Indigenous Peru

Peru is home to many Indigenous peoples of the Andes and Amazon, with different languages and body arts. The communities east of the mountains should not be treated as one extension of Inca culture.

Historical accounts describe mouth and cheek markings among several Pano-speaking peoples. Shipibo and Conibo designs appear in portraits, alongside feather ornaments and painted bodies. Not every dark marking in an old image was necessarily a tattoo.

Shipibo-Konibo kené is a rich tradition of geometric design. Patterns appear on textiles, pottery, beadwork and other surfaces. They carry knowledge connected with the community and its way of seeing the world.

Artists have also brought kené onto large public murals. The designs continue to find new settings rather than remaining only in old photographs. Clothing, ornaments and painted skin belong to that wider history of skilled work and creativity.