Embroidered Cotton Tubular Skirt with Kené Designs...

This embroidered tubular wrap-around skirt, known in the indigenous vernacular as a chitonti, originates from the Shipibo-Conibo people of the Ucayali River basin near Pucallpa in the Peruvian Amazon. Constructed from an open, even-weave cream cotton ground sewn into a continuous cylindrical tube, the garment showcases the traditional kewé needlework manifestation of the overarching Shipibo-Conibo kené design system. The composition is divided into two broad horizontal registers separated by a central decorative band and framed along the upper and lower hems by multi-tiered linear, stepped, and sawtooth borders machine-stitched in vibrant fluorescent pink, lime green, orange, red, turquoise, and deep blue yarns - a characteristic combination of hand and sewing-machine techniques found on authentic village garments of this period. Within the upper register, bold dark-blue pathways worked in counted cross-stitch interlock to form symmetrical pairs of inward-curling stepped volutes - abstracted rono (anaconda) or macaw motifs accented with red and green geometric eyes and purple L-shaped brackets - flanking a central axis of alternating magenta cruciform motifs and green stepped lozenges. The lower register presents an architectural sequence of interconnected octagonal and cruciform cartouches outlined in double-rowed dark blue cross-stitching, each lobe anchored by a crimson cross. Every negative interval within these primary structural pathways is densely filled with delicate, single-thread violet-black secondary tracery executed in precise stepped and meandering running and backstitches, translating the synesthetic visual music and cosmological mapping of oni (ayahuasca) visions into a unified graphic field. The skirt was designed to be worn wrapped snugly around the waist during daily village life and communal festivities, exhibiting a supple drape and pronounced textural relief against the basketweave cotton ground. A thorough examination of the textile reveals authentic traces of indigenous wear paired with strong chromatic preservation across the polychrome embroidery. The cream cotton ground displays scattered light-to-moderate brownish organic staining and surface toning throughout both registers. Areas of localized structural wear and threadbare thinning are present in the cotton weave, most notably along the lower margin of the upper register just above the central dividing band, where frayed warp and weft threads and small splits have been stabilized with rustic white darning stitches. The blue decorative stitching within the central band shows partial thread loss and abrasion from use, and the hand-sewn vertical joining seam exhibits localized tension gapping reinforced with coarse thread alongside minor fraying at the lateral edges, while the primary embroidered registers remain structurally stable. Acquired directly from the indigenous inhabitants of a traditional Shipibo-Conibo village near Pucallpa during anthropological field studies in 2004 - with the accompanying field photograph documenting the village of origin - this chitonti subsequently formed part of a documented ethnographic exhibition in 2005, as illustrated by the historical installation photograph. The visible signs of wear and vernacular repair serve as compelling material testimony to the garment's genuine utilitarian life within an Amazonian riverine community prior to its collection, making it an ethnographically well-documented example of Shipibo-Conibo textile art suited for flat archival mounting or inclusion in a specialized collection of South American indigenous art. PROVENANCE Acquired directly from indigenous inhabitants near Pucallpa, Peru, during field studies by an anthropologist (2004). EXHIBITED Part of an ethnographic exhibition (2005).

Estimación:€1

Ver todos los artículos deCatawikioEtnográfica