The Waunaan or Wounana Indians live in the area of the penninsula which joins Colombia and Panama (the Darien region) and produce some of the finest baskets in the Americas. The tropical forests of the San Juan River area in the Northwest of Colombia are home to the Waunaans Indians. Rivers provide the only means of access. The baskets are made from a tree called "Palma de Werregue". The leaves of the palm tree are peeled to create a thin fiber, then the fiber is washed in the rivers with natural soap. The fiber is then laid out in the sun to dry and then is peeled again into thinner strings. Natural dyes from plants, bugs and minerals are used to add color to the fibers. Each basket is woven using a spiral technique. These fine baskets take weeks to months for a Waunaan woman to make and are fairly traded with proceeds going directly back to the local communities that created them.
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