“ People of the Mountains”
Embera= People
Chamí=Mountains
Embera Chami TribeIn the western central region of Colombia lives the Indigenous community Embera Chamí, they are one of the largest native groups in the country who still speak their traditional dialect and practice their ancestral expressions of spirituality actively.
The Embera Chamí is a resilient community that continuously adapts to its surroundings to ensure the survival and preservation of its people. Their main economic activities are tropical agriculture, hunting, fishing, and, to a lesser extent, the artisanal extraction of wood and gold. Embera women, especially older women and girls, go out to town to sell their crafts & jewelry.
Their jewelry is created with beads of different sizes and colors, combined to produce designs that represent concepts related to their visions, dreams, beliefs, and traditions. There are accessories created for marriage, birth, funeral, or, for connecting with Mother Earth.
Throughout generations, mothers have passed down and teaching their daughters weaving techniques, the meaning of the colors, signs, and drawings as part of their cultural legacy.
This traditional jewelry adorns the body and also enhances the spiritual protection of the wearer. Black and red necklaces and bracelets are placed on the left leg for evil eyes on children, young people wear bracelets on the right arm if they are single and on the left if they are engaged. The Okama, is a necklace with a high symbolic content and exclusively feminine use. The men wear the Otapa, a rectangular necklace.
Our Artisans
Daniela Sanchez
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Rossy Marulanda
Rossy Marulanda is an accomplished Environmental Manager with a deep-seated passion for the great outdoors. She is an avid photographer, bird watcher, and hiker.
Rossy is also skilled in design and crafts, she discovered that artisanal jewelry provided the perfect outlet to combine all of her interests. Aramacao, her brand, showcases the beauty of expert craftsmanship while simultaneously promoting the urgent need for the conservation of species and their natural habitats.
Camila Sepulveda
Founder of CalmArte, her mission is to be a bridge for creating alliances between Colombian artisans and North America, showcasing the beauty of the Americas as a territory that is woven together through art.
Camila is an Environmental Manager, an empirical photographer who enjoys arts and handcrafts. She is currently in the exploratory stage of her spirituality through the study of Holistic Therapies.
Her Colombian roots, career in the environmental field, and her experience as an immigrant and Latina woman, have opened her eyes to see life from a holistic perspective. She believes that spirituality, culture, the environment, and progress are all interwoven and work hand in hand