On a recent jaunt into the elegant city of Buenos Aires, I discovered this incredible jewelry made by the Wichi people of northern Argentina. The necklaces are strung by Wichi women from tree seeds they collect themselves from their native forests. After collecting the seeds they dry them, then string them on a fiber they make from a native plant called chaguar. Not only is the bead and pattern work of these pieces exquisite but everything about the necklaces comes from the land these women and their ancestors have inhabited for centuries.

I learned from contacts at several fair trade shops in Buenos Aires (where I came across the jewelry) that Argentina has a very small but disenfranchised indigenous population. There are only about 60,000 Wichi people (just one of several distinct indigenous groups) and historically they hunt, gather and farm on a small scale. Problems so typical to indigenous people, such as loss of native lands, deforestation and persecution, have plagued the Wichi people since settlers started arriving in Argentina centuries ago. Today though the Wichi people live almost completely self-sufficiently. Their lives are incredibly simple but I was inspired by their ability in today’s modern world to still live from the land, including using otherwise dead seeds to create beautiful pieces of natural wearable art.

The Wichi women make their jewelry all day long. They string beads (like those shown at right) between cooking duties, while nursing their babies and as they walk from one place to another. They get together and string beads in a circle, enjoying time with other women around their common craft.

For more information (but in Spanish) on the Wichi people click here.

These pieces of Wichi jewelry are available from Bambootique.