#HistoryStitch: Nålbinding in South America – Nanti Tradition to This Day
Handcrafts are deeply rooted all over the world – and sometimes we discover techniques so ancient that hardly anyone knows them anymore. One of these is nålbinding, a precursor to knitting and crochet. While most people associate nålbinding with Viking-age Scandinavia, the tradition has also lived on in South America – among the Nanti women of the Camisea Delta in Peru.
🌍 Who Are the Nanti?
The Nanti are an Indigenous people living in the remote Camisea Delta in southeastern Peru. Their daily life is strongly connected to traditional practices, and one of the most fascinating is their use of nålbinding to make durable bracelets. This practice has been preserved for centuries and represents an independent textile tradition outside of Europe.
🪡 The Technique of Nålbinding
Unlike knitting or crochet, nålbinding is worked with:
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One single needle, usually made from bone, wood, or bamboo.
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Short pieces of yarn, often only 20–30 cm long.
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Looping and sewing motions that create an incredibly strong, felt-like fabric.
The Nanti make use of local materials: palm fibers, as well as llama and alpaca wool. Short yarn ends are even glued together with clay water to extend them – a remarkable feature that clearly distinguishes South American nålbinding from European styles.
🏺 Nålbinding Through History
In Europe, archaeological finds date back to the 3rd century CE – examples include Egypt, Denmark, and Scandinavia. In contrast, the Nanti tradition evolved as a parallel development, not as an import from Europe.
For the Nanti, bracelets, nets, and small bags were not just practical items, but also markers of identity and belonging.
🔍 A Comparison with Europe
Europe (Vikings & Middle Ages): gloves, socks, caps, worked in wool yarn with looping techniques.
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Nanti (Amazonas): bracelets, nets, small bags, made from palm fibers and local animal fibers, with clay water to join short threads.
Both traditions show how different cultures independently developed techniques to turn short fibers into long-lasting fabrics.
🌱 Ethnological Importance Today
Today, the Nanti's nålbinding is studied and documented by ethnologists to preserve it for future generations. Meanwhile, reenactors in Europe and North America are rediscovering nålbinding – often inspired by Viking finds, but increasingly with an awareness of global traditions.
Workshops describe the practice as a form of slow, meditative crafting – less fast than knitting, but almost indestructible in durability.
🌟 My Conclusion
The Nanti remind us that textile traditions are as diverse as the cultures that carry them. While in Europe knitting and crochet dominate today, nålbinding continues to prove that there are many paths to yarn, fabric, and community.
Have you heard of nålbinding before – or even tried it yourself?
👉 Share your experiences in my Facebook group or tag me with #knittingtrends. Together, we'll keep old knowledge alive.
#knittingtrends #madeinlove #historystitch #naalbinding #textileheritage
Old stitches, new stories – the Nanti women show us that tradition never goes out of style.
Warmly,
Kathrin ☀️🧶
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