We have just spent 6 weeks in Ecuador. A friend has just asked us, "Why Ecuador, and why so long?"
Ecuador isn't the country most people seem to go to South America for, unless it's as a hop-off for the Galapagos.
I had several reasons to go, not the least that I have distant relatives there and it seemed high time to meet them. Ecuador also has links to my research work on natural dyes. I don't write these up in this website, but there is an outline of what I am up to here and an article I wrote for the Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers here.
As part of the very interesting links I am building during the research project I gave a talk to biology students at the Universidad Central del Ecuador in Quito. Part of this talk, covering the use of lichens in dyeing, was a demonstration in which I offered to try to dye samples of silk and wool with locally sourced usnea lichens. These are used in indigenous dyes, but are known for their antibiotic properties.
With my contact from the University we visited the Santa Clara Market and the stalls selling herbs and medicines. There were many familiar plants such as rosemary, sage, mint and camomile - and countless examples of plants, roots, bark and berries that I had never seen before.
I wasn't sure whether I would obtain a result with the lichen in such a short time. Fortunately some colour was released over a three hour period and I managed to dye some merino wool and habotai silk a satisfying apricot yellow.
On leaving Quito we spent several weeks touring the high Andean spine of the country looking at textiles, markets, museums, landscapes of lakes and volcanoes and arid hills before travelling several thousand metres lower to the coast - where an entirely new and varied environmental vision awaited.
That's why so long - and that's why Ecuador is so amazing. Six weeks is enough just to scratch the surface. And we never even went to the Galapagos.
Buying usnea lichen at Santa Clara Market, Quito, Ecuador
Examining the lichen; there were several different usnea lichens in the packets we bought
