For thousands of years the Shipibo tribe have been producing visual art, inspired by the rivers of knowledge of the sacred Ayahuasca plant. The fabrics are not merely an art, but they are invested with a story about a family and a tribe. Each item carries with it a story inspired by the healing plants of the jungle.
What is the prayer behind the "Kené" (Shipibo-Conibo) Art?
Kené art is the design of lines systems and geometric patterns made by indigenous women of the Shipibo-Conibo tribe from the Ucayali región - Peru. The Kené have a deep symbolic significance as they represent the worldview of their people, as well as energy pathways, the Milky Way, the geography of the forest, the animals, the plants, and the design of the Universe. Kené are the healing visions that come when one consumes mother plants for therapeutic purposes. The Kené, or icaros, are sung, woven, & guarded in the ancestral timeline of the Shipibo People. They also represent knowledge, culture, history and aesthetics of the Shipibo people, revealing their origin and the close links between the community and their territory.
We are honored to partner with four Shipibo weavers, two grandmothers and two daughters. Florencia, Lucila, Robertina, & Lydia. They, along with their families, are guardians of the millennia old traditions of the Shipibo Weaving Cultures. They are keepers of the ancestral weavings & the icaros (or prayer chants) of their culture, which they embed into each of their tapestries in tremendous devotion to the plants.
For the Amazonian Wisdom Cultures, weaving is considered a pillar in the spiritual path. A pillar in the sense that it is a pathway to God. Through the art of weaving, Grandmothers pass on to their granddaughters (and sometimes their grandsons) the mysteries of the web of life, and the ancient art of utilizing the force of Creation to crystallize prayers into reality.
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