The Shipibo peoples are found in remote parts of the Amazon river basin. Even with contact to the developed world growing daily, the tribes have maintained a culture rooted in and to their ancestral environment. Every facet of their lives is influenced by the natural world. This aspect of their culture is reflected in art such as these eye pillows and sachets.

By drinking a natural tea whose recipe is passed down each generation, the tribe members enter an enlightened state of realization where they can see the patterns of the universe that are believed to signify the patterns of our beings in the universe. The geometric lines signify the order of our cosmos that is repeated for all eternity across the many facets of our being - rivers working their way through the world, stars trekking across the night sky, the veins of the universe.

Shipibo women are the principal artists of this tribe. As young girls, piri piri drops are placed in their eyes which, according to Shipibo legend, allows them to see patterns and designs beyond the physical world. This results in each finished piece, even though a single set of hands has created it, delivering an image all artisans identify and comprehend, as they have seen the same distinctive pattern the universe has assigned to objects in the physical world. No two pieces of Shipibo art are the same, just as no two objects or beings are exactly the same. Each piece represents its own unique aspect of the universal order.

In many tribal environments, resources are scarce and material belongings are limited to items essential for survival – both physical and spiritual. The Shipibo are no exception to this. In an effort to express their unique take on the cosmos, their artwork has been incorporated into their daily lives by being applied to a wide variety of goods from traditional low-fire terra cotta pots, to painted cloths and embroidered textiles. The sacred nature of their work remains central to their way of life. As much as we may hope to understand the culture and vision of the Shipibo, the true meaning of their adornment remains somewhat of a mystery to the world outside of the Amazon rainforest. We can take pleasure in the work that reaches us from their remote homelands, and marvel at their skill and creative inspiration.