Shipibo-Conibo people

The Shipibo-Conibo are indigenous people who have developed their life mainly in the banks and plains of the Uyacali River in Peru, but also beyond these geographical borders, in Brazil and Bolivia. One of their distinct elements is the kené, an artistic practice that blends material and immaterial aspects of their culture and consists of a system of their own designs that are projected on the physical or material surface. Among the artistic activities of the Shipibo-conibo are beadwork, pottery and textiles in particular. Currently, the production of their weavings preserves the traditional social networks of collaboration in the Amazonian region, as well as in the new communities of Pucallpa y Lima as a result of migration, but they also face the challenges of intrusion in their territories for resource extraction and commercial appropriation. The pieces belonging to the collection were donated by Peru to MAPA in 1943, including textiles and beads from the Amazon region.