Miriam Negria: Wounaan Master Weaver, Chepo
Miriam Negria: Wounaan Master Weaver, Chepo
The third of the three Negria sisters, weaving the family's bird motifs outside Panama City.
Miriam Negria is one of the three Negria sisters, a family of Wounaan master weavers who left a remote village in Panama's Darién province and resettled in Chepo, just outside Panama City. Her sisters are Cristina Negria and Dalia Negria. All three weave, and so do their daughters.
Why the Negria sisters left Darién
In the village where the sisters grew up, school ended at sixth grade. About ten years ago the family moved to Chepo so the children could continue on to high school and university. Weaving income paid for the move and for the education that followed. Cristina's daughter, Maricin Cheucarama Negria, weaves in the family style and is now in university.
Miriam is the middle sister. Dalia is the oldest of the three, Cristina the youngest. Miriam weaves entirely from memory: no sketch, no pattern on paper. The motif is held in her head from the first coil to the last.
How to recognize a Negria-family basket
The family signature is delicate ribbed bird motifs and small-leafed designs, worked in the Wounaan coil technique called hösig di, which produces baskets fine enough to hold water. The fiber comes from the chunga palm (Astrocaryum standleyanum); colors come from rainforest dye plants, including achiote (Bixa orellana) and jagua (Genipa americana).
Fineness is the measure collectors use. The tighter the coil and the higher the stitch count, the longer a basket took and the more it holds its value on resale. A museum-grade Wounaan basket can take several months, and often years of work. Within the family, each weaver keeps a recognizable hand even when working the shared motifs.
Miriam with Cristina and family.
What to listen for
RFB Woven Art has purchased from the Negria family since 2012. Jennifer Kuyper sources directly from the Negria sisters in Chepo, and every piece is selected in person and purchased at prices the weavers set.
Questions collectors ask
Who are the Negria sisters?
Dalia, Miriam, and Cristina Negria are three Wounaan master weavers from Panama's Darién province, now based in Chepo outside Panama City. Dalia is the oldest, Miriam the middle sister, and Cristina the youngest. All three weave the family's signature ribbed bird motifs and small-leafed designs, alongside their daughters.
Who else in the Negria family weaves?
The sisters' daughters carry the family signature into the next generation. Maricin Cheucarama Negria, Cristina's daughter, weaves in the family style while attending university.
How do I recognize a Negria-family basket?
Look for delicate ribbed bird motifs and small-leafed designs in fine hösig di coil work, woven from chunga palm fiber (Astrocaryum standleyanum) and colored with plant dyes such as achiote and jagua.
Which other Wounaan weavers does RFB Woven Art profile?
In Majé, RFB works with Sara Ginguimia (feather motif), Yoli Ginguimia, and Lubecia Membache (pawprint motif). In Aruza, master carver Selerino Cheucarama works in cocobolo and tagua.
