Sombrero Vueltiao (Spanish), Colombian Hat.

Sombrero Vueltiao (Spanish), Colombian Hat.

There is only a couple of tribes in Colombia who can make an original sombrero Vueltiao. Those tribes are ancient indigenous tribes that have been in Colombia since 200 B.C. The Colombian hat is the national symbol made by from a special cane that it can only be found in specific places in Colombia. The cane is cut into stripes which are then are processed, dried, and dyed naturally. Finally, the makers start to make braids with the stripes and they create figures with the dried and dyed ones. The process to make an original hat is painstakingly and carefully handmade and it can take at least one month to finish it. Traditionally, when the folk maker of the tribe is going to make the hat, the maker must know the person. This is due to the fact the maker can feel the spirit of the person in order to know what kind of figures correspond to his hat. Therefore, because of this, each original hat is unique in the word and it represent something very important for the tribe and for the person who gets the hat.

The original sombrero vueltiao can only in the places where the tribe are and those hats are not for marketing. However, if you can get one, it costs hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Therefore, due to the material, the hat is very flexible, durable, and with physical proprieties unique from other material.

Nowadays, this hat  can be found anywhere in Colombia for a low cost. These hats are made from plastic, paper, woven material, and more. Furthermore, they are used specifically in festivals and carnivals as a representation of the Colombian culture.