The ensemble of practices derived from the interaction between people and artifacts, together with the social and cultural meanings generated by such interactions.
Ensemble of creations that emerge from a cultural community based in tradition, expressed by a group or individuals and that is recognised to correspond to the expectations of the community as an expression of their social and cultural identity; the norms and values are transmitted orally, through imitation or in other ways. Their forms include, amongst others, language, literature, music, dance, games, mythology, customs, artisan productions, architecture and other arts.
Quechua category of the finest cloth in the Inka realm, woven on a loom out of cotton, or wool from llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. The chroniclers describe qumpi as a fabric with two faces, in which the (woman) weaver takes pains not to leave loose threads nor a visible strand in the whole piece. These definitions leave the question open as to whether it is a matter of warp faced cloths, weft faced ones or both. It is assumed that the term refers to the textile technique, given that it was woven on a special loom, but also to its fine quality. The examples of tapestry qumpi are woven by three classes of weaver, two of them made up of women and one by men. The first category was formed by the women who supervise the operation (mamakuna) and the chosen women in the their charge (aqlla), who weave as qumpi the textiles dedicated to the Inka's own clothing. The third category was formed by the qumpikamayuk who wove the cloth on a vertical loom, like the ones illustated by Guaman Poma de Ayala in his drawings. The following provinces that produce qumpi are mentioned: i) Capachica (Colla), ii) Chupachu near Huánuco, y iii) Wayukuntu, from Caxas in the north of Peru.
