Re-creating an ancient textile forges an intimate bond between the modern researcher and artisans in the forgotten past. It requires assiduous academic detective work and a leap of the imagination to produce an educated guess in tactile form. Most of what we know about the textile techniques of preliterate Andean cultures has come from experimental reconstruction work by researchers such as Lila M. O’Neale and Raoul d’Harcourt. The Nasca of the Early Intermediate Period of Peru, 100- 600 A.D., manipulated alpaca fiber with a skill that is difficult to emulate, creating extravagantly labor-intensive, richly symbolic edgings for their ceremonial tunics. I have recreated a fragmentary Nasca tunic edging in order to understand more fully the processes of its creation. The original is housed in the collection of the Textile Museum of Canada.
This paper will explore the process of re-creating a Nasca cross-knit looped edging, with insight about their techniques that I gleaned from the literature about the Nasca and experimental archaeology. I will give a short background on the symbolism of trophy heads and the iconography of the design. I will also briefly describe the sand dune burials in which most Nasca textiles have been found, which through desiccation have preserved their delicate fibers and vibrant colors. My paper will discuss the archaeological speculation about who might have created these textiles and who might have worn them in ceremony or ritual. I will close by addressing more broadly the concept of re-creation and what it means for the researcher or artist.