Romelia Papue, an Indigenous woman of Shuar-Kichwa heritage, collaborates with the Waorani people. Born in Lorocachi, she now resides in La Shell, in the province of Pastaza. Manuela Omari Ima, a Waorani from the community of Tepapare, also lives in La Shell and works closely with women from her own nation. Romelia and Manuela have partnered with various designers and architects to showcase their fiber-based weavings in prestigious settings, including the Architecture Biennale in Bolivia (2021) and Venice (2023), the Design Symposium in Miami (2022), and numerous venues within and beyond Ecuador.

 

Through their initiative, Ömere, they focus on preserving and transmitting ancestral knowledge from elder women by highlighting the value of traditional crafts. Their works are crafted using fibers from the Astrocaryum palm, also known as chambira, a plant native to the Amazon. Utilizing diverse techniques rooted in ancestral methods, they incorporate crochet as a means to position and promote Waorani handicrafts and handmade work.

 

Within their community, Ömere passes on traditional wisdom from generation to generation, preserving culture and respecting the land through each piece. Their objects are crafted exclusively with materials sourced from the forest, collecting only palms gathered during their walks and strictly avoiding any tree felling. Prioritizing fair and sustainable practices, they seek to strengthen each artisan’s autonomy, making the production process visible—from gathering chambira to the final production of each project.