On the 2nd of August, we held the inauguration for "Pitak- the woven identity of the Wampis" with special guests from the community of Caterpiza Jorge Tukup (a Wampis master), Disnarda Tukup (a Wampis artisan), and Nelly Impi of the Yapit Association. Our guests impart to us their stories and perspectives about their culture and the ancestral knowledge of the Pitak weaving tradition; a practice that is becoming exceedingly rare amongst their communities.

Ancestral art and the knowledge of how these traditional practices are brought forward to the future generations is paramount to many if not all Indigenous Amazonian cultures. Jorge Tukup and his step daughter Disnarda are some of the few in their community of Caterpiza who honor the Wampis craft of basketry or Pitak, adornment-making, music and song traditions. In their present day realities, they continue to create from their Wampis heritage in order to keep the wisdom of the vibrant culture alive so that others can learn and appreciate their knowledge and experience, how they live, and how they believe in creating alongside nature.

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We also had a special guest who accompanied Jorge and Disnarda by the name of Nelly Impi; a longtime friend of Xapiri Ground and the founder of the Yapit Association which has become known for supporting Indigenous Awajún artisans to connect with the international market by offering workshops and resources to produce their natural seed jewelry and traditional ceramics. The Awajún are a neighboring peoples with the Wampis, whose languages and art traditions are closely related. Having Nelly's presence there was a great help in translation between the Wampis language and Spanish. She also provided our audience with some deeper insights into the struggles that the Awajún and Wampis experience in relation to their handcrafted products and the selling market.

"Few have taught me and I have lived by sacrificing for not knowing how to do this type of work..."

~ Jorge Tukup (Wampis master)

On the wall of the exhibition, written in his Wampis language, Jorge explains to us the ancestral story of how the Wampis people came to learn the ways of weaving by way of the white monkey 'Tsere'. "We would have never known how to build our homes if it weren't for the teachings of Tsere. But through the wisdom of Tsere we've now gained the knowledge. And for this reason, the children who are being born now, shall learn the techniques of Changuina (Pitak), Temash (comb), and building a house. Tsere has left us with something beautiful." 

We had the honor of hosting Jorge and Disnarda for five days in Cusco. This was the first time that Jorge and Disnarda had left their community to travel this far. They were very happy to be witnessing something different and to be around new groups of people and an environment that was otherwise completely different to what they knew. So we had arranged for a Matsigenka friend to prepare us some Masato (traditional fermented yucca beverage) to share on the day of their inauguration. Instantly you felt their pride, for to have Masato in one's company is to share in a deep cultural practice of connection and acknowledgment, drinking of the earth.

We also took them on a walk through some of the temples of Cusco where they marveled at the distant mountains and the expansive sky, learning a little bit about Andean culture and of those who came before.

We would like to thank the community of Caterpiza, Jorge Tukup and his family, Gerardo Petsaín, and Nelly Impi of the Yapit Assocation for welcoming us into their world and sharing their knowledge so that we may deepen our understanding of their culture and reality.

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