ASHANINKA
By the Ashaninka people
Ashaninka Indigenous Land of the Amônia River, state of Acre
Photo by Gleeson Paulino
Model Yasmin Morais
Men’s Kitharentsi vest, Amathayrentsi headgear, Thato bag, Wãyo
scarf, Txoshiki necklace
2024
Native cotton, palm leaf petiole, forest seeds, natural dyes, clay
The Kitharẽntsi (known in Quechua as kushma) is the traditional everyday V-neck garment worn by Ashaninka men. It is handmade by women using native cotton grown, spun and woven within the community. Threads are dyed with natural pigments from mahogany and patsitak bark, and riverbank clay. It features three distinct ancestral patterns: shopa (caterpillar), symbolising the strength of unity and the importance of the Ashaninka to walk together; tsirotxeyriki (tsirotsi fish), expressing beauty and delicacy; and kõpero, inspired by the ‘sleeper’ bird, a symbol of love.
The Amathayrentsi headdress is worn and handmade by the men using the central structure (petiole) of palm leaves and cotton thread produced by the women’s community. It symbolises leadership, power, wisdom and beauty. Each horizontal pattern carries a symbolic meaning. The porekãtsi motif, for instance, evokes the reflection of light.
The Txoshiki necklace complements the male’s kitharẽntsi. Both are worn on weekends at pyiarentsi celebrations and community gatherings. Worn crosswise, it reproduces snake motifs in colour and shape. Made by men in collaboration with women and children using forest seeds and cotton threads, it comes in braided or looped forms. Like the amathayrentsi, txoshiki conveys leadership, strength and beauty.
The Thato bag is made from cotton and offcuts from the weaving of the male kitharẽntsi. Used by both men and women, it carries everyday items such as annatto paste, combs, mirrors, thread, arrow wax, coca leaves, small tools, as well as fruits or small game. Ashaninka men typically carry two bags — one for daily use and one for rituals.
Both thato and wãyo scarf are woven on a smaller loom. It may be made from specially painted fabric with symbolic motifs or from a simple cloth piece. Worn exclusively by men around the neck, head, or shoulders, it represents strength, power, beauty, and courage. Historically, Ashaninka men wore the wãyo on their heads to hold medicinal herbs used in battles.
Courtesy of the Ashaninka people of the Amônia River Indigenous Land
Women’s Kitharẽntsi, Thato bag, Kayenthawontsi sling
2024
Cotton, natural dyes, clay
The women’s kitharẽntsi, like the men’s, is made by Ashaninka women using native cotton dyed with natural pigments collected in the forest and pitsithari (a riverbank clay) through ancestral methods and patterns. It is no longer woven on a traditional loom but continues to carry ancestral meaning. The horizontal kempiro (sururucu-pico-de-jaca snake) and rayamatha (ant path) motifs evoke protection, courage and beauty.
The kayenthawontsi sling is cotton shoulder wrap used daily by Ashaninka women. It is woven on a small loom, like the Thato bag. Worn diagonally over the kitharẽntsi, similarly to how men wear the txoshiki, women typically wear two or three slings throughout the day, for work or rest, to transport personal items and crops from plantations. Babies are carried by their mothers in the sling.
Courtesy of the Ashaninka people of the Amônia River Indigenous Land
