Obatawe -Asosciación de Okienani Waoranide Orellana

Palm Weaving by Women in Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest

Obatawe is an artist collective representing the Indigenous Waorani women living in the province of Orellana, in the remote Ecuadorian Amazon. The Waorani lived in isolation from Western culture until the 1950’s, when they first accepted contact with the outside world. The introduction to modern society and proliferation of oil exploration and illegal logging in their territory brought social, cultural, and environmental challenges that, to this day, threaten the preservation of Waorani culture and way of life. The Waorani have become passionate advocates for conservation, safeguarding their natural environment as well as their cultural traditions and heritage.

The art of weaving with the fiber of the chambira palm has become a lifeline, functioning as the main source of income for 95% of Waorani women. Through the promotion and sale of traditional chambira textiles, women have accessed economic resources and successfully carried on the culture of their mothers and grandmothers. Through the monetization of their art, the Waorani women have been able to adapt to Western life without compromising their customs and traditions.

Waorani women have honed the ability to sustainably harvest chambira, upholding their intrinsic connection to the rain forest in all of their activities. The fiber is naturally dyed to mirror the colors of the plants and animals of Napo River basin. One Obatawe member shared, “Through the weaving of chambira, Waorani women express their worldview, transmit ancestral knowledge, and preserve their cultural heritage.”