Peru | UNI Museum @ Rod Library

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	Catalog #	Name	Description
1	1970.28	Hat	Stiff natural color felt hat the band is hand-decorated with multi-colored wool yarn machine stitched to bands of white, magenta and black cotton or wool fabric (white near bottom of band and black at top). Piece of white band with yarn design extending from top to bottom of band one one side with pink, green, and white fluffy cotton ornament on brim below it. Three tags on hat iside "Artesaias del Peru, handmade in Peru", "P20-1088" and "6 P-6, $24.95". Hat is conspicuously machine-stitched throughout. Edge of brim is curled and has a blue and a green yarn strip around it with a zig-zag red & green strip between them. Women wear bowler hats like these all over Peru. The trend started in the 1920s when a shipment was sent to Bolivia from Europe to be worn by the people that were working on the railroads but because they were too small they were given to the indigenous people across South America.
2	1970.78.1.0001	Bowl	Ceremonial masato bowl with a bird head handle. Round with covered top. Small hole around top and handle. Faded white design extends from handle toward bottom (4"). Color: BR-OR,WH Pottery in the Achuar culture is made by women and accounts for approximately 21% of the cultural income. Pottery has a functional use and is often made to serve as cooking and eating vessels.
3	1970.78.10.10	Headdress	This headdress has ivory feathers forming a three quarter fan around the band made from vine. There are black, blue, purple, yellow, and red macaw feathers that have been cut to be the same length at the base of the ivory king vulture feathers. The vines are wrapped in white, bright pink, and dark gray string and form a pattern that runs along the base of the feathers and ends with alternating stripes of gray to pink to gray to white along the featherless side of the headdress' band. When worn, the feathers will stand straight up because of the way they have been attached to the vine. Crafting headdresses is a male craft among the Cashinahuans. Though women do know about the art, when interviewed around men they pretend to be ignorant. This headdress is classified among the Cashinahuans as "dani maiti" which titles it as a "body hair" or "body feather" headdress ("maiti" means "headdress" and "dani" means "body"). The name of the headdress is further changed to detail what kind of feather or hair was used in the making. This particular headdress was made with the body feathers from a King Vulture and decorated with Macaw feathers cut to be the same length. Because the Macaw feathers were cut, it is difficult to distinguish where on the Macaw the feathers originated, though it is common among the Cashinahuan men to use small feathers from areas like the legs, neck, and under-wing. The dani maiti are made by tying the base of the body feathers to a strip of vine that has been cut and prepared with "bui"- a native mixture of wild rubber, chicle, and beeswax. There may be up to four flattened strips of vine, but only one of them will have the bui on it. Feathers are tied to the strip of vine in bunches of up to six feathers tied about 1cm apart from each other. Doing this enables the headdress to have volume because the feathers are often overlapping. When all the feathers that will be added to the strip are tied on it, the headdress is tied together with cotton and waxed string forming a circle that will fit upon the man's head. In this case, as is occasionally seen, the vine has been covered in a patterned design created by wrapping cotton string around it. It is very rare to see headdresses made with this kind of feather as normally they are crafted with feathers from a trumpeter bird, a white heron, or a wild turkey. Dani maiti are crafted by men, often for their sons, for ceremonial events. Such events include "kacha nawa" (fertility ceremonies), "nishpu pi" (initiation rites), and "chidin" (the headman's ceremony).
4	1970.78.10.11	Headdress	This headdress has one tier of harpy eagle body feathers forming a three quarter fan around the band made from vine. There is a second tier of black macaw feathers and a third tier of blue, yellow, and red macaw feathers that are cut to be the same length that follow the same three quarter path as the harpy feathers. The feathers are held into place by the vines and the vines are wrapped in white, bright pink, and dark gray string that forms a pattern that runs along the base of the feathers and ends with the white cotton string wrapping around two thirds of the proper right side of the featherless band and the pink and white cotton string wrapping around the proper left third of the featherless side of the band. When worn, the feathers will loosely stand straight because of the way they have been attached to the vine. The vines are visible in spaces where the white cotton was wrapped sparingly on the featherless side of the band. Crafting headdresses is a male craft among the Cashinahuans. Though women do know about the art, when interviewed around men they pretend to be ignorant. This headdress is classified among the Cashinahuans as "dani maiti" which titles it as a "body hair" or "body feather" headdress ("maiti" means "headdress" and "dani" means "body feather" or "body hair"). The name of the headdress is further changed to detail what kind of feather or hair was used in the making. Because this particular headdress was made with body feathers from the harpy eagle, it is classified as "nawan tete dani maiti" ("harpy eagle body feather headdress"). Commonly among dani maiti, macaw feathers are added as decorative second tier, because the macaw feathers were cut to be the same length, it is difficult to distinguish where on the macaw the feathers originated, though it is common among the Cashinahuan men to use small feathers from areas like the legs, neck, and under-wing. The dani maiti are made by tying the base of the body feathers to a strip of vine that has been cut and prepared with "bui"- a native mixture of wild rubber, chicle, and beeswax. There may be up to four flattened strips of vine, but only one of them will have the bui on it. Feathers are tied to the strip of vine in bunches of up to six feathers tied about 1cm apart from each other. Doing this enables the headdress to have volume because the feathers are often overlapping. When all the feathers that will be added to the strip are tied on it, the headdress is tied together with cotton and waxed string forming a circle that will fit upon the man's head. In this case, as is occasionally seen, the vine has been covered in a patterned design created by wrapping cotton string around it. Dani maiti are crafted by men, often for their sons, for ceremonial events. Such events include "kacha nawa" (fertility ceremonies), "nishpu pi" (initiation rites), and "chidin" (the headman's ceremony).
5	1970.78.10.12	Headdress	This headdress has a band of yellow macaw wing feathers that fan out to create a three quarter crown around the band. Some of the feathers have shades of brown and black present on them as well. There is a second tier of trumpeter bird breast feathers that are black and a third tier of macaw body feathers that yellow and red, all of which are cut to be the same length. The vine is covered in the front by a woven pattern that is blue and white. The back of the headdress shows that the feathers were attached to a loose string of cotton from the woven pattern covering the vine by bending the barb and tying them in place. They are held to the vine by white cotton string that has been covered in "bui"- a native mixture made of wild rubber, chicle, and beeswax. This allows the feathers to be flexible and move with the wearer and fold down upon themselves. There is a thin, white cotton string that runs from the beginning of the fan of feathers on the proper left (if looking from the front) through the middle of the yellow macaw feathers and ends at the last feathers on the proper right. This allows the feathers to move in unison. The featherless base of the band is wrapped in the same white cotton string that forms the pattern covering the second and third tiers of feathers. Crafting headdresses is a male craft among the Cashinahuans. Though women do know about the art, when interviewed around men they pretend to be ignorant. This headdress is classified among the Cashinahuans as "pei maiti kuin" which titles it as a "real wing feather" headdress ("maiti" translates to "headdress", "pei" translates to "wing", and "kuin" to "real"). These types of headdress are further classified depending on their flexibility. This headdress is considered "babui" or "flexible". It is designed so that the feathers form a floppy brim instead of standing straight out. Pei maiti kuin are crafted by men, often for their sons, for ceremonial events. Such events include "kacha nawa" (fertility ceremonies), "nishpu pi" (initiation rites), and "chidin" (the headman's ceremony).
6	1970.78.10.13	Headdress	This particular headdress was made using the body feathers of a trumpeter bird. The trumpeter bird body feathers form a three quarter fan around the band of the headdress that is crafted from vines and wrapped in a woven cotton pattern with pink, white, and blue-gray patterns. The featherless section of the band shows all of the cotton strings wound around the end and fastened together. Some of the black trumpeter bird body feathers have colourful macaw tail and body feathers attached to the tip of them using the native mixture of "bui". There are also a few harpy eagle body feathers woven into the feathers throughout the three quarter fan. Crafting headdresses is a male craft among the Cashinahuans. Though women do know about the art, when interviewed around men they pretend to be ignorant. This headdress is classified among the Cashinahuans as "dani maiti" which titles it as a "body hair" or "body feather" headdress ("maiti" means "headdress" and "dani" means "body"). The name of the headdress is further changed to detail what kind of feather or hair was used in the making. The dani maiti are made by tying the base of the body feathers to a strip of vine that has been cut and prepared with "bui"- a native mixture of wild rubber, chicle, and beeswax. There may be up to four flattened strips of vine, but only one of them will have the bui on it. Feathers are tied to the strip of vine in bunches of up to six feathers tied about 1cm apart from each other. Doing this enables the headdress to have volume because the feathers are often overlapping. When all the feathers that will be added to the strip are tied on it, the headdress is tied together with cotton and waxed string forming a circle that will fit upon the man's head. In this case, as is occasionally seen, the vine has been covered in a patterned design created by wrapping cotton string around it. Dani maiti are crafted by men, often for their sons, for ceremonial events. Such events include "kacha nawa" (fertility ceremonies), "nishpu pi" (initiation rites), and "chidin" (the headman's ceremony).
7	1970.78.10.6	Chisel	Piece of palm bark with alternating black and red sting wrapped around it following the a mirrored pattern starting at both ends meeting in the middle where there is a solid chunk of white string. On the black portions there is razor grass that has an orange tint (either from age, dye, or reaction to string dye). There is an Agouti tooth attached by placing it in a split section of the wood and wrapped around with string and razor grass. These chisels are called "madi xeta nupe" among the Cashinahua and it means "agouti tooth knife". Chisels wrapped in string are often used for ceremonies, but that does not necessarily mean that they are well-crafted or sacred. A madi xeta nupe may be reused for many other ceremonies, only used once and thrown away, or used in daily life for working with wood after the ceremony. The colors on the chisel are commonly found in the culture because the dyes are easily made with the resources found in culture. Though never stated explicitly, there could be importance behind the colors. Red: ambivalence, war, blood. Black: death, infertility, impurity. White: power, purity, harmony.
8	1970.78.10.7	Collar	Wide, handwoven neckband. Top and bottom are lined with beads, seeds, and teeth. All the teeth are ocelot teeth from hunting. The more teeth on a neckband, the better hunter in the society. These are only made and worn by men. The colours alternate between green, white, and pink patterns. The top has an alternating pattern of one tooth separated by somewhere between two and five black beads. The bottom has an alternating pattern of one tooth separated by red and black seeds with two brown seed casings towards the outer edges. The collar ties in the back by string. the proper left side has three sets of strings; one on top, middle, and bottom. The proper right side has two sets of strings; top and middle. It appears to have been repaired at one point and restitched together with thread that does not match the rest of the piece along the middle where the middle ties lie.
9	1970.78.10.9.1	Chambira	Piece of chambira (rafia) and cord made from it. Chambira is a strong fiber harvested from the crown shaft of the canopy palm tree Astrocaryum chambira. It is commonly used in Central and South America to make string, rope, hammocks, bags, and other various craft items. Indigenous peoples twist the fibers into strings which are then woven into ropes and other objects. This sample of the chambira is from the Cashinahua area. This is a sampling that shows the progression of natural chambira to chambira rope with the natural on the proper right and the twisted rope on the proper left. Cardboard sheet has thirteen triangles cut out of the top to allow the wrapping of chambira around for storage. The sixth one is empty and the sheet has "MAAS BROTHERS" in the center.
10	1970.78.10.9.13	Chambira	Piece of chambira (rafia) and cord made from it. Chambira is a strong fiber harvested from the crown shaft of the canopy palm tree Astrocaryum chambira. It is commonly used in Central and South America to make string, rope, hammocks, bags, and other various craft items. Indigenous peoples twist the fibers into strings which are then woven into ropes and other objects. This sample of the chambira is from the Cashinahua area. This comes from 1970.78.10.9.1 to show what the middle of the process looks like- it was taken from the sixth slot.
11	1970.78.11.10	Necklace	Ten strands, black seeds. Necklaces like this one are worn by both men and women for everyday wear among the Machiguenga.
12	1970.78.11.11	Bark	Bark was chewed to cure dysentery by the Machiguengas.
13	1970.78.11.12.1	Nose piece	Small metal disk worn in the pierced septum mostly by women among the Machiguenga.
14	1970.78.11.13	Necklace	Small black seeds alternating with longer brown seeds on a necklace. Necklaces are worn by both men and women in everyday wear among the Machiguenga.
15	1970.78.11.15	Necklace	Six-eight black seeds then a pendant of 2 red and 1 black and then 6-8 black seeds. Necklaces are worn by both and women for everyday ornamentation among the Machiguenga.
16	1970.78.11.16	Necklace	Necklace made of two teeth, two knuckle bones, three finger bones, and pendants made of seeds and pods. Black seeds that have been cut in halves separate the pods and white job's tears make up the other half.
17	1970.78.11.17	Necklace	Four double strands, seeds and nuts. Seeds are mostly black, except for two white ones connected to each pod. The shells are hollowed out to create a jingle when worn. Seeds and nut shells are woven and tied onto chambira, a natural palm fiber that is native to the Amazon Rainforest, string that is woven and tied at the back of the neck.
18	1970.78.11.18	Bag	Handwoven, striped; used for storage of personal articles. Mostly tan with brown and black vertical stripes.
19	1970.78.11.19	Bag	Machiguengan handwoven bag made of chambira. The handle is woven with a dark brown geometrical design. Most likely used to carry resources in.
20	1970.78.11.20	Necklace	Necklace is made with alternating seeds and teeth. Teeth all appear to be from an ocelot and the seeds are small and brown. Worn in everyday wear by both men and women.
21	1970.78.11.21	Necklace	White Job's Tears make up the strands. Two strings of seeds strung vertically and connected by white seeds attached horizontally to each strand. Both men and women wear necklaces for everyday decoration among the Machiguenga.
22	1970.78.11.22	Belt	White and brown and black seed pendants hang from woven belt and jingles when worn around the waist.
23	1970.78.11.23	Necklace	Multi strands of black seeds with bones, crab claws, nuts and teeth from the headwaters of the Amazon. Both men and women among the Machiguenga wear necklaces in everyday wear.
24	1970.78.11.24	Headband	Feather headband made and worn by the tribesmen of the Machiguenga tribe. Black feathers are woven into a natural cotton by bending the stem of the feathers down and through the weaving. The feathers take up one fifth of the band. The rest is simple cotton and double stranded. The headband is fastened by tying the two ends together on the side of the head.
25	1970.78.11.25	Headband	Feather headband made and worn by the tribesmen of the Machiguenga tribe. Black, red, and blue feathers are woven into a natural cotton by bending the stem of the feathers down and through the weaving. The feathers take up one third of the band. The rest is simple cotton and double stranded. The headband is fastened by tying the two ends together on the side of the head.
26	1970.78.11.3A	Stick, Firemaking	Stick used to make fires. Partner to 1970.78.11.0003B. This used to be one stick but it was cut in half. The stick has a hollowed out portion that has been worn smooth from natural use and there is burnt residue from fire creation.
27	1970.78.11.3B	Stick, Firemaking	Stick used to make fires. Partner to 1970.78.11.0003A. This used to be one whole stick but it was cut in half to make fires. The end of this stick has been rounded so that it can create friction for fire.
28	1970.78.11.6	Belt	Small seeds; for a boy. Many short strings of 2-6 black seeds with a brown "bell-like" seed at the end, sewn onto a wide woven band.
29	1970.78.11.7	Pipe, medicine	Carved bone. In shape of 90 degree angle with each ray being 4" long. White cotton thread holds two pieces of bone together, covered with black gum. Non-numbered edge has carved design ring around the top. This was used to treat headaches and sinus issues with naturally found essences around the rainforest.
30	1970.78.11.9	Necklace	Multiple stranded black seeds; from the headwaters of the Amazon. About 9 strands. Men and women among the Machiguenga both wear necklaces for everyday wear.
31	1970.78.12.1.1	Necklace	The single strand necklace has alternating colors of black and white on the left string of the necklace. On the top of the right string there are vertebrae that leads into black and white colors which has an occasional tan coloring. After the black and white coloring there is a pattern of tan and black. Where the necklaces is tied there is a small section of braided chambira on one side. Made from the vertebrae of the stingray, shells, seeds, and the finger bones of monkeys and thinly sliced thorns. Black and white "beads" and vertebrae necklace [sic]. The necklace was made for everyday wear and worn by both men and women.
32	1970.78.12.1.2	Necklace	Made from bone (possibly stingray vertebrae) and pebbles from rocky beaches strung upon a handwoven natural fiber string. Double stranded, the outer strand has a pattern of black pebble to bone for 30 "beads" right at the start of the tie. These necklaces were used for everyday wear by both men and women.
33	1970.78.12.1.3	Necklace	Necklace made from the vertebra (possibly stingray), shells, seeds, the finger bones of monkeys, and thinly sliced thorns. The necklace is double stranded and alternates between the black of the seeds or thorns and the tan of the bones.
34	1970.78.13.1	Bag	Handwoven. Natural in color with blue vertical stripes and blackish-brown painted design. Handle is blue and white band. There are geometric designs that are very similar to those found in the Shipibo-Conibo culture and art.
35	1970.78.14.2	Flute	This is a Quena flute and is native to the Andean region in Peru. It is traditionally crafted from Totora, a kind of giant bulrush sedge. It produces a much darker timbre than the metal western flute and tends to be shorter. These flutes are still used today, gaining popularity in the 60s and 70s among many contemporary musicians; this trend lasted until the 90s though it is still heavily used among native musicians. Though this Quena is made from Totora, in some Peruvian communities you can find them made from leg bones of Condors. The Quena has six finger holes on the top and one thumb hole on the bottom. Both ends are open, though carved differently to produce the music.
36	1970.78.14.3	Bowl	This bowl was fashioned from a gourd and designed by using native Peruvian etching styles and practices. The design that is depicted was created by using a buril to engrave or draw the scene upon the gourd. Occasionally the artists will draw out their design in pencil before using the buril to permanently impress the scene. Once the design or scene has been fully engraved, the gourd is burnt to make the artwork stand out against the lighter colour of the gourd. It is more common to find bowls that have been carved from gourds than bowls that are made from ceramics among natives in the Andes and this practice dates back about 6,000 years in Peruvian history. The bowl depicts a scene of a Peruvian mountainside. There are images of oxen and men plowing fields and a bus driving down a road that winds from the top to the bottom of the bowl. There are alpaca in the proper left bottom corner and houses above them. On the proper right there is an Andean woman leading an alpaca through the hills. These scenes together show the many facets of Peruvian live and detail the importance of farming and alpacas to their culture.
37	1970.78.15.1	Masato Vessel	A vessel depicting a standing chief in a contemporary style
38	1970.78.15.10	Belt	Heavy multiple strands of small white beads. The number of strands indicates the wealth of the owner. Used over folded skirts to hold the skirt up on both men and women in the Shipibo-Conibo culture.
39	1970.78.15.11	Necklace	This necklace is double-stranded and made up of beads and seeds. The strands have a repeating pattern of one gray seed, one brown seed, one gray seed, one red bead, two white beads, two red beads, two white beads, and ends with one red bead. the strands are connected by a single gray seed that is connected in the middle of the two red beads in the pattern. The strands come to an end in an intricate woven detail with beads, seeds, teeth, shells, and bone.
40	1970.78.15.12	Stick, design	Carved geometric design stick. Used by the Shipibo-Conibo for painting their faces. When rolled in paint and across the face (specifically going from ear to ear across the nose) it will impart a geometrical design framed by two solid lines. It is quite common to find geometric designs among the Shipibo-Conibo because in the past the symbols had meaning that held their beliefs and values. The ability to interpret and translate that meaning has since been lost, but the designs are still present.
41	1970.78.15.13	Comb	This comb is made from a soft, light wood. They are carved to be relatively the same length on the bottom and the top has been cut into a "U" shape. There is a green and red geometrical pattern woven across the middle of the comb. Geometrical designs are common among Shipibo-Conibo culture because it holds value and meaning that represents their beliefs. The ability to translate the meaning has since been lost, but it is still commonly seen in their art.
42	1970.78.15.15a	Crown	This was a type of crown that was made for Shipibo-Conibo chief. These are no longer made or worn. The crown is crafted from bark and a weaving. The bark is soaked in water to give it flexibility and then shaped to the wearer's head. It is hand sewn to form a circle. There is a weaving that covers the outside of the crown. It is an intricate pattern of red, blue, white, black, green, and yellow cotton yarn. Geometrical designs are common among Shipibo-Conibo culture because it holds value and meaning that represents their beliefs. The ability to translate the meaning has since been lost, but it is still commonly seen in their art.
43	1970.78.15.15b	Crown Feathers	This bunch of feathers is paired with a chieftan's crown of the Shipibo-Conibo people (1970.78.15.0015A). The bundle is made of white heron and macaw wing feathers. The macaw feathers are inserted through a hole in a small piece of wood that has been hollowed out. The white heron wing feathers are placed around the piece of wood and tied to the base using green string. This type of crown is no longer made or worn among the Shipibo-Conibo.
44	1970.78.15.18	Spindle	This spindle is from the Shipibo-Conibo culture in Peru. The weaving in the culture is done by women and is a large part of their culture. In the past the geometrical designs that are commonly seen in Shipibo-Conibo art were part of a codified system that expressed the beliefs and values of the culture. Since contact, the ability to translate these motifs has been lost even among the people; however, the designs and symbols are still present in the artwork. This spindle has a wooden core that is decorated by carved simple lines and widens at the top and narrows to a point at the bottom. The core passes through a stone that widens and narrows at the center and has white, cotton thread wrapped around two-thirds of the core.
45	1970.78.15.19B	Loom	Piece of reed which goes between toes.
46	1970.78.15.19C	Loom	Piece of reed which is at the waist.
47	1970.78.15.19D	Loom Spindle	This is the part of the loom that is used to incorporate the thread into a weaving. The thread is red completing the continuous red patterns. It is quite common to find geometric designs among the Shipibo-Conibo because in the past the symbols had meaning that held their beliefs and values. The ability to interpret and translate that meaning has since been lost, but the designs are still present.
48	1970.78.15.20	Ribbon	Piece of handwoven ribbon that is green and black around the edges followed by a yellow and green checkered design with the inner stripe being white with a repeating black pattern. The proper right edge has five strands that are twisted and tied at their ends so the ribbon can be fastened. The proper left end is sewn shut. This kind of ribbon is used to make ankle and armbands.
49	1970.78.15.21	Necklace	This necklace is made of beads and seeds. It has a pattern of two white beads, two black beads, two yellow beads, one seed, two yellow beads, two black beads, two white beads, and a seed. This pattern is repeated over the entire band until it comes to an end with two seeds that are tied to the pendant that is one larger seed pod. The pendant has two strands hanging from the bottom that have a pattern of three white beads, two black beads, two yellow beads, and ending in one black and red seed. There is also a beaded strand on either side of the pod. These have a pattern of three white beads, two black beads, two yellow beads, one black seed, one white bead, and ending in one black seed.
50	1970.78.15.22	Necklace	This necklace is made of seeds and beads. There is an alternating pattern of one seed, one blue bead, two white beads, and completed with one blue bead. There is a pendant made from a nut shell with beads on each side. The top beads are black with a yellow bead in the middle. The bottom bead is green and the rest of the sides have two white beads sticking off the shell.