Fig. 2

In the forest, gathering Prosopis alba fruits. Mature P. alba pods fall into the ground and are manually gathered. Branches are also usually shuffled with a handmade wooden hookstick (k’ekw), so more mature fruits fall. To carry fruits home, large semi-spherical string bags called sichet made from foliar fibres of chagua (äletsaj, Bromelia urbaniana (Mez) L.B. Sm., or chitsaj, Bromelia hieronymi Mez.) were used by women in the past. They sat on their backs and were held from the forehead. Nowadays, they are in disuse and have been replaced by modern bags made of plastic or other materials. Traditional yicas (hilu), rectangular cross body bags made of chagua, are still used by women, men and children to carry their personal belongings in their daily lives