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Quichua pottery from the |
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| The potter of this region is often highly decorated with abstract patterns in black and white on red which are based on patterns taken from animals such as snakes and turtles. The ware is made entirely by hand by women potters. Their abilities to work clay are amazing, forming beautifully shaped round pots with no potters wheel. The ware is very thin to allow quick firing. Despite a somewhat glazed appearance of the surface, no actual glaze is used. The surface is coated with the slip colors (red slip all over, with patterning on top of that) before firing, then while the ware is still hot it is coated with a tree sap resin. In the picture above a potter from Jatun Molino on the Rio Bobonaza is applying the resin to a drinking bowl with a clay turtle as the base. Village life out in the Amazon basin where there are no roads is strangely timeless, with activities starting before dawn and winding down soon after dark. There is no electricity, no phone, and only a village radio for communication with other nearby towns. |
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