Shipibo anthropomorphic jar Peru

This mahuetá is used to preserve cassava beer (masato). Anthropomorphic in shape, it is characteristic of the Shipibo-Conibo people of the Upper Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon. Red, black and white represent the cosmos, while the central line refers to the cosmic boa Ronin. The different levels of the decoration represent the underwater, celestial and extra-celestial worlds. These urns may be a modern stylized form inspired by ancient female-shaped funerary urns, but they are not used for burying the dead today. Today, the Shipibo-Conibo form a single group, sharing the same language and more or less the same cultural characteristics. Wide belly leading to a handsome faceThe whole is covered with an engobepolychrome, a reference to the Shipibo's Shipibo tattoos. The faces are rarely so graceful. Ochre, white and black slip terracotta Shipibo-Conibo women make beaded objects and textiles, but are probably best known for their pottery, decorated with red and black geometric patterns in the shape of a labyrinth. Some believe it represents a stylized language; a cartography of Amazonian rivers; a representation of the spiritual word; or the shape of the Anaconda. Others claim that these drawings describe the lives of their families and communities in the rainforest. While it's difficult to assign meaning to the designs, their value and uniqueness are indisputable. Some novice designers start learning the art as early as the age of five. Geometric patterns are called quene or kené, literally symbols of ethnic identity. Indeed, they have always been a symbol of Shipibo-Konibo identity, differentiating them from other indigenous groups. The elaborate geometric figures symbolize the cosmos and the mythology of the ethnic group. Ronin is 'The Great Boa' who gave birth to the universe, and has a particular kené, q