Meet the Maker: Argelida Donisabe Ismare

Wounaan Weaver | Maje, Darién & Panama City, Panama

Argelida Donisabe has been weaving for over 35 years. A master Wounaan artist from the village of Maje in the Darién rainforest, she now splits her time between her home in the forest and a small Wounaan community on the outskirts of Panama City—part of a growing network of families balancing tradition with new opportunity.

Argelida first learned to weave after visiting a friend and falling in love with the beauty of her baskets. She soon took up the practice herself and later taught all three of her sisters to weave as well. Like many Wounaan women, her introduction to the art came through friendship and family—knowledge passed from hand to hand, one stitch at a time.

While some weavers prefer to work in a group setting, Argelida creates in solitude. She finds focus in the quiet, purchasing and dyeing her own palm materials rather than joining in the larger collective gatherings that often accompany fiber preparation. Her designs began with classic geometric motifs, but over the years she developed a signature style: floral baskets that often feature a small grasshopper motif—an unexpected detail meant to bring joy. She is the only weaver we know who consistently includes the grasshopper in this way.

The income from Argelida’s work supports both her household in Maje and her extended family near the city, providing access to higher education for her children and relatives. Through weaving, she has created more than beautiful baskets—she’s created possibility.