Tattoos were made by pricking the skin with a palm thorn, using a mixture of genipap fruit juice and copal soot. They burn a chunk of copal resin, collecting the soot from the smoke in an overturned clay pot, from which they scrape off the soot that collects inside the pot, they then they mix the soot with the genipap fruit juice creating the the dark coloured tattoo pigment. There are still many tattooed Matsés today but now the tattoos are seen only on the elders as this practice was stopped shortly after contact with the missionaries sometime in the 1970’s.

It is acknowledged that one of the purposes of tattoos is to visibly confirm the integration of captives (tastevin, 1926; Romanoff 1984:48). However, this symbolic assimilation of the ‘other’ in no way prevents it from serving as a model that contributes to the formation of one's own identity (Erickson, 1986), on the other hand, it is about showing affiliation to the group or people to which they belong.

Nestor Bina is a Matsés elder who lives in the remote village of Puerto Alegre on the Yaquerana river.

Today, the Matses no longer practice facial tattooing as was the custom in the past; however, the elders still have their traditional tattoos. The younger generation has adopted the use of achiote to create designs on their faces, reserving this practice for celebrations or representations of their culture.

The Matsés make a wide range of body adornments and jewellery, using a variety of seeds and materials from the rainforest. With precise tools, they create remarkably fine and detailed work. They also make crowns that are usually made from tree bark or cotton cloth and painted with natural dyes, such as achiote once more, which produces a deep red colour. Designs vary by gender and clans.