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HISTORY: TEXTILES

Title
Cimarrón/Runaway Slave
Object Name
Wall Hanging
Date Made
2010
2010
Place Made
Colombia
Colombia
Description
A massacre took place in Mampuján, a small town in Northwest Colombia on 11th March 2000. 12 people were killed and more than 1,400 civilians were displaced. About half of the group settled in Mampuján Nuevo, on small plots of land very close to their old community. This arpillera was made by a group of 15 women, including Juana Alicia Ruiz, who was a survivor of the massacre. Ruiz explained, 'Cimarrón means a black rebel, or slave who has escaped to the heights of the mountains. It is a textile account of the daily activities and human rights violations of our African ancestors. This happened in the big haciendas of Cartagena. They rebelled and escaped to the hills of Maria, setting up the palenques where we live now. The big man carries a punishment for a failed attempt to escape. It consists of a piece of tree tied to his shoulders.'
Materials
cotton
Date Collected
2022
2022
Catalogue Number
BELUM.W2023.3.2
Copyright
© Conflict Textiles, Photograph by Martin Melaugh.
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