Mahuetá Shipibo-Konibo

In the ceremonies of the Shipibo-Konibo people who live on the banks of the Ucayali River, masato is often prepared. This is a drink made from cassava and stored in large clay vessels.
The surfaces of this vessel are decorated with human faces or figures in low relief, as well as the ancestral kené designs traditionally created by the women of the community. 
It is usually the women who produce these vessels. They are made using the coiling technique, with the clay slabs prepared with bark ash from the apacharama tree. The clay is stretched and rolled to create the form of the vessel, and as the walls are built up, a flat tool is used to smooth the sides.