Woven vessel made from palm tree fibres

Werregue vessels are made from the tightly woven fibres of the werregue palm, which grows only on Colombia’s Pacific coast. They are made by the Wounaan indigenous people of the Chocó region, who originally used them as water carriers but now create them as commercial products and cultural signifiers. The earliest designs used only black and white, as here. Traditionally, men would gather the fibres from local mangrove swamps, while women would prepare the threads, dyes and designs. Today, practitioners are represented by Artesanías de Colombia.

Presented to HM King Charles III when Prince of Wales by President Ivan Marquez of Colombia, 2018.