Painted carpet - Shipibo Indians

Painted carpet - Shipibo Indians

100% fair traded

Material: 100% cotton

Dimensions: approx. 78 x 40 cm

These blankets / fabrics are made by artisans in Peru's jungle. The cotton fabrics are dyed in traditional colors by the Shipibo Indians living there and provided with the typical patterns of their tribe. These are painted on by hand. The Shipibo are said to receive their patterns in trance during the Ayahuasca ceremony. They use these blankets / fabrics to sew their clothes and other items such as bags, etc. Therefore, these blankets / fabrics are also versatile, e.g. B. as a throw, tablecloth, for sewing clothes, decorative textiles etc. The term "doily" is a little misleading, because in this country it means a blanket to cover and warm. This is more of a fabric the thickness of a tablecloth.

Things worth knowing about the Shipibo Indians:

The Shipibo Indians live in the Peruvian Amazon lowlands on the "Rio Ucayali", a source river of the Amazon. The Shipibo people comprise approximately 28,000 people. They live mainly from agriculture (cassava, maize, bananas and various tubers) as well as from hunting and fishing.

In addition, the Shipibo Indians are a people of artists. They are known for the richly ornamented pottery, clothing and carvings that the Shipibo women produce. You work as potters, weavers or fabric painters while your men are out hunting. They even decorate all of your household and utensils with these patterns. These recurring characteristic patterns are called "quené". Many scientists are convinced that there is more to all of these patterns than just ornamental advice, as these ornaments also play a very important role in the shamanism of the Shipibo. You are certain that these geometric and graphic structures were created by Ayahuasca influence and, moreover, represent a kind of writing and medium with the other reality. Ayahuasca shamanism is still cultivated by the Shipibo Indians and is guarded as a valuable legacy of ancient Indian wisdom.

The Shipibo produce man-sized ceramic vessels in which cassava beer is fermented, which must not be missing at any Shipibo festival and is poured in large quantities. The drinking vessels for the cassava beer are also relatively large. The size of these vessels is intended to emphasize the generosity of the Shipibo society that hosts the festival.