Sombrero Vueltiao

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The sombrero vueltiao (Colombian Spanish for turned hat) is a traditional hat from Colombia and one of its symbols. It is made out of Gynerium sagittatum known locally as caña flecha, a type of cane that grows in the region. The word vueltiao is a Colombian regionalism from the northern Caribbean Region and the area surrounding the Magdalena River basin that originate in the word for "turn" or "lap" (Spanish vuelta), and arose due to the way the hat is made. The quality of the hat is determined by the number of pairs of fibers braided together to make the hat, and its bending flexibility. The more flexible the hat is, the higher quality it is.

The making of the hat originated amongst the Zenú tribes located in the Sinú river region, between the Córdoba and Sucre departments of Colombia. Under the denomination of ″Zenú breed″ there was three empires: Finzenú, Panzenú and Zenufana. Since the pre-Hispanic, the aborigines used the hat for sun protection during the corn crop, as evidence of an investigation in the Gold Museum in Bogotá and the Luigi Pigorini Museum in Rome. Is probably that the hat can be part of the hierarchy ritual of the tribe and it had also powerful fertilization beliefs. The Colombian delegation to the 2004 Olympics wore the vueltiao during the opening ceremony. It is also traditionally worn by cumbia dancers and vallenato artists.

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