Cultural Registry

The Iskonawa designs are characterized by zigzag strokes, which in their language are called "kere kere". According to the elders, the designs do not have specific meanings; however, they show a relationship with nature, such as the skin of the snake or the cone hill.

Art is of central importance in Matsés culture and identity. They have an incredibly fine and detailed artistic process and these items are used in their everyday lives. If this ancestral wisdom continues to thrive, so can the cultural identity of the Matsés.

In the Awajún universe, producing art is the product of a dynamic relationship between knowledge, ritual, and mythical narration. In their worldview, there are three powerful beings: Nugkui (spirit of the earth), Etsa (spirit of the forest) and Tsuqki (spirit of the water).

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The Shipibo-Konibo have a rich and complex cosmology which have inspired their artistic traditions, notably in their ceramics and textiles. They are animists, and to them animals, vegetation, and non-biological beings have spirits, just as humans have two modes: material and spiritual.

There are 31 Yine designs, each with a particular meaning which are passed down orally from elders. The iconography of the designs are mainly based on animals according to their physical attributes. A commonly used representation is the back of the boa known as “mantona."

The Matsigenka are one of numerous ethnic groups culturally alive in the Peruvian Amazon and as for millennia they are connected to nature through their rainforest home, producing numerous artifacts from locally sourced materials.