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This iconographic textile comes from the Iskonawa people, a small ethnic group that live around the Ucayali region, near the Callería river, with only about 25 people identifying themselves as speaking the Iskonawa language. The designs are hand-painted using the yacoshapana bark and riverside clay.
In 2017, the Iskonawa women began what would soon become a partnership for the joint work of recording, recovering and producing their traditional art. Among this vast knowledge, they aimed to rediscover their designs by returning to their history and origin. Their vision reencounters the journey that starts from the 'Roeibiri;' the name in the Iskonawa language for the imposing 'El Cono' Hill located in their ancestral territory (Ucayali, Peru). In this territory the designs once adorned the bodies of their ancestors in ceremonies of cultural relevance or artifacts that transcended their use in everyday life. Upon their canvas, the designs appear like the routes they’ve followed through the forest and the river to collect plants, barks, and clays later to be transformed into colors.
This particular cloth was painted by a collective of women who belong to the Iskonawa Artisans Association that addresses design and its connections to their ancestral territory, and was exhibited at Xapiri Ground for their debut exhibition "Roebiri Noah Ipaoti."
Artists: Luz Rodriguez, Neyra Perez Rodriguez, Dalia Guimaraes Inuma, Betsy.
Dimensions (approximate): 150cm x 150cm
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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.
The designs found on their textiles and some of their artifacts are called kene, a term also used by other indigenous peoples who speak Pano languages to refer to 'their own'. The Iskonawa drawings in particular are characterized by zigzag strokes, which in their language are called kere kere.
In the past, the designs bore their distinctive placement on bodies and objects, which is why their names are associated with these aspects and not with the specific form of the strokes. The designs we find on the textiles today are representations of these iconographies.
According to the Iskonawa elders, the designs do not have a meaning; however, they show a relationship with nature, for example, some are inspired by the skin of the heamitsa 'snake' or the shapes of the roebiri 'The Cone Hill'.
Wood carving
Carving is a technique that the men use to shape certain woods (e.g. wanin ' pijuayo', paka ' bamboo') drawing upon certain objects from daily life. These include arrows, which the Iskonawa would make for hunting; one of their most emblematic activities. Stones, shells or animal teeth could be used for carving; however, nowadays, the machete or knife is used as a more effective tool.
