and history of the weaver, making each design unique to the maker.

I can only hope that I can express my story and ideas through my camera just as the Wayuu women do as they intricately weave their threading needles to express theirs.