For the Awajun people of northern Peru, pottery is a means of expressing their harmonious relationship with nature. The pottery preparation process includes five stages: the collection of materials, modeling, firing, decorating, and finishing. Each stage of the process has a meaning and associated values that they tell through their oral traditions
The real origin of the Aguaruna people is still unknown. Some anthropologists believe the Aguaruna people probably came down from the Andes centuries ago and adapted themselves to the geographical conditions of the region.
Others believe the Aguaruna people are migrants from Central America who arrived along the coast or down rivers. They were influenced by cultural groups that were immigrants from Melanesia, including present-day Jaén.
In the north of Peru, the Awajun people consider pottery to be a symbol of their harmonious relationship with nature. To make pottery in the Awajun universe, knowledge, ritual, and mythical narration are intertwined, creating a dynamic relationship. Three powerful beings are considered in their worldview: Nugkui (spirit of the earth), Etsa (spirit of the forest), and Tsuqki (spirit of water).
Chachamamu, or designs painted on ceramics, usually depicts some geometric pattern that reflects elements of nature. Learning this such an art is part of the dékamu or ancestral knowledge of the Awajun women that gives them the ability to make pottery.
Various tools are used by artists to make the pots, including grinding and polishing stones, wooden boards, modelling tools, and paintbrushes made of human hair.
The preparation process involves collecting materials, modeling, firing, decorating, and finishing. Each stage is associated with the people's oral traditions and includes the necessary skills to create and decorate the pots.
The material used in Awajun ceramics includes various types of river clay or duwé, bark and tree ashes, leaves, natural latex, tree resin, and plant fruits and seeds, all of which are used to reinforce the clay and reduce porosity. This fortified clay creates vibrant colors and a natural sheen. For this reason, Awajun ceramics are both decorative and safe for use with food and beverages. They serve as cooking vessels, drinking vessels, and eating vessels, and are also used for rituals and ceremonies and also hold social importance.
In addition to expressing personal attributes like generosity and intimate life, the thousand-year-old practice has been empowering Awajun women. The ones who look after and sow the plants they use to decorate and make pottery until today. As the main carriers of Awajun pottery knowledge and traditions are the Dukug wise women, female elders who pass on the knowledge and tradition to younger women in their families.