The arrow is an important tool in the Shipibo world, as it is used for hunting and fishing as a means of subsistence. The term tsacati referred to fishing with a weapon, such as arrows, spear and harpoons.
The arrows, or pia, are made from the stems of the caña brava (gynerium sagittatum), which provides a straight and light shaft. The tips of the arrows were usually made from the Pijuayo palm tree, pona or bamboo. Depending on the situation, the arrows were shot by hand or with the use of a bow. For example, when fishing for small fish in murky, white water, the arrows were shot by hand. On the other hand, in clear water where it was possible to distinguish the fish, the bow was used for greater precision (Tournon, 1988).
In ethnographic records compiled by Tessmann in 1928, several tools used by the Shipibo-Konibo for fishing and hunting are mentioned. Each of these tools had its specific function and was used according to the circumstances and the type of prey sought, these are:
Tsacati: A spear with a cane shaft and metal points joined by a rope.
Ipoati: Spears with wooden shafts and a two-hooked metal points.
Ipo: designated for the ‘carachamas’, fish, which are of primary importance for food in the communities. These fish have strong bony plates that are like protective shields, which the ipoati can pass through.
Yateca: spears with wooden antlers and metal tip, used for aquatic turtles.
Chicaro: Harpoon made up of three parts, a heavy wooden shaft three metres long, a metal tip and a balsa float, used for large animals such as paiche, manatees, caimans, etc.
The Shipibo-Konibos used a great variety of techniques and tools for fishing, which were passed down from father to son, or from grandfather to grandson. Nowadays there are few specialists who know how to make the various tools such as the arrows and harpoons.
The bueseti or comb is made from caña brava, decorated and woven with homespun cotton to fix the combs. They have the kené geometric designs, characteristic of the Shipibo-Konibo people.
The use of the makana (winon rishkiti), among Shipibo-Konibo men, was associated with ritual confrontation and demonstration of strength and skill. The makana was a kind of machete used in fights between ‘warriors’. The designs that decorated the makana were drawn by the women and then carved by the men themselves. This weapon was part of a cultural ritual that went beyond simple physical confrontation, it also had a social meaning in the community.
It seems that the fight with makana or wino was parallel to the confrontation with ushete (wexati). The ushete or knife shaped like the moon was a weapon used to fight in cases of infidelity. The husband attempts to inflict a cut on the scalp of his adversary; the matter is settled to the satisfaction of both. The ancestors had a mosaic of slashes on the head. This practice also had a cultural and symbolic background related to loyalty and respect towards marital relations and the community at large (Ruiz, 2016).
However, it is noted that these ritual practices, including the use of the makana and the ushete, were almost abandoned by the 1980s (Ruiz, 2016). As Shipibo-Konibo society underwent changes and adapted to external influences, certain traditions and ceremonial practices diminished or disappeared.
