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Quepina (Quepinas)

"Quepina" is a name for a type of indigenous Andean carrying sling, more commonly known as the aguayo. Quepinas are usually woven from the wool of llamas or alpacas, and decorated in brightly colored stripes. Women frequently use quepinas to carry young children on their backs, but they are also used like backpacks to carry items to market or any other type of load. The name "quepina" is a Spanish borrowing from the Quechua word q'ipina and is also spelled many other ways such as quipina, queperina, quepirina, quipirina, or q'ipirina. Aguayo comes from the word for the same type of sling in the language of the Aymara tribe.

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Here are links to some online resources about Quepinas:

Wikipedia: Q'ipina
In Bolivia, Strollers Compete With Baby Slings

Here are links to our webpages about the Andean tribes and languages:
Quechua
Aymara
Inca mythology
Andean tribes
Peruvian tribes
South American languages

Here are a few good books about quepinas:
Woven Stories: Andean Textiles and Rituals
The Andean Science of Weaving

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