This item is a Pre-Columbian tumpline / sling made out of woven camelid fibres. although this artifact resembles a sling used for throwing stones, the actual use was to carry loads with the band supported by the forehead and the leads used to tie around a load that was carried on the back. This type of support was used throughout the Americas. British troops used tumps to carry bed rolls during the French and Indian Wars. The central band of this artifact has a very complex bicolor weave using gold and red dyed Camelid fibres. The central band has a length of 44 cm. Each lead has a length of 12 com and the lines excluding the tassels, have a length of 82 cm. The overall length including the tassels is 257 cm (100+ inches).

This sling is essentially complete. The central band, leads, lines and tassels are in very nice condition. One of the leads is damaged and has a repair for reinforcement, but this does not affect the overall beauty of this prehistoric textile.

Most of the tmps and slings from the Foliophiles Collection were from the Nazca culture. This tump is significantly different from the Nazca slings and it was marked as from the Tiwanaku (Spanish: Tiahuanaco or Tiahuanacu) culture and made between 900 - 1200 A.D. The Tiwanaku culture was a powerful pre-Inca civilization centered in the Andean region, particularly around Lake Titicaca in modern-day Bolivia.

This tump was one of about 90 slings and tumps that was purchased by the Foliophiles Collection from the Parke Bernet Auction House (New York City) in 1965. The Parke Bernet Auction House was purchased by Sotheby's Auctions a few years later. The Foliophiles Collection brought the collection to The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. to be authenticated. Two slings were given to the museum. Thirty slings and tumps were sold between 1965 and 2002. I purchased the remainder of the collection when the owner of the Foliophiles Collection retired. I have been slowly selling the remainder of the collection to my customers. This sling can be legally marketed in the USA, but it cannot be exported. A copy of the letter proving that the date of acquisition was before the 1972 import ban will be provided to the purchaser upon receipt of payment. You should retain a copy of the letter as proof that your sling is legal to own in the USA.