Finger Puppets from Peru

Karuna Village offers a range of great craft items alongside the fine art. I particularly love these - they are finger puppets and are made by a number of women artists from Peru. They come from a tiny mountain village called Chucuito, some 12,500 feet above sea level and near Lake Titicaca. Textile making has a long history here and knitting is a skill that is learned at a young age. It is a seasonal occupation that takes place after the planting and harvesting seasons are over. Traditionally the women take care of the farms animals, llamas and alpacas and help out with the barley and potato crops as needed so knitting is very much an occupation for the winter months before planting season comes round again.


The leader and designer for the group is called Tomasa. She leads her group of knitters who each will bring in approximately half the annual income for the family, and allows them to work from home so they can look after their children, and giving them a sense of independence.

There are all kinds of finger puppet characters to chose from - we even have some Halloween-themed characters which I am sure will find a new home very quickly. There is even a little puppet theatre to go with them - our cafe patrons will be able to put on their own shows!

3D Apillera Art From Peru

Here is a modern folk art tradition from Peru - I love these - it is know as 3D Apillera Art (pronounced ar - pee - era) and takes the form of a quilted story telling collage. Certain elements of the picture, such as animals and houses, are stuffed with a technique known as 'trapunto'. Fine details are added using embroiderey.

I discovered this unusual art on the following website - www.lucuma.com. Lucuma Designs is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, a non-profit organization, committed to help artisans and producers around the world improve their standard of living. The following information on 3D Apillera Art comes from their website.

"The Lucuma Designs team has been nurturing a select group of 25 arpillera artists since 1998. Providing them with new ideas, we encourage them to expand their creativity. They have now raised the quality of work to new standards for a growing market of world collectors."

"The Arpillera folk art tradition began in the early 1970’s, when social upheaval in Peru pushed entire Andean communities to migrate to the city. People abandoned their land, home, crops, and animals for settlements in the outskirts of Lima. In search of safety and economic stability, they found something far from that, and families were forced to start from scratch. Thanks to their skilled hands, a sense of tradition and creativity, many women from these new communities learned a new skill with the help of German missionaries. Working from home, they could now use this marketable craft to generate income for their families while tending their children. Today, the tradition is more alive than ever. The second-generation have elevated this arpillera tradition into an art form."

We have been talking to Lucuma Designs about stocking a few pieces for Karuna Village. But, if you are taken with these unusual works of art and would like to see the full Lucuma Designs collection, please visit their website at wwww.lucuma.com where you can order online.