On the 20th of February in the year 2017, José Nilson Chamarra, along with his wife Doralia Chirimía and their five children, arrived in Buenaventura due to displacement caused by violence. They came from the Chagpien Tordó reservation along the San Juan River’s coast in the department of Chocó, where wérregue palms grow freely. This palm is akin to the chontaduro palm, characterized by its long thorns. The wounaan ancestors of José Nilson used its wood for constructing houses. A long time ago, a wise wounaan woman was the first to extract fibers from the spear of the palm and craft baskets, trays, and vessels from them. She possessed the knowledge, or acquired it naturally, of how to harvest the spear before it opened, peel it, extract fibers, and cleanse them with soap before drying them under the sun to fade the green hue and achieve a white color. She also mastered the art of dyeing them red by cooking them with crushed puschicama leaves, as well as black by burying them in mud following the puschicama concoction.

This wisdom was handed down to her descendants, and it took many years for this knowledge to reach José Nilson, transmitted through his wife Doralia, who had received it from her sister. After relocating to Buenaventura, Doralia traveled to Cali to spend time with her sister. During her visit, she observed her sister weaving earrings using wérregue fibers. Even though the earnings weren’t substantial—she sold a pair for ten thousand pesos—Doralia made the decision to create earrings herself and send them to her sister for selling. She was pushed by necessity.

At that time, José Nilson led a group of families displaced by violence, a collective of 268 individuals living in a shelter. Consequently, he focused on seeking assistance from organizations that could provide employment opportunities rather than just food, enabling them to establish their own livelihoods. He conceived an idea to form a group of artisans, rekindling the nearly forgotten craft knowledge they had abandoned. Their goal was to enhance their work and make it profitable. With the support of an organization that supplied raw materials, they established the group of 35 women “”Artsanías Renacer,”” which translates to “”Revival Crafts,”” for that was their situation: they were being born again in a new city. Despite having had to flee, their homeland found them again through the wérregue, a valued fiber that doesn’t naturally grow in Buenaventura. Therefore, they focused on crafting jewelry, which requires less material compared to vessel making.

In 2019, they participated in Expoartesanías for the first time. José Nilson personally selected the most attractive earrings and bracelets, deciding not to showcase their vessels due to quality concerns. However, upon inquiring about their sales during the fair, he was informed that their jewelry wasn’t well finished and no sales had been made. In hindsight, he acknowledges that the assessment was accurate—there were flaws in the bracelets and earrings.

Following this reality check, the group got in touch with a designer from Artesanías de Colombia and committed to enhancing the quality of their creations. They recognized that using the same thick threads employed in vessel making wouldn’t work and thus opted for thinner cuts. They also grasped the importance of refining finishings, symmetry, and uniformity. Up until that point, José Nilson had overseen project coordination, but he now resolved to learn the craft himself. Alongside his eldest son Aldo Chamarra, they disassembled and analyzed wérregue bracelets, discovering a PVC tube core surrounded by woven fibers. Their aim was to upgrade this design. Collaboratively, the group members motivated one another to continuously improve. As José Nilson states, “”one learns and the other teaches.””

After months of dedicated work during the pandemic and overcoming the frustration of lacking buyers, they returned to Expoartesanías in 2021. Their evolution was remarkable, and after more than a year of refining their work, they had achieved the coveted level of quality. Their bracelets and earrings were standout pieces. José Nilson attended the fair alone, with support from an organization assisting displaced families, and successfully sold their entire collection. Presently, they continue their journey of learning and self-improvement, delving into social media management and product design. Acknowledging the importance of staying current, they remain committed to innovation, progress, and mental growth, all aimed at expanding their craft. Through effort and determination, they’ve adquired significant knowledge and will persist, driven by their love for their craft.