learn about SHIPIBO-KoNIBO Indigenous Culture
One indigenous Amazonian culture that you are likely to come across in Peru - perhaps, without even realising it - is the Shipibo-Konibo.
Shipibo-Konibo geometrical textile designs.
Their numbers are thought to be around 35,000, scattered over a large area of Amazon jungle in Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia, as well as Peru.
Those living in Peru are believed to number around 20,000, representing approximately 8% of the registered indigenous population in the country, although census data is unreliable, owing to the itinerant nature of the group.
History of the Shipibo-Konibo:
Originally two groups, the Shipibo (apemen) and the Konibo (fishmen), they eventually became one distinct tribe through intermarriage and communal ritual.
Shipibo-Konibo shaman.
Neither the Shipibo nor the Konibo (sometimes spelt Conibo) were conquered by the Inca Empire and they resisted attempts at colonisation by Franciscan priests, who began appearing in the Amazon rainforest in the 17th Century.
The Shipibo-Konibo have traditionally lived along the Ucayali River, a large tributary of the Amazon; and the Franciscans eventually established a settlement in Shipibo territory, near the present-day port city of Pucallpa.
Pucallpa grew rapidly during the Rubber Boom of the early 20th Century, prompting European settlement and exploitation in Shipibo-Konibo territory.
Since the 1950s, there have been intense missionary efforts to convert the Shipibo-Konibo to Christianity.
Shipibo-Konibo Society:
Despite encroachment, the Shipibo-Konibo have managed to maintain many of their customary beliefs and traditions.
They have their own language, which belongs to the Panoan language family … although most can speak Spanish as well.
The ayahuasca vine, from which a hallucinogenic syrup is created.
Interestingly, their society is matriarchal, with women having a dominant say in community decisions, and being the primary artists.
Medicinal plants and the hallucinogenic vine, ayahuasca, are key elements in Shipibo-Konibo culture, informing much of their artistic and ritual behaviour.
Women use the visions experienced while under the influence of ayahuasca as the basis for their designs.
The Shipibo-Konibo are famed for the distinctive geometric designs which they use to decorate their handmade ceramics and textiles.
So even if you do not see them in person, you are likely to come across their artistic influence at some point during a Peru visit.
The designs often involve maze-like red and black geometric patterns and are closely connected to their complex cosmology, in which ayahuasca plays an important part.
Shipibo-Konibo ladies in customary dress dying textiles.
Those Shipibo-Konibo that live close to urban centres have been able to generate extra income from the sale of their sought-after pottery, clothing and craft items.
However, those living in more remote areas are feeling the pressure on their centuries-old way of life, as climate change and deforestation is affecting their ability to hunt, fish and raise crops.
As a result, there is an ongoing trend of relocation to urban areas, in order to gain access to better educational and health services, as well as to look for alternative sources of monetary income.
How to See Shipibo-Konibo Culture:
Pucallpa is still the easiest place to see Shipibo-Konibo in person, as many wander the streets of the city selling their crafts, before returning home to their open-sided, stilted, thatched-roofed houses in villages such as San Francisco, Nuevo Destino, and Santa Clara.
All can be reached in about an hour by boat from Lake Yarinacocha - and the first two are linked by dirt roads to Pucallpa.
A smaller number of Shipibo-Konibo women also commute to Iquitos from the surrounding rainforest. Whilst there, they stay in a communal house, working on painting the fabrics, when not out selling.
Pucallpa and Iquitos are also the gateways to a number of lodges that offer spiritual retreats, involving ayahuasca and guided by Shipibo-Konibo shamen.